Where does Arlen Specter stand on the issues? It depends on which day of the week it is. Specter is pushing John Kerry aside as king of the flip-flop.

Specter sat down a few days ago for and extensive interview with The Mercury.

On health care, Specter said "I will only vote on a health care bill that does not add to the deficit."

Does that mean he will defy Barack Obama and Harry Reid?

I also enjoyed this quote from Specter about the fact that it took him a couple of decades to figure out he wans't a true Republican: "I found I was voting more often with the Democrats than the Republicans during my tenure."

Check out what he has to say on a variety of issues ... before he changes his mind again.

Read the story at the newspaper's Web site, where you can also view videos of Specter at the offices of The Mercury.

State Rep. Sam Rohrer is expected to announce his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor at a Town Hall Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Spring Township Fire Company in West Lawn, Berks County.

Rohrer sent the following e-mail today to potential supporters:

Over the past few weeks Ruth Ann and I, and our entire family have been weighing the decision to seek the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania Governor. We've approached it understanding the risk, but knowing fully the incredible need for leadership in our state and nation.

There have been few other moments in my lifetime when the collective call of duty has been greater, and the responsibility to act so urgent. More than winning elections for political parties or discovering a way for Republicans to reach a legislative majority, the 2010 campaign must be waged to give voice for the ideas and principles that matter most.

I want to personally invite you to a special Townhall on Tuesday, November 17 at the Spring Township Fire Department, 2301 Monroe Avenue in West Lawn, PA. I'm organizing this forum to announce the decision on the race for governor, and begin a statewide conversation about the challenges and real opportunities facing Pennsylvania.

We can change the direction of our state, but it will take all of us – "We the People!"

Rohrer, who has represented the 128th House District in southern Berks County since 1993, is best known for leading the fight to eliminate school property taxes in Pennsylvania. He has also taken the lead in the state's rights movement.

If Rohrer decides to enter the 2010 Republican Primary, he will face a crowded field that already includes Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett and Congressman Jim Gerlach, R-6th Dist.

Rohrer announced the Town Hall Meeting at http://samrohrer.org/, which will probably turn into his campaign Web site after Nov. 17.

Until then, you can find out more about Rohrer at http://www.samrohrer.com/

The biggest race on the Nov. 3 ballot is to fill a vacancy on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which is now split 3-3 among Democrats and Republicans.

The candidates are reform candidate Jane Orie Melvin, a Republican, and Jack Panella, the Democratic Party machine candidate, who is running attack ads against Orie Melvin instead of giving voters a reason to support him.

Three of the state's leading newspapers (and among the most liberal newspapers at that) are urging voters to support Orie Melvin.

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason congratulated Supreme Court candidate Judge Joan Orie Melvin on receiving the endorsement of The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Patriot News on Sunday.

From a Republican Party of Pennsylvania press release:

"Judge Joan Orie Melvin is an incredibly impressive candidate and I am pleased to read that The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Patriot News all agreed," Gleason said. "In their endorsement, The Philadelphia Inquirer noted Judge Joan Orie Melvin's 'outsider's viewpoint' and credited her call to create an independently appointed agency to monitor corrupt judges. Clearly, with the story of the Luzerne County judicial scandal still dominating headlines, Pennsylvania voters are looking to elect a Supreme Court justice that will seek to root out corruption, not stand idly by while it takes place."

"The Philadelphia Inquirer's endorsement also criticizes Democrat candidate Jack Panella for his 'special interest campaign war chest' which has come through sizable donations from trial lawyers and big labor groups. We agree that the donations he has received raise serious questions about whether or not Jack Panella, if elected, will be beholden to these special interest groups who have donated so generously to his campaign."

"Judge Joan Orie Melvin's strong work ethic, distinguished record and judicial temperament make her the only choice for Supreme Court on November 3rd, and I am overjoyed that so many Pennsylvanians, including three of our state’s largest newspapers from the western, eastern and central Pennsylvania, are voicing their support for her campaign."

The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsement of Judge Joan Orie Melvin for Supreme Court reads:

Of the two appellate judges vying for Supreme Court, Joan Orie Melvin of Pittsburgh edges out Jack A. Panella, her Easton colleague on the state Superior Court. Melvin, 53, earned the state bar's highest rating and was cited for being "genial and fair- minded" with a "solid record of performance" on the bench over a 24-year period. ("Editorial: Best judicial choices," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/25/09)

Click here to read the text of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s full endorsement.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsement of Judge Joan Orie Melvin for Supreme Court reads:

The other consideration is one dear to our core principles. If Judge Panella wins this race, the court will be down to six men and one woman (Justice Debra McCloskey Todd). The other female justice, Jane Cutler Greenspan, agreed not to seek a full 10-year term after Chief Justice Ralph Cappy retired last year.

Advantage, Judge Melvin, who would strike a small but important blow for gender balance by keeping the number of female justices at two.

The Post-Gazette endorses Judge Joan Orie Melvin for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. ("Supreme Court: In a duel of two top jurists, it's Judge Melvin," The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Click here to read the text of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s full endorsement.

The Patriot News endorsement of Judge Joan Orie Melvin for Supreme Court reads:

But on Nov. 3, voters can choose only one, and after meeting with the candidates and reviewing their records, our choice is Judge Joan Orie Melvin.

She has experience at all levels of the judiciary, having served as a judge in the municipal courts in Pittsburgh, Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County and has been on the Superior Court since 1997. ("Pennsylvania Supreme Court judge: Our choice is Orie Melvin," The Patriot News, 10/25/09)

Click here to read the text of The Patriot News' full endorsement.

For more information about Orie Melvin, visit her campaign Web site, www.judgeoriemelvin.com

Chester County state Rep. Curt Schroder, a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District, announced Tuesday he has raised more than $100,000, exceeding his fundraising goals over the past six weeks.

"I am humbled by the outpouring of local support that I have received," Schroder said in a press release. "Over 320 individuals helped us raise nearly $110,000, the overwhelming bulk of which came in during the last 30 days."

Schroder emphasized that the bulk of his contributions came from individuals within the 6th District and not from far flung national PAC's representing special interests or a personal check.

"Clearly the taxpayers in our region know me, my record and what I stand for. They know that as their Congressman I will go to Washington and place their interests first"

Taking a shot at one of his opponents, Steven Welch, who doesn't live in the 6th District, Schroder noted: "I have lived in the 6th District since its inception and the Downingtown area my entire life. I understand the values, needs and priorities of the people who live here. The out-pouring of grass roots support clearly demonstrates that the people who live here recognize that"

Schroder has represented Chester County's 155th District in the state Legislature since 1994.

The 6th District Republican nomination is up for grabs in 2010 after incumbent Republican Jim Gerlach announced he would not seek a fourth term. Instead, Gerlach is running for governor of Pennsylvania.

For more on the campaign, visit Schroder's Web site at http://vote4curt.com/

U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey announced today that his campaign has raised more than $1.5 million for the third quarter of 2009.

To date, the campaign has raised more than $3.1 million from more than 20,000 contributors since Toomey announced his Senate candidacy five-and-a-half months ago, according to the Toomey for Senate Campaign.

Toomey already has 33 percent more contributors than the total number of donors amassed during the entirety of his 2004 Senate run, the campaign reports.

The most recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Toomey leading both incumbent Democratic Senator Arlen Specter and Democratic Congressman Joe Sestak in general election matchups.

"I am honored by the thousands of people who have contributed to my campaign," Toomey said in a press release. "People all across Pennsylvania are rallying to our message of fiscal responsibility and political balance. They are concerned about the reckless bailouts, extreme policies, and out-of-control debt resulting from one-party control of Washington, and they believe that the country deserves better than that. Together, I believe we will win the fight for fiscal sanity, responsible government, and economic growth."

For more about Toomey, visit his campaign Web site at www.toomeyforsenate.com

There have been three special elections so far this year to fill vacant seats in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Republicans have won all three seats, two in the Senate and one in the House, by safe margins.

The success the Republican Party has had bodes well for 2010 when all 203 seats in the state House and 25 of the 50 seats in the state Senate are up for re-election.

(The GOP lost its majority in the House in 2006 thanks largely to the backlash over the legislative pay raise and was unable to recapture the majority in 2008 primarily because of the Barack Obama landslide in Pennsylvania. With no major Democratic names on the ticket in 2010, the GOP has a chance to retake control of the House.)

The most recent contest, Tuesday's victory by state Rep. Bob Mensch in the 24th Senatorial District, was by far the GOP's biggest win of the year. Mensch defeated his well-financed Democratic opponent by a 2-1 margin.

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason took note of the GOP's undefeated streak in releasing the following statement congratulating Mensch:

"It is clear that Bob Mensch's message of reform and fiscal responsibility resonated with the voters," Gleason said. "We are confident that Bob Mensch will be a great leader for Pennsylvanians living in the 24th Senatorial District and a welcome addition to the state Senate."

"The Republican Party of Pennsylvania was proud to support the Mensch Campaign in this important race. This year, our Party has gone undefeated, enjoying three dominating victories in special elections around the Commonwealth. Our Party feels confident that these victories will provide our candidates with momentum heading into the upcoming statewide judicial elections where we will elect Judge Joan Orie Melvin to serve as our next Supreme Court Justice."

The 24th state Senatorial District consists of portions of Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton counties. Mensch was elected to fill the term of former state Sen. Rob Wonderling, who resigned earlier this summer.

Now that he is a candidate for Pennsylvania governor, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel has resigned from the county's Board of Elections, according to Keith Phucas of The Norristown Times Herald.

Hoeffel, who has served as chairman of the elections board since 2008, was asked to stop down by the county solicitor, Phucas reports.

Hoeffel, a Democrat, notified fellow commissioners James R. Matthews and Bruce L. Castor Jr. on Wednesday about his resignation.

Although Montgomery County Republican Chairman Bob Kerns issued a press release Wednesday calling for Hoeffel to step down fro the elections board, Hoeffel told Phucas that he made the decision on Tuesday.

Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.

State Rep. Curt Schroder has added Kyle Whatley as campaign manager in his bid to win the Republican nomination in the 6th Congressional District.

Whatley has held leadership positions in or managed four congressional campaigns, a mayor's race and two city council offices. He led a statewide non-profit organization and has consulted Fortune 500 companies.

Originally from Texas, Mr. Whatley came to Pennsylvania specifically to work on
Curt Schroder's campaign.

"My wife and I would not have moved almost 2,000 miles if I was not absolutely certain Curt Schroder was going to win this race," Whatley said. "He is in an exceptional position to not only prevail in the primary but to win the election next
November. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this campaign and look forward to playing my role in Curt Schroder being the next Congressman representing the 6th District of Pennsylvania."

Schroder added, "I am pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Whatley. This team is fast becoming one of the most skilled in the country."

Schroder previously announced that addition of two consulting firms, Strategy Group for Media and Hallowell & Branstetter as part of his campaign team.

"The Strategy Group for Media has consistently won awards for excellence, Hallowell & Branstetter has a combined 50 years in Pennsylvania politics and we have now added an experienced campaign manager," Schroder said. "I am extremely confident in the professional team we have assembled and am excited about the race to come."

Schroder was first elected to represent the 155th District of Pennsylvania in the State Assembly in 1994.

He and his wife reside in Downingtown with their two children.

The 6th District Congressional seat will be open in 2010 because incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach is not seeking re-election to Congress, opting instead to run for Pennsylvania governor.

For more on Schroder, visit his campaign Web site, http://Vote4Curt.com

From CQPolitics:

Coaxing Arlen Specter into switching parties and running for re-election as a Democrat was a major coup for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is bending the Senate's schedule to accommodate a presidential fundraiser for Specter Tuesday afternoon in Pennsylvania.

Reid announced Friday that the Senate would hold no votes after 3 p.m. Tuesday. His office later said that the scheduling decision was meant to accommodate a long-planned fundraiser that President Obama is headlining in Philadelphia to benefit Specter's campaign.

The move could delay efforts to finish work on the fiscal 2010 transportation spending bill, which the Senate began considering Thursday.

Specter, who is seeking a sixth term (and his first as a Democrat), faces a primary challenge from Rep. Joe Sestak. The likely Republican nominee is Pat Toomey, a former House member who nearly beat Specter in a 2004 Republican primary.

Read the full story at CQ Politics.

Specter's likely Republican challenger in 2010 wants to know why Specter is putting his own political career ahead of taxpayers needs?

From Pat Toomey's campaign Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik:

"For someone who has been in Washington for 30 years, stopping the Senate to hold a fundraiser might seem perfectly normal. But for Pennsylvania taxpayers who are footing the bill for Specter’s $81 billion auto bailout and unprecedented debt, it's a slap in the face. If Arlen Specter spent nearly as much time fighting for taxpayers as he does fighting for reelection, our economy might not be in such bad shape."

Republicans should pick up at least one more seat in Congress in 2010.

Pat Meehan announced Monday he will seek the Republican nomination in the 7th Congressional District, which covers parts of Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties. The seat is held by Democrat Joe Sestak, who will not seek re-election so he can challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in the May 2010 Democratic Primary.

Meehan is the favorite to succeed Sestak. The bulk of the 7th District is in Delaware County, where Meehan was a popular district attorney before serving as U.S. Attorney for SE Pennsylvania from 2001-2008.

Pundits are predicting a big comeback for the GOP as opposition grows to the big government/high deficit policies of Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats. Republicans are expected to pick up anywhere from 20 to 40 additional seats in the midterm elections.

"Traveling across the region and state these past months, I have had the opportunity to meet and speak with many local residents," Meehan said in a written statement. "They have told me they feel their voice is not being heard in Washington, that their representatives have sold them out to special interests, that government is being imposed on them, rather than working for them. It is time our elected officials be made to answer for the decisions they make about our money and about our children's future."

"Many of the challenges confronting us here at home transcend state lines — whether it's strengthening the economy, keeping down health care costs, or helping small businesses — and the solutions will be determined in Congress," said Meehan. "I am formally announcing my candidacy for U.S. Congress because I want to restore integrity to our nation’s capital and ensure that the voice of local voters is heard on critical issues like taxes, jobs, health care, and restoring fiscal responsibility to the federal government."

Meehan announced his candidacy at three stops in the district.

"People have watched the federal government spend billions of dollars to rescue a few huge banks while hundreds of community banks failed," said Meehan. "They have watched billions being spent to keep bankrupt General Motors and Chrysler in business, while local small businesses struggle to meet a weekly payroll. They see an $800 billion stimulus bill rushed through Congress, yet a half-year later, only 1 in 10 dollars is spent and a record 6.5 million Americans are out of work."

"Voters are concerned as our national debt is expected to double in the next three years and triple within a decade to an astonishing $10 trillion," said Meehan. "That translates into $33,000 of personal debt for every man, woman and child in America. This type of unchecked spending leads to inflation, higher job-killing taxes, and a burden of enormous debt that our children and their children will carry like a millstone for generations."

From the Pat Meehan for Congress Committee:

Pat Meehan has made a name for himself by rooting out government corruption, prosecuting tough criminal cases, and implementing innovative new programs to make communities safer. In addition to taking a nationally-recognized stand against "pay to play" politics in the City of Philadelphia, Pat created initiatives to combat gang violence, crack down on nursing homes for failing to provide proper care to our seniors, reduce domestic violence, and hold drug companies accountable to consumers for fraud.

As U.S. Attorney, Meehan established an Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, held manufacturers responsible for illegally discharging hazardous materials into the region's waters, established a group to crackdown on predatory lending, and prosecuted cyber criminals who ran illegal, worldwide Internet pharmacy operations.

Pat, his wife Carolyn and their three sons Patrick, Jack and Colin, reside in Drexel Hill, Delaware County.

For more on Meehan, visit his new campaign Web site, www.meehanforcongress.com

State Rep. Curt Schroder, R-155th, issued the following statement in response to the news that 7th Congressional District resident Steve Welch will seek the Republican nomination in the 6th Congressional District:

"The 6th Congressional District was always expected to be a hotly contested race. The interest of Republican candidates from across the state proves how competitive it will be. Over my 15 years in the State Assembly I have been a consistent advocate for fiscal restraint and I have the record to prove it. The support and encouragement I have received for my candidacy from voters in the 6th Congressional District has been overwhelming.

I am confident that my record and my broad support across the district will carry me through the primary."

Schroder was first elected to represent the 155th District of Pennsylvania in the State Assembly in 1994. Prior to his time in the House, Schroder was Prothonotary for Chester County.

He and his wife reside in Downingtown with their two children.

Schroder's campaign Web site is www.vote4curt.com

You can also follow Schroder on Facebook and Twitter

Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello wasted little time issuing a statement about the entry of Steven Welch into the race for Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District.

Costello, a Republican who announced his candidacy for Congress last month, issued the following statement today:

"I remain focused on earning this nomination through hard work and emphasizing my message of lower taxes, less federal government intervention, and fostering a favorable climate for job creation. I have been pleased with the support my candidacy has generated and will continue to run a positive and issue-oriented campaign."

Costello serves as Recorder of Deeds in Chester County and is the former Chairman of the East Vincent Township Board of Supervisors. He is a graduate of Owen J. Roberts High School, Ursinus College, and Villanova Law School and an attorney with the law firm of O’Donnell,Weiss & Mattei, P.C..

His campaign website is www.ryancostelloforcongress.com

The third announced Republican in the race is state Rep. Curt Schroder.

The 6th District Congressional seat is now held by Republican Jim Gerlach, who has announced he will not seek re-election in 2010 to focus on a race for Pennsylvania governor.

Steven Welch is about to shake up the 6th Congressional District race.

Welch had been planning to run for the 7th Congressional District, but with former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan expected to announce Monday he will seek the 7th District Republican nomination in 2010, Welch believes he has a better chance of winning in the neighboring 6th Congressional District.

Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District seat is held by Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak, who opted to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary instead of seeking re-election. Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District is currently held by Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach, who is running for Pennsylvania governor instead of seeking re-election to Congress.

From Welch's announcement:

"When I decided with my family to run for public office, I did so knowing the uphill battle I faced against an incumbent with over $4 million in his campaign account. I am running for Congress because I believe that we need elected officials who have experience creating jobs, balancing a budget and meeting a bottom line," Welch said. "Having been raised in Chester County and building my businesses and creating good jobs here in the 6th District, I know the great potential these communities have to lead the charge in turning around our economy.

"Pat Meehan's decision to seek the nomination in the 7th District provides our region twice the opportunity to elect leaders who will restore fiscal responsibility to Washington," said Welch. "This campaign has never been about me, it has been about engaging new voters in this process and effectively communicating the need for fiscal responsibility and how we can create good jobs in the Delaware Valley.

"The 6th District requires proven experience to recharge our economy and craft policies that lead to job-creation. I will work tirelessly to earn the respect of 6th District voters and ensure that Southeastern Pennsylvania and our country get back on track so that the American dream is within everyone's reach," added Welch.

Welch, a political newcomers will have to face two seasoned Republican opponents in the 2010 GOP primary. State Rep. Curt Schroder and Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello are also seeking the 6th District nomination.

Welch is the founder & former CEO of the Mitos Group, a leader in biotechnology solutions. Welch is also the co-founder of DreamIt Ventures, a unique venture firm that helps technology start-ups get off the ground. Over the past two years DreamIt has funded over 20 small businesses and helped nearly 100 entrepreneurs.

In 2008, Welch was selected as a member of the Philadelphia Business Journal's 40 under 40, as well as being named its Entrepreneur of the Year. Most recently, Welch was awarded the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship to build bridges internationally in small business communities to drive job creation and economic development.

Welch and his wife, Nicole, live in Upper Providence with their daughter and son.

His campaign Web site is http://www.welchforpa.com/

The respected Franklin & Marshall College Poll finds Pennsylvania residents in a foul mood over their elected representatives at the state and national level.

Some of the key findings from G. Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll:

Low regard for Rendell and state Legislature

1) The state budget impasse has made residents far less positive about state government and state government officials. Currently only one in three (33%) state residents believes the state is headed in the right direction. The current ratings of state government are the lowest recorded in a Franklin and Marshall College Poll, and Governor Rendell's favorability and job performance ratings are the lowest they have been since taking office in 2003. At this point, fewer than three in ten (29%) registered adults in the state say the governor is doing an excellent or good job, and ratings for the state legislature are even lower — not a single respondent rated the legislature's performance as excellent.

Specter holds shaky lead in PA Senate race; Corbett leads GOP candidates for governor

2) Senator Arlen Specter maintained his edge over Rep. Joe Sestak for the 2010 Democratic Senate primary (37% to 11%), although a significant number (46%) of Pennsylvania Democrats still do not know who they'll vote for. Tom Corbett leads the Republican field of possibilities for governor; however, that race remains wide open, with 73 percent of Pennsylvania Republicans saying they don't know for whom they will cast their vote. In a possible general election matchup for U.S. Senate, Specter leads Toomey (37% to 29%). Toomey leads in a possible matchup with Sestak (26% to 22%), although nearly half (46%) of respondents aren't sure how they would vote in that race.

Obama job approval slipping

3) While the percentage of registered Pennsylvanians holding a favorable opinion of President Barack Obama has held steady at 55 percent (compared to 56% in June), his unfavorable rating has risen to 37 percent (compared to 27% in June). For the first time in our polling, a majority of respondents believe President Obama is doing only a fair or poor job (53%), while fewer believe he is doing an excellent or good job (47%). Confidence in the president's ability to handle the economic crisis, while still strong, appears to be slipping (58% compared to 66% in June). Finally, over half (57%) of registered Pennsylvanians are skeptical of the president's ability to reform healthcare.

51% of Pennsylvanians oppose Obamacare

4) Registered Pennsylvanians appear to be following the health care debate closely. Two in three (64%) say they've heard a great deal or a fair amount about possible congressional reforms, and four in five (80%) say they've seen or heard news reports about town hall meetings. A narrow majority (51%) say they're opposed to reform proposals that have been discussed so far in Congress, and nearly half (48%) say they do not believe reforming health care will help the economy in the long run. Those in favor of current reform proposals cite helping the working and middle class uninsured as the main reason, while those opposed point to the expansion of government control through a public insurance option as their biggest concern.

Read the full poll results at http://politics.fandm.edu

A six-year veteran of the state House of Representatives is the latest Republican to announce interest in running for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor in 2010.

State Rep. Tom Killion, who represents the 168th District, announced today he has formed a committee to explore a run for Lieutenant Governor.

Killion said in a press release that he has been encouraged by the feedback he has received from state and local elected officials, supporters and party leaders.

"Pennsylvania is facing many critical challenges in the coming years and the 2010 election cycle is going to determine how we address these issues," said Killion. "I believe strongly that we need to maintain fiscal responsibility on the state level while creating a better economic environment that allows businesses to grow, flourish, and create new jobs."

Prior to joining the House in 2003 to fill the seat of former House Speaker Matt Ryan, Killion served as chairman of Delaware County Council from 1992 through 2000.

A business entrepreneur, Killion founded InR Advisory Services LLC., a pension advisory firm.

"My background in the legislature, combined with the expertise on local government that I developed as a county elected official, provides me with a broad and deep understanding of the issues," said Killion. "As the founder of a small business and a former member of many non-profit boards I would bring a different approach toward addressing our state's problems, an approach aimed at actual results and getting the job done."

Killion said he will continue to reach out to Republican leaders and voters throughout the state in the coming weeks, "but one thing is certain, the Republican Party needs to nominate individuals for statewide office who know the issues, who will fight for good government, and who are going to work tirelessly to build support for the Republican ticket."

In conjunction with his committee filing, Killion has also launched a campaign Web site at www.killionvictory.com

Killion has represented the residents of the 168th House District, which includes portions of Delaware and Chester counties, since 2003. He serves in the House as Deputy Republican Whip and is a member of the Appropriations Committee, Urban Affairs Committee and Insurance Committee, where he serves as Vice Chair.

The 168th Legislative District includes Media, Rose Valley, Edgmont, Middletown and Thornbury townships, as well as parts of Newtown, Upper Providence and Nether Providence townships, and Westtown.

The West Chester Daily Local News is reporting that popular Chester County state Sen. Andy Dinniman will not seek the Democratic nomination for the 6th Congressional District in 2010.

Most political observers familiar with the 6th District agree that the nomination was Dinniman's for the taking.

But Dinniman told the Daily Local News he's afraid the 6th District, now held by Republican Jim Gerlach, would be gerrymandered out of existence after the 2010 Census is completed.

"If you ran in the 6th District, you would work hard to get elected, and then your district might disappear," Dinniman told the newspaper.

In other words, Dinniman could have won the seat, but might be out of a job in 2012 or 2014. There has been speculation that those very same concerns led Gerlach to announce he will not seek re-election, opting instead for a run for the GOP nomination for Pennsylvania governor.

The question I have is this: What does Dinniman know about the 2010 Pennsylvania legislative elections? The Pennsylvania Legislature will decide how to redraw the 6th District lines and if Republicans control the Legislature, they can change the 6th to make it easier for a Republican to win.

Is Dinniman conceding that Republicans will take back control of the state House next year? Sure sounds like it.

With Dinniman out, the only announced Democratic candidate is former newspaperman Doug Pike, who has never held elected office.

On the Republican side, longtime state Rep. Curt Schroder and Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello have announced their candidacy for the 6th Congressional seat.

Read more about Dinniman's decision in the West Chester Daily Local News' Web site.

Obamacare appears to be sinking the Democratic Party.

A new poll by Rasmussen Reports on the 2010 Senate race in Pennsylvania shows Republican Pat Toomey beating both incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter and Congressman Joe Sestak.

A lot can change between now and November 2010 and Specter has $8 million to spend on his re-election bid. But that's assuming Specter can beat back a primary challenge from Sestak, a two-term House member. Let the Democrats fight it out. Toomey will be waiting.

From Rasmussen Reports:

Uncomfortable town hall meetings are just the tip of the iceberg for Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. He now trails Republican Pat Toomey by double digits in his bid for reelection next year and is viewed unfavorably by a majority of the state’s voters.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows 48% would vote for Toomey if the election were held today. Just 36% would vote for Specter while four percent (4%) prefer a third option, and 12% are not sure.

These figures reflect a dramatic reversal since June. At that time, before the public health care debate began, Specter led Toomey by eleven.

Just 43% now have a favorable opinion of Specter while 54% offer an unfavorable assessment of the longtime GOP senator who became a Democrat rather than face Toomey in a party primary. Those numbers have reversed since June when 53% had a favorable opinion of him.

The current figures include 15% with a Very Favorable opinion of Specter and 36% with a Very Unfavorable view.

Read more at Rasmussen Reports

U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak voted for the health care bill, but why doesn't he know how much it costs?

CQPolitics is reporting that Democrat Doug Pike has kicked in $510,000 of his own money to finance his run for Congress in Pennsylvania's 6th District.

From a story by reporter Greg Giroux:

Pike, who is vying to succeed Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach, a 2010 candidate for governor, gave his campaign $510,000 in this year's second quarter, or about 77 percent of his total receipts of $664,000. That was the most money raised in the reporting period by a non-incumbent 2010 candidate for the House.

When Pike, a former editorial writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, announced his candidacy in early April, Democratic officials said that he would be willing to part with $1 million of his own money on the race.

Although this is his first run for political office, Pike is a son of former New York Rep. Otis G. Pike (1961-79), a Florida retiree who, according to Giroux, gave $1,000 to his son's campaign.

Pike is the first, and so far, the only announced Democratic candidate, but that won't last much longer. An opportunity to run for an open Congressional seat doesn't come around too often.

The only announced GOP candidate for the 6th Congressional District is Chester County state Rep. Curt Schroder, but the field is expected to increase as we get closer to 2010.

Read the full story, "Personal Money Spikes Pike's Fundraising," at CQPolitics

For more about the Pike, visit his official campaign Web site, www.pikeforcongress.com

Just hours after U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach announced he will not seek re-election to Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional seat, a fellow Chester County politician announced plans to run for Gerlach's seat.

State Rep. Curt Schroder, R-155th Dist., is seeking the Republican nomination for the 6th Congressional District, which includes portions of Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties and a sliver of Lehigh County.

"I have decided to enter this race to ensure that the values that built our country remain for our children, that we encourage the policies of entrepreneurism, limited government and to preserve the economic future of our nation," Schroder said in a written statement.

Schroder added, "America's greatness comes from free enterprise and hard working families, not government bailouts and bureaucracy. I will bring my passion for public service and Pennsylvania values to Washington to better our community and nation."

Gerlach, who is giving up a shot for a fifth term in Congress to run for Pennsylvania governor in 2010, first won the 6th District seat in 2002 but has had a difficult time holding the seat against well-financed Democratic opposition.

Gerlach typically loses the Montgomery County portion of the district, but does well in the more conservative areas of Chester and Berks counties.

Schroder, a fiscal and social conservative, will probably employ the same strategy if he wins the GOP nomination. He's already taken shots of the growing deficits of the Obama administration.

"This binge of bailouts and borrowing will come to an end if I have anything to say about it!" Schroder said.

Here's some background information about Schroder released by his campaign:

A lifelong resident of Chester County, Schroder grew up in the Downingtown area and now lives in East Brandywine with his wife, Deanna, and two children, Mark and Kristen.

After graduating from Downingtown High School in 1979, Curt attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Summers were spent working in the steamy environs of the Davey Paper Company where he earned money for the next year of college. After graduating from IUP in 1983, Curt went to Widener School of Law’s evening division in Wilmington Delaware at night while working for the Philadelphia law firm German, Gallagher and Murtagh during the day. Schroder practiced law with German, Gallagher after graduating law school and passing the bar exam.

First elected to the state House in 1994, Schroder has been an effective advocate for legislative issues and a champion for our communities in Harrisburg. During his time in the legislature, Curt has been a leader in many issues including health care and government reform. Schroder lead efforts to reform medical malpractice and preserve our health care system. Schroder also spearheaded efforts to reform the PA General Assembly and preserve the secret ballot rights of workers.

Schroder believes strongly in community service and serves in a number of community organizations. He serves on the Boards of Brandywine Hospital and Brandywine YMCA. He previously served on the Chester County Drug and Alcohol Advisory Board and as a member of the East Brandywine Township Planning Commission.

Schroder has received numerous honors for his work in the House and here at home. He was presented with Leadership Awards from both the Hospital and Healthcare Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and the Delaware Valley Health Care Council, the 2004 Friend of Family Medicine Award from the Academy of Family Physicians, and Legislator of the Year from the Pennsylvania Orthopedic Society.

Schroder received the first Matthew J. Ryan Legislator of the Year Award in 2004 from the Chester County Chamber Foundation. He was named Legislator of the Year by the TriCounty Chamber of Commerce in 2002 and again in 2006. Schroder was honored as the Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1998 by the Downingtown Chamber of Commerce for his work in revitalizing the Borough. In 2007, Curt was named the first recipient of the Sen. Robert. J. Thompson Public Service Award by the Exton Region Chamber of Commerce and was also presented with the Citizenship Award from the Pennsylvania VFW for his commitment to fostering patriotism. More recently Curt Schroder received recognition from the Upper Uwchlan and West Vincent Township Police Departments for his work on the Route 100 Safety Corridor Project.

No word yet on a "Schroder for Congress" Web site, but you can learn more about his tenure in the state House of Representatives at www.curtschroder.com. You can also follow Schroder on Facebook.

I like Jim Gerlach. He's been my Congressman for the past 7 years. I voted for him in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. He's done a good job. I've met him on several occasions. He's smart and affable. He knows the issues and has done a good job taking care of his constituents. I'd vote for him for just about any political office.

Having said that, I believe Gerlach is making a huge mistake giving up his 6th District Congressional seat to run for Pennsylvania governor in 2010. It's not that he wouldn't make a good governor. He'd be a big improvement over Ed Rendell, the current tax-and-spend liberal occupying the governor's mansion. The problem with Gerlach's decision is that he has no chance of winning. He'll never make it past the GOP primary next spring.

Tom Corbett will be the Republican nominee for governor in 2010. Corbett has proven himself in two statewide runs for Attorney General. Gerlach is not known outside SE Pennsylvania and can't raise the kind of cash Corbett can to make a successful run for statewide office.

Gerlach may be testing the waters in 2010 for a future statewide run for governor or Senate, but in the meantime, he's is going to give up a Republican seat in Congress to a Democrat.

That's the part that bothers me about Gerlach's decision. The 6th Congressional District (parts of Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties) has been trending Democratic in recent years and only Gerlach, a fiscal conservative with moderate social views, can hold the seat.

Without Gerlach on the ballot, Democrats will have the edge in winning the 6th Congressional seat in 2010 ... and Republicans may never get it back.

Here is the press release issued today announcing Congressman Jim Gerlach's decicion to run for Pennsylvania governor:

Gerlach Pledges to Create Jobs, Cut Government Spending & Waste and Make Pennsylvania the Leader in America's Energy Independent Future

Exton, PA - Jim Gerlach, a western Pennsylvania native and four-term United States Congressman from Chester County, will run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania next spring. Gerlach is the only Republican to formally declare his candidacy for Governor.

"The economic challenges Pennsylvania faces over the coming years demand proven, fiscally conservative leadership, and a successful record of dealing with a wide-range of tough issues. From cutting state spending, income taxes and welfare rolls, I have been on the front lines for years fighting for smaller government and greater efficiency in Harrisburg and Washington. Our next Governor must employ those values and put them to work in Harrisburg, and make Pennsylvania a competitive place to do business so we can create jobs and put families back to work. It's that simple," said Gerlach.

"The debate in Harrisburg of raising state income taxes by 16 percent, creating a new tax on one of the most promising energy industries in Pennsylvania, and increasing spending in one of the worst budgets in a generation show the need for new leadership. I cannot sit back and Pennsylvania taxpayers cannot afford to allow the proponents of larger, unsustainable government to prevail. One of my top priorities will be to enact results-based budgeting with performance benchmarks on state spending. This will insure that taxpayers aren't funding failing government programs year after year without seeing any return on the investment of their hard-earned dollars. My campaign will focus on restoring fiscal sanity to Harrisburg, increasing accountability and cutting waste, creating jobs and making Pennsylvania the leader in America's energy independent future," Gerlach continued.

"It has been a privilege and an honor to serve the residents of the 6th Congressional District for more than six years. But I believe the best place for me to improve the lives of Pennsylvania's taxpayers, families and seniors is as Governor. It is not a decision I made lightly. However, it became clear after careful deliberation with my wife Karen, our six kids, friends, constituents, party leaders and grassroots folks across the state who want to re-energize our state Republican Party, give voters a choice next spring and create a bright economic future for the next generation of Pennsylvanians."

To date, Congressman Gerlach has secured over $1 million in financial commitments for his gubernatorial run on top of the $200,000 in exploratory funding raised since February. In addition, 100% of his federal campaign funds are transferable to his statewide gubernatorial campaign committee. A formal statewide announcement tour and kick-off fundraising events are being planned for the near future.

"I did not want to wait any longer to make this announcement. I know our team will need plenty of time to formalize our support and organize the campaign's infrastructure. In addition, I know full well how competitive a 2010 open seat congressional race will become, and I owe it to our Party's candidates to ensure they have enough time to raise the money and support to be successful," added Gerlach.

Gerlach is in Washington, D.C. as debate begins on Democrat plans to put government bureaucrats in charge of the nation's healthcare system. Back in February, Gerlach voted against the bloated federal stimulus package and was the first in Pennsylvania to call on Governor Ed Rendell to establish a stimulus oversight commission to protect and monitor billions of dollars in federal aid from waste, abuse and mismanagement.

For more on Gerlach, visit his campaign Web site, http://www.gerlachforpa.com/

From the Whispers column in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN? Specter's new Democrat colleagues certainly are being generous to his re-election campaign.

House Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sens. Barbara Boxer of California and Patrick Leahy of Vermont each have donated $10,000 to Specter, as has Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Pitching in $5,000 each were Sens. Max Baucus of Montana, Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan wrote a $4,000 check and Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico each ponied up $2,000.

The Hill, a Washington, D.C.-based newspaper, speculated that the generous donations might be an attempt to make up for the considerable sum Specter lost by defecting from the GOP.

He has refunded more than $100,000 to irate contributors who assumed they were giving their money to a Republican -- right up until the moment Specter turned turncoat.

Given Specter's atrocious polling numbers, we're thinking a less reckless way for his fellow senators to have spent their money would have been to toss it from the top of the Washington Monument.

Read the rest of the column at the newspaper's Web site.

Congressman Joe Pitts (PA-16) has endorsed Pat Toomey for the United States Senate and released the following statement:

"Pat Toomey is the right candidate. No one else comes close.

"I worked with Pat in Congress for six years. He is one of the smartest people I've ever known. He's also one of the most caring and passionate people I've served with. A lot of politicians have lost credibility in recent years. Pat Toomey isn't one of them. Pat has good ideas that he actually believes in, and he will work hard to make people's lives better.

"Pat Toomey is a bona fide fiscal conservative at a time when Washington desperately needs more of them. Pat knows where jobs and prosperity come from, and he knows they don’t come from Washington.

"Pat has strong convictions, but they are convictions with bipartisan appeal. Pat proved during his three terms in Congress that he has the ability to inspire Democrats and Republicans alike.

"Pat Toomey is going to win this race. He is principled, thoughtful, caring, and qualified."

For more on Toomey's bid for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania, visit his campaign Web site, www.toomeyforsenate.com

U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey is reaching across the aisle to extend a pat on the back to four Democratic members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation for their recent vote against the cap and trade bill.

The climate change tax bill passed the House by a 219-212 margin, with 44 Democrats voting against it.

Toomey commended Democratic Reps. Jason Altmire (PA-04); Chris Carney (PA-10); Tim Holden (PA-17); and Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03) for "joining the bipartisan opposition to the cap-and-trade bill that promises to raise taxes and destroy American jobs."

More from a Toomey press release:

"Along with 40 other Democrats, these Pennsylvania Democrats had the courage to stand up to one-party rule in Washington," Toomey said. "They understand that protecting the environment is an important goal, but they are not willing to sacrifice American prosperity and hardworking taxpayers in the process. It is a shame Rep. Joe Sestak (PA-07) couldn't muster up the same courage. Instead, he voted to support Nancy Pelosi's extreme agenda. The question is, will Senator Specter choose the same path?"

"Only a couple of weeks ago, Senator Specter argued in support of maintaining balance in Washington in order to protect the country from extremism," said Toomey Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik. "He told The Hill newspaper that 'The United States desperately needs a two-party system.' But now that he has joined the Democratic Party, he seems intent on marching in lockstep with his new party in order to avoid a Democratic primary, even if it means throwing hardworking Americans under the bus. Senator Specter has the chance to prove he is serious about bringing balance to Washington — will he have the courage to do it?"

For more on Toomey's bid for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania, visit his campaign Web site, www.toomeyforsenate.com

"It's time to write a new chapter in Pennsylvania's history," says Chester County Commissioner Carol Aichele in announcing her intention to run for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor.

The two-term Republican Chester County commissioner officially launched her bid to become Pennsylvania's next lieutenant governor today.

Aichele said it was time for a new approach to governing in Harrisburg.

"Pennsylvania has steep challenges ahead that require strong leadership," Aichele said in a prepared statement. "It's time to write a new chapter in Pennsylvania's history and fix what is broken in our state. If I have the honor of serving as lieutenant governor, I'll work hard with the newly elected governor to do just that."

Aichele's first official event as a candidate is a fundraiser in King of Prussia hosted by former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman. The event is expected to raise $100,000 for the Aichele campaign.

Joseph "Skip" Brion, treasurer of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania and chairman of the Chester County Republican Committee, enthusiastically endorsed Aichele and said she is the right person for the job.

"Carol Aichele has been a top vote-getter in one of Pennsylvania’s largest suburban counties," Brion said." She will help attract voters next year in all areas of the state, but especially in large suburban areas that are critical in statewide elections. Carol is the kind of accomplished and experienced leader we need working for us in Harrisburg."

Aichele, who calls herself a fiscal conservative, noted that Pennsylvania's next administration will face many daunting tasks after eight years under Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell.

"We must focus on creating jobs, fixing our economy and providing relief to families and businesses struggling with high taxes," Aichele said. "Pennsylvania needs a new beginning."

As a Chester County commissioner, Aichele led the effort to help the county achieve a Triple A bond rating from Moody's Investors Services, one of the few counties in the country to achieve this status, resulting in millions of dollars in savings for taxpayers each year, her campaign noted.

She also worked to Chester County's tax rate among the lowest in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

In addition to serving two terms as commissioner, Aichele was the first woman elected controller in Chester County and has served as the chairwoman of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

Aichele, a former math and science teacher, also served six years as a member of the Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board, with two years as board president. She has served in numerous leadership positions on various boards and community organizations for more than 25 years.

Aichele is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in economics. She and her husband, Steve, have three grown children and three grandchildren.

Additional information can be found at her campaign Web site, www.CarolAichele.com

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania has launched a new Web site, www.GiveItBackArlen.com, to allow Republican donors to more easily request a refund of their contribution from Senator Arlen Specter's campaign.

Specter announced last month he was switching to the Democratic Party in a last-ditch attempt to save his floundering political career.

"We have heard from a number of individuals who donated to Senator Specter's campaign because they wanted to support a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010," Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason said in a press relase. "Many of these individuals have been actively contributing to Senator Specter for years; however they feel betrayed due to Specter's support of President Barack Obama's irresponsible stimulus package and his subsequent decision to switch his political affiliation. We are encouraging these donors to contribute these funds to our Party as we work to win back this important seat in 2010.

More from Gleason:

"It seems appropriate that we are launching this site today as Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Specter hold an 'official' event touting the stimulus package in Cumberland County. Today's event highlights the further attempts of the Democrat establishment, including Vice President Joe Biden, to pull out all the stops to hand the Democrat Party's nomination for the U.S. Senate to Arlen Specter. The President, Vice President, Governor Ed Rendell, U.S. Senator Bobby Casey and other Party leaders need to realize that Pennsylvanians don't like their candidates to be chosen in back rooms in Washington or Harrisburg and that Senator Arlen Specter can’t hide from the voters who will ultimately judge his record."

Our Party's newest Web site, www.GiveItBackArlen.com, will allow individuals who contributed to the Specter campaign to easily fill out their information and apply for a refund. Once you submit your information, the site will automatically generate an e-mail that will be sent directly to the Specter campaign requesting a refund on your behalf. Our goal is to ensure that donors who thought they were giving to a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate have the opportunity to get back their donations. We will then encourage these donors to make a contribution to our Party’s efforts to win back this important seat next year.

Brad Bumsted of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has an interesting story about a possible Tom Corbett/Pat Meehan "dream ticket" for Pennsylvania governor/lieutenant governor in 2010.

Both men have announced interest in running for governor, but only one will get the Republican Party nomination. The lieutenant governor is elected separately.

Allegheny County Republican Chairman Jim Roddey is pushing a Corbett/Meehan ticket.

From Bumsted's article:

In the letter made public today, Roddey said: "I strongly believe the two of you would make a winning ticket — two tough prosecutors to clean up and reform state government. Based on Tom's ability to win in a tough political environment, I am asking you to refocus your efforts and running with him for lieutenant governor."

Both candidates have geographic bases and records as prosecutors, but Roddey noted that Corbett twice has been elected statewide, including a 380,000-vote victory in November during a Democratic sweep.

Meehan trails badly in most polls of perspective GOP gubernatorial candidates and isn't widely known outside the Philadelphia area, but he does make an attractive lieutenant governor candidate.

And keep in mind that there's no law that a governor or lieutenant governor has to run for re-election to a second term.

Bob Casey Jr.'s U.S. Senate term ends in 2012 and a high-profile Republican will be needed to challenge Casey.

Corbett could serve one term as governor and then take on Casey, clearing the way for a Meehan run for governor. Or Meehan could end up challenging Casey if Corbett wants a second term as governor.

The other high-profile Republican expressing an interest in running for governor is Congressman Jim Gerlach, who represents Pennsylvania's 6th District. Gerlach has the same weakness as Meehan; he is a relative unknown outside Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Unlike Meehan, who resigned last year as U.S. Attorney for SE Pennsylvania, Gerlach has a job and party leaders are worried that the GOP would lose the 6th District seat if anyone other than Gerlach ran.

Read the Bumsted's full story at the newspaper's Web site.

Within 24 hours of the announcement by state Sen. Rob Wonderling that he is resigning his Senate seat to take a private-sector job, Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. and state Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147, each stated publicly they'd like to replace Wonderling.

Both already have high-profile elected positions, but a chance to serve in the state Senate is too good for either official to pass up.

There's no downside for either man to make a run for the Republican nomination in the predominantly Republican district. Castor and Mensch both have jobs to fall back on.

Castor still has two years left in his four-year term as one of three elected commissioners running one of the largest county governments in the state. Mensch won re-election last November to a second two-year term in the state House.

They don't have to quit their day job to make a run for Wonderling's 24th Senate District seat. The loser simply returns to his current position. The winner gets to move to a higher-profile office.

Castor would appear to be the bigger beneficiary because he is currently in political purgatory as the odd-man out in a power sharing agreement between renegade Republican Commissioner Jim Matthews and Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel. Although Castor was the top vote-getter in the 2007 election (and basically got Matthews re-elected on his coattails), Matthews surrendered control of county government to Hoeffel rather than allow Castor to take the lead.

Although he would have the least seniority of anyone in the 50-member Senate, the Republicans have a solid 30-20 majority and can push their agenda, especially with a lame duck governor in Ed Rendell counting down the days to the end of his term.

Mensch would rather run every four years for the Legislature as a member of the Senate instead of every two years in the House. He would also like to be in the majority instead of suffering another two years in the Democratic-controlled House.

A potential Castor-Mensch showdown for the 24th Senate District seat will probably a cordial affair with both men touting their experience. Both are fiscal conservatives so don't expect any major differences on the issues. They are friends and will remain friends despite the outcome of an election.

While Mensch represents many of the same communities in the House that Wonderling has in his Senate district, I think Castor has the edge because of better name recognition throughout Montgomery County ... and beyond.

The 24th District stretches over four counties and Castor is better known as the flamboyant, two-term Montgomery County District Attorney. Castor also has more access to cash and has run larger campaigns as Montgomery County D.A. and commissioner.

And consider this scenario. Castor could win the state Senate seat in a special election this year, but make a run for higher office in 2010, say lieutenant governor, giving Mensch another shot at the 24th District Senate seat next year. Stranger things have happened.

Republican Chester County Commissioner Carol Aichele has announced she plans to run for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor in 2010.

"I've spoken with people statewide, grassroots folks, and the response has been really very positive," Aichele told reporter Michael P. Rellahan. "People said they found that I'd be a very positive balance to the ticket."

Aichele, who is serving in her second term as a county commissioner, formed the Friends of Carole Aichele, certifying the finance committee with the state Board of Elections as required by law, according to Rellahan.

She will make a formal announcement later this month and hold a fundraiser June 23, hosted by retired state Supreme Court Judge Sandra Schulze Newman.

From Rellahan's story:

Aichele declined to discuss specifics of her run for the post, but she said she believed her experience as a county executive — especially one with a proven financial track record as Chester County — was a positive for voters.

"The kind of experience that I have is something that will bring a positive dimension to a new Republican leadership," she said. "That is what is needed to fix what is broken in our state."

While it's always nice to see a woman seek higher office, there is a glaring problem with Aichele. She isn't exactly a top draw among voters in her own backyard.

Aichele was a favorite to win the vacated 19th state Senate seat in Chester County in 2006, but lost to Democratic county commissioner Andy Dinniman in what remains one of the few SE Pennsylvania counties where Republicans have a voter registration edge.

Political insiders criticized Aichele for a lackluster campaign.

Not exactly the kind of runningmate Tom Corbett is looking for as he prepares to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2010, although a Corbett-Aichele ticket would have geographic balance.

An Aichele candidacy also poses a problem for Congressman Jim Gerlach, who is also interested in running for governor. Since Gerlach and Aichele both live in Chester County, there's no balance in a potential ticket.

Read the full story about Aichele's potential bid for statewide office in The Pottstown Mercury Web site.

I'm not entirely surprised by today's announcement that Republican state Sen. Rob Wonderling will resign his Senate seat to accept the high-profile post as president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Wonderling is an ambitious man who would like to be governor of Pennsylvania one day. In fact, he was rumoured to be interested in a run for lieutenant governor in 2010.

Leaving the Senate, where he is one of 50, and returning to the private sector should put Wonderling in a better position to make a run for governor or maybe Congress. (Pat Toomey chose a similar path, leaving the U.S. Congress to run the Club for Growth and returning as a U.S. Senate candidate.)

With Attorney General Tom Corbett the leading Republican candidate for governor in 2010, Wonderling would have at least four years to wait for an opportunity to make a run for governor. Wonderling could bide his time in the state Senate or make a lot more money (and important contacts) as head of the state's largest business group.

From a press release Wonderling issued today announcing his decision to head the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce:

"After much prayer and careful deliberation with my family, I have accepted this unique opportunity to serve the greater Philadelphia region. I have spent more than half of my adult life serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, most recently as a Senator to the citizens of the 24th district. Each day has been an honor and pleasure to do so.”

"It has always been my belief that our democracy is best served by citizens who enter into public service for a period of time and then return to the private sector giving an opportunity for another citizen with fresh ideas and new thinking to take up the mantle of public service. Moving forward, I have no doubt, that there will be a citizen of the 24th district who will serve with distinction in the Pennsylvania Senate."

Wonderling kept a foot in the private sector even though he held the "full-time" legislative position. Wonderling currently works for Bentley Systems Inc., a multi-national software company.

Prior to being elected to the Pennsylvania Senate, Wonderling served as Gov. Tom Ridge's deputy secretary of transportation. Before joining the Ridge Administration, he worked for Air products and Chemicals Inc., and was president of the PENJERDEL Council, where he worked closely with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce on issues involving the Delaware Valley's economic and environmental prosperity.

The current president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is former Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, who finished the remainder of Tom Ridge's term after Ridge was asked to head up Homeland Security after 9/11.

Schweiker led the Chamber for six years.

Read more about Wonderling's hiring at the Chamber's Web site.

A state lawmaker from Chester County is interested in running for Congressman Jim Gerlach's 6th Congressional District seat if Gerlach ends up running for Pennsylvania governor in 2010, according to CQ Politics.

State Rep. Curt Schroder, R-155, has been a member of the Pennsylvania House since 1995. A staunch conservative and thorn in the Harrisburg establishment, Schroder has organized a campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission to allow him to raise money for a possible Congressional bid, says CQ Politics.

From the CQ Politics post:

Schroder, who couldn't be reached for comment Thursday, was first elected in 1994 from a legislative district in Chester County, which is one of four counties from which the 6th claims territory. The Democrats haven’t fielded a candidate against Schroder in any of his seven re-election campaigns.

But Schroder would be put to the test in the 6th District, where Barack Obama took 58 percent of the vote in the 2008 election. Pennsylvania's 6th is one of just six districts that voted for Obama and also for John Kerry in 2004 that is presently represented in the House by a Republican.

Gerlach bucked the Democratic trend in his district, but just barely: he took 51 percent of the vote in 2002, 2004 and 2006 and 52 percent of the vote in 2008.

Here's the scoop on Gerlach. Although he has set up an exploratory committee, he will not run for governor, but will seek reelection to his 6th District seat for three reasons: 1) Gerlach trails Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett in the polls and is unlikely to make up any ground; 2) Gerlach has never run a statewide race is a virtual unknown in most of Pennsylvania; 3) Gerlach is the only Republican who can hold the 6th District seat and will be under tremendous pressure from GOP leadership to seek another term.

As for Schroder, there's nothing wrong with being the first announced Republican to show interest in the seat on the very slim chance Gerlach decides not to seek reelection, but Schroder's future is in a House leadership position should Republicans regain control of the state House in 2010.

For more on Schroder, visit his web site, http://www.curtschroder.com/

For more on Gerlach, visit http://www.gerlachforpa.com/

It looks like a lot of people too my earlier advice and voted out incumbents in Tuesday's primary election -- at least in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

Longtime municipal and school board officials were ousted in many communities in the three Southeaster Pennsylvania counties.

This is only the beginning. The "throw-the-bums-out" attitude is spreading among voters and will continue into the November election ... and beyond.

The political class has every reason to worry. The electorate is mad as hell and isn't going to take it anymore.

Check out The Mercury's Web site for the latest results, which will be updated throughout the morning.

The state's leading conservative newspaper, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, weighs in on judicial races on Tuesday's Primary Election ballot.

The newspaper is endorsing Joan Orie Melvin for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

From the editorial:

We've long admired her dedication to the law and her moxie. To wit, she filed a lawsuit seeking to refuse the scandalous 2005 pay raise. She lost. But she continues to return the untaxed portion of the raise to commonwealth coffers. Now that's fealty to principle.

The newspaper also recommends two of the six Democrats seeking three nominations for Pennsylvania Superior Court (the three Republicans are unopposed) and two Republicans for Commonwealth Court.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

The man who succeeded former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey in representing Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District had nothing but nice things to say about his predecessor in a radio interview.

Moderate Republican Congressman Charlie Dent publicly endorsed Toomey for the U.S. Senate on WAEB this morning.

Listen to the endorsement at this link: http://www.toomeyforsenate.com/news/051409-audio.php

Among the compliments Dent offered:

"Pat is a man of great character, integrity, and he has a great intellect."

"Pat can bring people together ... He's a guy that is going to carry the message for the Republicans."

"Pat is the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party for the United States Senate ... He is the front runner, and I believe he's going to be well-positioned and prepared to face whoever the Democrats nominate."

"I'm supporting him because I think he's a fine man, a friend, and I think he's going to be able to pull the Republican Party together. He's going to be able to unite people of different ideological persuasions."

"Pat Toomey, I would tell you, is probably as strong a leader and as knowledgeable as anyone on the federal budget as anybody I've met in Washington, to be perfectly candid."

This is a key endorsement because Dent is definitely not in the conservative camp that Toomey represents. It should open up the floodgates of endorsements for Toomey from the Pennsylvania GOP establishment. Like it or not, Toomey is the Republican Party's best chance to win a Senate seat in 2010.

Toomey released the following statement:

"I am honored to have Congressman Dent's support and I look forward to him playing an important role in my campaign. Charlie Dent is a great leader in Pennsylvania and in Congress. His dedication to his constituents and his country, his compassion, and his integrity are the reason Pennsylvania voters of all political stripes reelect him year after year."

"I look forward to campaigning with Congressman Dent over the next year and a half in support of our shared values. Together, we will win the fight to return prosperity to Pennsylvania taxpayers."

From Gov. Tom Ridge's statement on his decision not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate in his home state of Pennsylvania:

"To those who believe that the Republican Party is facing challenges, they are right. To those who believe the Democratic Party is without its own difficulties, they are wrong. No one party has a monopoly on all of the answers. The more important view, in my mind, is that we remember, whether Republican or Democrat, we are foremost Americans. And as Americans, we have always overcome challenges when we put partisanship aside and solutions first.

"And so my desire and intention is to help my party craft solutions that both sides of the aisle can embrace. My hope is to raise the level of civility in public debate and raise the bar on outcomes that serve our citizens fully, fairly and equally. My belief is that those in my home state can best be served by the principles of limited government, less taxes, competent governance and shared responsibility. So I stand ready and excited to help my party and my country prevail as we continue to work to preserve and protect our strong, storied and much beloved nation."

That part about "limited government, less taxes, competent governance and shared responsibility" sure sounds like Ridge is endorsing Pat Toomey, doesn't it?

Statement by The Honorable Tom Ridge on His Decision Not To Seek the Senate Seat in Pennsylvania

Arlen Specter has picked out his 2010 campaign theme song: "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" by Warren Zevon.

For an 80-year-old man, Arlen Specter doesn't know much about history. Benedict Arlen should have read the story of Benedict Arnold to see how a traitor is treated.

Arlen Specter's main argument for re-election has been his seniority in the Senate, where he has served as a Republican since 1981. As a senior member of various committees, Specter said he had the clout to deliver for the people of Pennsylvania.

When he turned his back on the Republican Party and announced last week that he is now a Democrat, Specter said he was assured by Senate Democratic leaders he could keep his seniority.

Guess what? Harry Reid and company lied. The Senate passed a resolution Tuesday night making Specter the most junior Democrat on the committees on which he serves. He's even lower than Bob Casey Jr.

Specter issued the following statement today in a ploy to gain sympathy: "Senator Reid assured me that I would keep my committee assignments and that I would have the same seniority as if I had been elected a Democrat in 1980."

Promises. Promises. These are Democrats we're talking about, Arlen. You know all about Democrats and their promises. You were a Democrat once before.

The only bone the Democrats threw to Specter was that they would reconsider his status after the 2010 elections. In other words, you're screwed Arlen!

You turned your back on the Republican Party and the Democrats know you have no other place to go. That means they can wipe their feet on your face and all you can do is thank them for it.

If Specter survives a Democratic primary in May 2010 and if he survives the general election in November 2010, he may move up in rank. That's what he sold out his party for? You almost feel sorry for this guy. Almost.

Former Congressman Pat Toomey, the man who drove Arlen Specter into the Democratic Party, says he can beat former Gov. Tom Ridge in a Republican primary for Specter's U.S. Senate seat.

From a story by Mike Wereschagin in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

"I think he is a good and honorable and able man," Toomey, a former three-term congressman from Allentown, said in the Duquesne Club, Downtown. "I will say that I am very confident that I am very well positioned to win this primary and go on to win this general election. I am convinced that I will be the next senator from Pennsylvania."

Toomey, most recently president of The Club for Growth, is the favorite of Pennsylvania conservatives, but GOP party bosses are not sure he can appeal to moderates.

The party establishment is trying to woo Ridge into moving back to Pennsylvania to make a run for the Republican Party nomination in 2010.

Toomey believes the party leadership is the reason for the GOP's decline in Pennsylvania.

From the Tribune-Review:

Toomey attributed Republican losses to politicians' abandonment of party principle.

"After all, it was Republicans who passed bloated appropriation bills, staggering numbers of earmarks and the Republicans who ended up in jail for corruption," Toomey said. "So I understand why voters were disappointed with Republicans. When they see Republican candidates who actually believe in the principles that brought them to the Republican Party in the first place, I think they come back."

Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has launched a new Web site -- Meet Democrat Arlen Specter -- to help Pennsylvania Democratic voters get to know their new U.S. senator.

Arlen Specter has a long history with the Republican Party and has represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate since 1981 as a Republican. Specter's days with the GOP ended Tuesday when he announced he is switching his party registration to Democrat and would seek re-election in 2010 as a Democrat.

While Specter has attracted substantial support among moderate Pennsylvania Democrats, will the liberal base of the Democratic Party support Specter in 2010 as he seeks the Democratic Party nomination to run for another six-year term in the Senate?

Potential Democratic voters may want to view the YouTube clip of George W. Bush endorsing Arlen Specter in 2004. There's also a clip of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum endorsing Specter.

The Web site includes postings such as "Specter Opposing Democrats And Their Priorities" and "Specter Supported Republican Policies That Democrats Opposed" and one of Specter praising Rush Limbaugh.

It's all designed to give hard-core Democrats second thoughts about supporting a political opportunist like Specter.

(If you're Rep. Joe Sestak or Joe Torsella -- two Democrats considering running against Specter next year -- you can thank the GOP for digging up all this dirt on Specter for you.)

Visit Meet Democrat Arlen Specter at http://www.nrsc.org/meetarlen/DemPolicies.aspx

A lot of speculation about what the defection of Arlen Specter to the Democratic Party will mean for the 2010 Pennsylvania Senate race.

While conservative Republicans are backing former Congressman Pat Toomey, there's still some doubt about Toomey's ability to win in the General Election.

Bill Pascoe, writing at CQ Politics, suggests the GOP establishment that has backed Specter for the past 25 years, will soon be looking for an alternative to Toomey.

"The moderate-to-liberal David Brooks-reading Republicans who form the core of the Pennsylvania GOP establishment aren't about to hand over their U.S. Senate nomination to the conservative Toomey," Pascoe writes. "There's too much at stake, and it has little to do with a seat in the U.S. Senate."

From Pascoe's column:

Knowing how moderate GOP establishment types think, I'll wager they've already reached out to some major moderates.

But I'm willing to bet there's a bigger play about to unfold -- a call to former two-term Gov. Tom Ridge.

Ridge is a serious man, who left a serious footprint.

I'm not sure Pascoe realizes Ridge moved out of Pennsylvania years ago, but there's no denying Ridge is a proven vote-getter, having won two terms as Pennsylvania governor before resigning to become the nation's first Secretary of Homeland Security.

After the disastrous administration of Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, who has left Pennsylvania in a fiscal hole of historic proportions, Pennsylvania residents will be looking to elect a Republican governor in 2010. And with the Democratic majority in the state House dogged by the biggest corruption scandal in the state's history, voters may end up sending a Republican majority to the Legislature, too.

The reason the top-of-the-ticket U.S. Senate race is so important is that redistricting will occur after the 2010 Census and that means the party in power in Harrisburg will get to redraw Congressional and Legislative seats.

With so much at stake, Pascoe argues the GOP party bosses will not take a chance on Toomey. They would rather have a "moderate" like Tom Ridge, somebody closer to Arlen Specter, who has held the Senate seat since 1981.

While many Pennsylvania GOP figures harshly criticized Specter for his defection to the Democratic Party, Ridge released a wishy-washy statement praising Specter: "In no way does his departure from the Republican Party diminish his long record of service to his country and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."

It sure sounds like Ridge and Specter have a lot in common.

Ridge would attract independents and Democrats and would negate any appeal the 80-year-old Specter would have with many of those same Pennsylvania voters. In other words, Ridge would mop the floor with Specter.

But is he willing to move back to Pennsylvania? And could he beat Pat Toomey in a Republican primary?

From a March 6, 2009, post at this blog:

Specter's only option for retaining his Senate seat is to switch his party affiliation to Democrat. The question is, would the Democrats take him back?

Well, I guess we found out the answer today.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele issued the following statement:

"Let's be honest: Senator Specter didn't leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don't do it first."

Pennsylvania GOP Chairman Rob Gleason suggested Specter give back campaign contributions he received from Republicans now that he's abandoned the party.

Keep this in mind, also from my earlier post:

Pennsylvania is trending blue and the Democrats could win the Senate seat without Specter, so why take a GOP retread when the Dems could run a younger, more liberal candidate. If Specter can wheel-and-deal his way to the Democratic Party nomination, it sets up a November 2010 showdown between Toomey and Specter. And that's a toss-up.

Avoiding a primary fight against the GOP's Pat Toomey is not the end of Specter's problems.

Can Specter win the Democratic primary in 2010? Stay tuned.

Former U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, who is thinking about running for governor of Pennsylvania, wants Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, who is also interested in running for governor, to investigate Gov. Ed Rendell, who currently occupies the governor's mansion. Did you get all that?

Meehan for Pennsylvania, an exploratory committee set up for a possible 2010 run by Meehan, released a copy of a letter Meehan wrote today to Corbett asking the state's top law enforcement officer to open an investigation of "pay-to-play" allegations involving Rendell and a Texas law firm hired by Rendell under a no-bid contract.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Rendell received more than $90,000 in campaign contributions from attorney F. Kenneth Bailey between February and October 2006. In August 2006, Bailey's law firm -- Bailey Perrin Bailey LLP of Houston, Texas -- was awarded a lucrative no-bid contingency fee contract to represent Pennsylvania in a lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Rendell won a second term as governor of Pennsylvania in November 2006, far outspending his Republican opponent, former NFL star Lynn Swann.

From Meehan's letter:

I very much hope a thorough review will clearly establish that no wrongdoing occurred. All of us who have built the public trust know how important it is for the dealings of government to be truly transparent and free from the taint of corruption. It is long past time for Pennsylvanians to stop shrugging off allegations of improper dealings and "pay to play" as "business as usual."

Rendell has awarded more than $1 billion in no-bid contracts to politically-connected firms since he became governor in 2003.

Corbett is troubled by the contract with the Texas firm because he says the work the out-of-state law firm was hired to do could have been done by the Attorney General's Office.

Citing a recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal questioning the propriety of Rendell's relationship with the out-of-state law firm, Meehan urges Corbett to "assert your power as Attorney General and take control of this case on behalf of taxpayers."

The letter appears to take political shots at both Rendell and Corbett. Meehan accuses Corbett of enabling Rendell "to assume certain of your authority to pursue healthcare fraud on behalf of Pennsylvania taxpayers."

"Taxpayer dollars already underwrite a Medicaid Fraud Unit in your office," Corbett writes. "These lawyers should be in a position to pursue this litigation. By taking over this case from the Texas firm, the Commonwealth will be in the immediate position to realize the benefit of seven million dollars by settling with Eli Lilly, one of the defendants in this scope of litigation."

If Corbett doesn't want to pursue the case, Meehan said the attorney general should at least insist that a Pennsylvania law firm handle the case.

From Meehan's letter:

"The allegations and insinuations in the media concerning the award of this contract are serious. Pennsylvania has long been plagued by a 'pay to play' political culture that hinders our competitiveness as a state and undermines our citizen’s trust in government. Rooting out corruption and reversing perception must be a priority. A full investigation should be conducted to determine whether anything improper or illegal has occurred in this matter."

No comment yet from Corbett or Rendell about Meehan's letter, but I'm sure both will have plenty to say.

A couple days after stepping down as president of the Club for Growth, former U.S. Congressman Pat Toomey made it official: He will challenge U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2010 Republican Primary.

"Pennsylvanians deserve a voice in the U.S. Senate that will honor our values and fight for limited government, individual freedom and fiscal responsibility," Toomey said. "I will be that voice."

It's no coincidence Toomey chose April 15 to make his announcement.

From The Associated Press:

Toomey headed the Club for Growth, a national conservative group that advocates smaller government and lower taxes, from the time he left Congress in 2005 until he stepped down Monday. The group was a major supporter of his 2004 campaign.

Prior to his election to the first of three terms in Congress in 1998, the Harvard-educated Toomey worked as an investment banker and operated several restaurants and bars in Pennsylvania with his brothers.

How worried is 79-year-old Arlen Specter about Toomey?

From the AP:

More than a year before the May 2010 primary, the campaign was already under way as Toomey publicly confirmed his candidacy.

Specter this month put up a cable TV ad that sought to link Toomey's career as an investment banker more than a decade ago to the current chaos in the nation's financial markets.

Imagine that. A guy who has served in the Senate since 1990 and been asleep at the wheel while the economy collapsed is trying to blame Toomey for the meltdown.

As I predicted in an earlier post, Specter will drop out of the race before 2010 because of unspecified health reasons. Specter knows he can't win the Republican primary, so he will bow out before he is handed a humiliating loss at the hands of GOP voters.

Read more about Toomey's challenge in today's edition of The Pottstown Mercury.

U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy spends a lot of time trying to fool voters in Bucks County that he's a moderate Democrat.

Turns out Murphy votes 99 percent of the time with far-left Nancy Pelosi.

A new Web site is helping expose Murphy's liberal voting record.

From the welcome message at Murphy Watch:

This site is dedicated to chronicling the votes of Patrick Murphy a self described Blue Dog "Conservative Democrat." Already Mr. Murphy has had one of the most partisan voting records of any Congressman from Bucks County in decades. While he uses this label as a conservative or moderate Democrat his voting record does not reflect an independent voting record that citizens of the 8th Congressional District have come to expect. In 2007 the National Taxpayers Union gave Murphy a grade of an F and placed him in their "Big Spender" category. As of March 2009 Murphy had a 99% party unity score voting with Nancy Pelosi 99% of the time.

Keep tabs on Murpy at http://patmurphywatch.com/

Pennsylvania's 2010 primary election is still 13 months away, but the race for one of the state's two U.S. Senate seats is heating up.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review does a nice job of summing up incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter's campaign tactics so far against potential GOP rival Pat Toomey, a former Pennsylvania Congressman who now heads the Club for Growth.

From an editorial in the Tribune-Review:

Specter, lagging badly behind an opponent who hasn't even formally declared his candidacy, can't run on his record so he misrepresents Pat Toomey's record with a sleazy innuendo.

It's despicable behavior from a desperate pol.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

Salena Zito, writing in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, says Patrick Meehan, the former U.S. Attorney for Southeastern Pennsylvania, has moved closer to announcing a run for Pennsylvania governor.

From Zito's post:

Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania just did the closest to declaring his candidacy for the Republican candidate for Governor by posting a Web site called www.meehanforpa.com

Since he does not hold an elected office, this is as coy as he can get to putting it out there that he wants to run.

Congressman Jim Gerlach, R-6th, got the jump on the other GOP hopefuls a couple of weeks ago by announcing formation of an exploratory committee.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett is the leading GOP contender in the governor's race.

I missed this post a few days ago, but it's too good to let pass without directing you to it.

Harrisburg watchdog Eric Epstein pokes fun at our favorite governor by recapping 10 of Gov. Rendell's best public comments about a variety of issues and people.

My favorites:

"One of the best 10 people I've met."
Referring to disgraced fundraiser, Rendell contributor and convicted felon Norman Hsu. Whoa! Hope you didn't receive a "Get Out of Jail Free" card from the governor, nominating you for two through zen.

"Sometimes you have to kiss a little butt."
Diplomat Ed on the art of the deal. Yich! Believe me, you don't want the lipstick container the guv uses to sign the pork bills.

He "is about as mentally stable as that guy who ate all those people."The governor commenting on his political role model.

Read Epstein's complete list at his Capitol Domes blog.

Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Robert A. Gleason Jr. must be an eternal optimist.

His party is in shambles, having lost more ground to the Democrats in successive election cycles, but Gleason is choosing to look at the few bright spots in Tuesday's Election Day debacle.

From a statement Gleason released after the GOP took a beating at the polls Tuesday:

"First of all, we would like to thank John McCain and Sarah Palin for the race they ran and their commitment to our Party. Tonight, was certainly a historic night and we recognize Barack Obama for a hard-fought victory. That being said, our Party is proud of the work we were able to accomplish, but certainly not satisfied."

"Over the last three days, our Party had tens of thousands of volunteers contacting millions of voters to support John McCain, Sarah Palin and the rest of our Republican ticket. Thanks in large part to the work of our dedicated volunteers, we were able to re-elect Attorney General Tom Corbett, send Glenn 'G.T.' Thompson to U.S. Congress, expanded our majority in the State Senate and won key State House seats."

Let's recap. Pennsylvania Republicans kept the Attorney General's office, but lost the other two statewide row offices on the ballot (treasurer and auditor general), held on the 5th Congressional District seat vacated by Rep. John Peterson and managed to keep six other Congressional seats.

Republicans hold just 7 of the 19 Pennsylvania Congressional seats. The GOP held 11 of 19 before the 2006 elections.

At the state level, the GOP held on to majority control of the state Senate, but could not pick up ground in the House, where Democrats increased their majority despite being implicated in the biggest corruption scandal in state history.

As long as we're talking about change, it might be time for some new blood in the ranks of state GOP leadership.

Barack Obama won Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Democrats managed to hold all of their Congressional seats.

Democrats appear to have retained control of the Pennsylvania House.

The only bright spot for Republicans in Tuesday's election is Attorney General Tom Corbett, who defeated Democratic challenger John Morganelli by a 52-47 margin to win a second four-year term.

The impressive win in an overwhelmingly Democratic year makes Corbett the front-runner for the 2010 Pennsylvania governor's race.

If you haven't had a chance to tune in to "Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas and Mike Pincus," you've been missing out on some of the best political talk on radio.

The program airs every Thursday at 5 p.m. on WPAZ 1370 AM and can also be heard online at www.1370wpaz.com and www.pottsmerc.com

My co-host, Mike Pincus, is a political consultant and strategist with more than 30 years experience. He's helped get dozens of people elected to local, county, state and national offices.

On a recent show, Mike and I took a stab at predicting the outcome of some of the races on the Nov. 4 ballot in SE Pennsylvania. Below is a recap of our predictions.

Keep in mind that these predictions are not how we would vote, but how we expect the races to turn out. (There are some third-party candidates on the ballot, but we're ignoring them since they don't have a chance of winning).

PRESIDENTIAL RACE
John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict McCain will win.

PRESIDENTIAL RACE IN PENNSYLVANIA
John McCain (R) vs. Barack Obama (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict McCain will win.

CONGRESSIONAL RACES
Pennsylvania 6th District
Incumbent Jim Gerlach (R) vs. Bob Roggio (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Gerlach will win.

Pennsylvania 7th District
Craig Williams (R) vs. Incumbent Joe Sestak (D)
Phyrillas predicts Williams will win. Pincus predicts Sestak will win.

Pennsylvania 8th District
Tom Manion (R) vs. Incumbent Patrick Murphy (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Murphy will win.

Pennsylvania 13th District
Marina Kats (R) vs. Incumbent Allyson Schwartz (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Schwartz will win.

Pennsylvania 15th District
Sam Bennet (D) vs. Incumbent Charlie Dent (R)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Dent will win.

PENNSYLVANIA STATEWIDE ROW OFFICES
Attorney General
Incumbent Tom Corbett (R) vs. John Morganelli (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Corbett will win.

Treasurer
Tom Ellis (R) vs. Rob McCord (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict McCord will win.

Auditor General
Incumbent Jack Wagner (D) vs. Chet Beiler (R)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Wagner will win.

See More predictions for Nov. 4 for Legislative races.

If you haven't had a chance to tune in to "Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas and Mike Pincus," you've been missing out on some of the best political talk on radio.

The program airs every Thursday at 5 p.m. on WPAZ 1370 AM and can also be heard online at www.1370wpaz.com and www.pottsmerc.com

My co-host, Mike Pincus, is a political consultant and strategist with more than 30 years experience. He's helped get dozens of people elected to local, county, state and national offices.

On a recent show, Mike and I took a stab at predicting the outcome of some of the races on the Nov. 4 ballot in SE Pennsylvania. Below is a recap of our predictions.

Keep in mind that these predictions are not how we would vote, but how we expect the races to turn out. (There are some third-party candidates on the ballot, but we're ignoring them since they don't have a chance of winning.)

PENNSYLVANIA SENATE

11th Senate District
Incumbent Mike O'Pake (D) vs. Stephen Fuhs (R)
Phyrillas predicts Fuhs will pull off an upset. Pincus predicts O'Pake will win.

17th Senate District
Daylin Leach (D) vs. Lance Rogers (R)
Phyrillas predicts Rogers will win. Pincus predicts Leach will win.

19th Senate District
Incumbent Andy Dinniman (D) vs. Steve Kantrowitz (R)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Dinniman will win.

PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE

13th House District
John Lawrence (R) vs. Tom Houghton (D)
Phyrillas predicts Lawrence will win. Pincus predicts Houghton will win.

26th House District
Incumbent Tim Hennessey (R) vs. Fern Kaufman (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Hennessey will win.

61st House District
Incumbent Kate Harper (R) vs. Frank Custer (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Harper will win.

70th House District
Incumbent Jay Moyer (R) vs. Matt Bradford (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Moyer will win.

128th House District
John Woodward (D) vs. Incumbent Sam Rohrer (R)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Rohrer will win.

130th House District
Richard Gokey (R) vs. Incumbent David Kessler (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Gokey will win.

146th House District
Incumbent Tom Quigley (R) vs. Jim Predergast (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Quigley will win.

147th House District
Incumbent Bob Mensch (R) vs. Albert Van Atglen (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Mensch will win.

149th House District
Lynn Lechter (R) vs. Tim Briggs
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Lechter will win.

150th House District
Incumbent Mike Vereb (R) vs. Korbin Carolina (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Vereb will win.

151st House District
Todd Stephens (R) vs. Incumbent Rick Taylor (D)
Both Phyrillas and Pincus predict Stephens will win.

156th House District
Barbara McIlvaine Smith vs. Shannon Royer (R)
Phyrillas predicts Royer will win. Pincus predicts McIlvaine Smith will win.

157th House District
Guy Ciarrocchi (R) vs. Paul Drucker (D)
Phyrillas predicts Ciarrocchi will win. Pincus predicts Drucker will win.

For more predictions, check out pevious post, Predictions for Nov. 4

What is Pennsylvania's leading conservative blogger doing in The New York Times, the flagship paper of the Obama Media?

Somebody has to talk some sense into the far left.

The New York Times interviewed me Monday for an article on how bloggers are covering the political race in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.

They also gave me an opportunity to write a guest column on the role of a conservative blogger in influencing the outcome of the race.

The story has a couple of factual errors in it, but I have to give The Times credit: They did not edit my guest column.

You can read The New York Times article, "Road to November: Keystone State Bloggers,"
by Rebecca Cathcart, and my column at this link:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/road-to-november-keystone-state-bloggers/

Here's a prediction: The next Pennsylvania Treasurer will be from Montgomery County.

Few Pennsylvania residents could name the candidates for state Treasurer, but the office has been a stepping stone to higher office.

Just look at what Bob Casey Jr. was able to accomplish, leaping from state Treasurer to U.S. Senator in 2006 by defeating incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.

It's a high-profile office that doesn't involve a lot of heavy lifting, bit it keeps you name in public and allows you to campaign on the state's dime, which is what Casey did so well.

So who will be the next state Treasurer? The Nov. 4 race pits former Montgomery County Commissioner Tom Ellis, an attorney who specializes in public finance matters, against Democrat Rob McCord, a former Congressional aide who also has a background in finance. McCord also lives in Montgomery County.

The winner of the race could come down to voter turnout and whether voters vote along party lines.

Read more about the candidates in this Associated Press story posted on The Mercury Web site.

The name of the group sounds innocuous enough: Working Families Win.

Who doesn't want working families to win?

The group Working Families Win bills itself as "a non-profit and non-partisan organization" working to "change the economy in favor of working families, provides education about economic decisions made in Washington and the impacts within our local communities, and engages individuals through neighbor to neighbor communication to hold our elected officials accountable."

The group is hosting a series of candidate forums across the country.

Locally, there's an event scheduled Tuesday at 7 p.m. at thhe Schmidt Training and Technology Center at Reading Area Community College in Reading. Another forum is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 7 PM at the Ricketts Center, 640 Beech St., Pottstown. There's also one scheduled Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Coatesville Area Senior Center (22 N. 5th Avenue)in Coatesville, one of the few Democratic strongholds in Republican Chester County.

Just one little problem. Working Families Win is a front for Big Labor. It's pro-Democratic Party, anti-Republican Party.

Most of the people attending the forums will be union workers who are friendly to Democratic candidates and hostile to Republican candidates. The people organizing the forums are liberal activists.

Instead of being honest with voters that this is an effort to promote Democratic candidates, Working Families Win hides its true identity from the public.

Republican candidates are in tough spot. The group sends out blanket invitations to all candidates, but doesn't wait for a reply. It puts out press releases to local media saying candidates "are expected to attend" when many candidates never had any intention of taking part in the charade.

If Republican candidates don't attend the Working Families Win "candidate forums," the local newspapers will write that they skipped out on the event.

If GOP candidates attend, they will be greeted by hostile crowds and biased moderators. The questions focus on union issues. The questions will favor Democratic candidates.

Just when voters were starting to forget about the infamous 2005 Legislative pay raise, the Bonusgate scandal has put a bulls-eye on incumbent members of the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Is there any reason to give incumbent members of the Pennsylvania Legislature the benefit of the doubt? Haven't we seen enough corruption, fraud and waste of public tax dollars?

From an Associated Press story by Mark Scolforo:

Incumbents running this fall should expect questions about how they manage their campaign volunteers and whether their state-paid staff meticulously avoids the practices described in the attorney general's criminal allegations.

"I think it's probably one of the smartest campaign moves that any challenger makes this year," said Russ Diamond, who founded the PACleanSweep group that helped organize the anti-incumbent effort in the 2006 elections.

"In this kind of situation, Average Joe paints these legislators with a very, very broad brush, and in some part of their mind is going to consider them guilty — until proven innocent — by association," Diamond said.

The pay raise backlash helped lead to some reforms in which the General Assembly changed some of its internal rules and passed a new open-records law. A number of other reform measures — including a ban on bonuses — have passed the Senate but have stalled in the House.

"I thought the reform movement was, I won't say moribund, but certainly on close to life support," said Terry Madonna, a Franklin & Marshall College political scientist and longtime observer of Pennsylvania politics. "I think that everybody is going to be a reformer again."

The potential list of reform topics is long, including new rules for campaign donations and lobbying; a less partisan system of drawing up legislative districts; a ban on gifts to lawmakers; and a cutback on taxpayer-paid mailings and broadcast advertisements.

"Think about this: Incumbency wasn't enough," Diamond said. "Cardboard checks weren't enough. Newsletters and taxpayer funded PSAs weren't enough. Constituent services weren't enough. None of that was enough — these people had to actually break the law to the extent that they did to win."

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announced the filing of criminal charges against 12 current or former state officials involved in the "Bonusgate" scandal.

The indictments are the culmination of a year-long investigation in what has turned out to be Pennsylvania's biggest public corruption scandal of the past 30 years. The case involved the use of $4 million in taxpayer dollars to provide bonuses to state employees who allegedly conducted campaign work on state time.

The biggest names under indictment are former state Rep. Mike Veon (pictured here), who was the No. 2 ranking House Democrat until he lost re-election in 2006, and state Rep. Sean Ramaley, a Democrat from Beaver County.

The other big name on the list of indictments is Michael Manzo, former chief of staff for Democratic Majority Leader Bill DeWeese. You can't get much closer to DeWeese than his chief of staff.

In other words, DeWeese dodged a bullet, but watch out for the ricochet.

The key to Thursday's indictments was a statement by Corbett saying the charges were part of the first phase of the investigation. Corbett said he expects more arrests to follow.

Thursday was not a good day for the Manzo family. Rachel Manzo, executive director of the House Democratic Policy Committee and wife of Michael Manzo was also indicted.

Another Harrisburg power couple got hit hard by the indictments. Jennifer Brubaker, director of the Legislative Research Office for the House Democratic Caucus and her husband, Scott Brubaker, the former director of staffing and administration for the House Democratic Caucus, were also charged.

And now that the dozen people named in the indictments are facing prison terms, will they cooperate with authorities and give up bigger fish? You better believe it. Everyone is out to save their own skins.

Read more about the indictments at the Attorney General's Web site.

As Corbett reminds us at the end of the detailed press release, "A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty."

That doesn't mean you can't hold public officials accountable on Election Day. The only way to end the culture of corruption in Harrisburg is to clean house. All of the alleged illegal activity occurred under the watch of Bill DeWeese.

At least Gene Stilp remembered.

Today marks the third anniversary of the infamous Pennsylvania payjacking. How quickly we forget.

Stilp, one of the founders of the reform movement launched after the middle-of-the-night pay raise the Pennsylvania Legislature gave itself, the governor and the state's judges, marked the anniversary with a ceremony in the state Capitol.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

HARRISBURG -- A slim slice of carrot cake sat on a podium in the state Capitol rotunda today, marking the third anniversary of the infamous legislative pay-raise vote of July 7, 2005.

A coalition of citizens' groups said the small piece of cake represented the state's new open records law -- the one and only piece of reform legislation that the General Assembly has enacted in the wake of a huge public outcry over the 2 a.m. vote to increase legislative salaries by up to 34 percent, an increase that was later repealed.

"There is not very much cake for the people of Pennsylvania to eat," said Gene Stilp of Taxpayers & Ratepayers United, who hauled an inflatable pink pig around the state in late 2005 and 2006 to protest the pay raise.

Read the full story by reporter Christopher Wink, "Third anniversary of infamous pay-raise recognized," at the Post-Gazette Web site.

Where does the reform movement stand three years into the people's revolution?

About 100 of the lawmakers who voted for the pay raise will no longer be members of the Pennsylvania Legislature by the end of this year, having been ousted by voters or forced into retirement.

The Legislature has made internal changes in the way it conducts business, eliminating late-night sessions and requiring a waiting period for bills to be voted on so a last-minute scam like the pay raise can't be rushed through at 2 a.m. again.

But there's still a long way to go.

Pennsylvania voters have an opportunity to clean house again this November when all 203 members of the House and 25 members of the Senate face re-election.

Voter fraud is alive and well in Pennsylvania and once again has been linked to the Democrats.

The Harrisburg Patriot-News is reporting that Dauphin County officials have uncovered at least 100 questionable voter registration forms submitted by a group called ACORN, which has been implicated on voter fraud in many states. (HT to GrassrootsPA)

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is a major voter registration recruiter for Democrats.

Dauphin County District Attorney Edward M. Marsico Jr. told the newspaper that his office has an "ongoing" criminal investigation of the ACORN matter.

Anticipating hanky panky by the Democrats, the Pennsylvania Republican Party has recruited a former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice to head up the party's Fair Elections Task Force.

"The future of our nation will hinge on the results of this November's election, and it is our Party’s goal to make sure that the true will of the voters is carried out," said Pennsylvania GOP Chairman Robert A. Gleason Jr.

Former Justice Sandra Newman, pictured above, said, "I am honored that Chairman Gleason has asked me to head up the state Party's Fair Elections Task Force. I am confident that we will have the processes in place to ensure this election is conducted fairly and with complete openness throughout the Commonwealth on Election Day."

Read more about the GOP's efforts to monitor the November election at the party's Web site, http://www.pagop.org/

If you want to read an honest assessment of the current state of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania, I recommend "GOP Ship Continues to Sink" by Lowman S. Henry & Ryan M. Shafik of the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research:

If the massive number of Republicans switching to the Democratic Party in the weeks before the Pennsylvania Primary was a political earthquake, what has been happening since is a strong aftershock. The desertion of the GOP by voters in bellwether counties is continuing.

Pre-primary conventional wisdom held that Republican voters were re-registering as Democrats to participate in the hotly contested election between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. GOP leaders predicted many, if not most, of the wayward Republicans would return to the fold after the primary. Reacting to the surge in party switches, the Republican State Committee and many county committees announced plans to entice their voters back into the party.

Early evidence suggests that is not happening. In fact, the erosion of the Republican Party's voter base continues apace. Nowhere has the GOP lost more ground than in southeastern Pennsylvania where the former GOP powerhouse counties of Bucks and Montgomery went "blue" in the days prior to the primary election. The trend is continuing. In Bucks County, since the April 22nd primary, 1,590 voters have switched to become Democrats; while 476 switched to the GOP.

Read the rest of the commentary at Pennsylvania townhall.com

And somebody please pass this column on to National Committeeman Bob Asher and National Committeewoman Christine Toretti, who appear to be oblivious to the fact that the Pennsylvania GOP is in decline on their watch.

If you're near a radio or a computer Tuesday afternoon, be sure to listen to WPAZ 1370 AM from 4-5 p.m. for some of the best political insight around.

You know who I am. Mike Pincus is a Republican political strategist who has worked with many local, county, state and national campaigns.

Listeners can call with questions or comments during the live broadcast at 610-326-4000.

We'll talk about the presidential race and who might be the vice presidential picks for either party. We'll also talk about some of the Congressional races in Pennsylvania.

You can also listen to the program on your computer by going to www.1370WPAZ.com and clicking on the "live audio" button at the top of the page.

Bob Rovner will be interviewing GOP candidates Chet Beiler (Auditor General) and Tom Ellis (State Treasurer) on his radio show, "Senator Bob Rovner Talks To The Stars" on Friday, June 6, from 1 to 2 p.m., live on WNWR 1540 AM.

The Pennsylvania Cable Network will also be taping this broadcast and will air it on PCN Sunday, June 8, from 6 to 7 p.m.

This show can also be heard on Bob Rovner's Web site, www.dial-law.com up to Thursday, June 12, by accessing the link for the radio show.

Stateline.org, a Web site that features articles about state government issues, has an interesting post today about a growing trend among politicians who use blogs to help promote themselves and their policy concerns.

From the article by Stateline.org staff writer Pauline Vu:

Like many bloggers, state lawmakers give their opinions on the topics of the day and share their personal life with readers. But unlike other bloggers, they also sometimes give the public a unique view into the workings of the statehouse.

"It's the perfect way to talk directly to constituents without a media filter," said Arkansas House Majority Leader Steve Harrelson (D), the state's first legislator-blogger who created Under the Dome in January 2007 to replace the e-newsletter he had sent constituents.

Stateline.org found about 50 politicians who routinely blog, including three in Pennsylvania: Rep. Mark Cohen (D); Sen. John Eichelberger (R); Rep. Jesse White (D)

Vu also examines the pitfalls of lawmakers in cyberspace, citing the cast of state Rep. Daylin Leach:

But legislator-bloggers have to walk a fine line between welcoming readers into their personal lives and revealing too much — including questionable taste. Pennsylvania state Rep. Daylin Leach (D) crossed the line in 2005 with www.leachvent.com, in which Leach — a self-described comedian — joked about sex, pornography, and a Palestinian bachelor party in which the groom celebrates his upcoming nuptials by blowing up a bus. About a piece of legislation he was supporting, he wrote, "The age of consent would officially be lowered to 'When Poppa ain't around.'"

Leach took down most of his posts shortly after The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about the Web site. But in September 2006, when he was running for re-election, a woman launched the now-defunct Web site, TruthAboutDaylin.com, to remind voters of Leach's previous postings. Leach won anyway and is now running for the state Senate.

For a list of politician/bloggers by state or to read the full Stateline.org article, click here.

Dennis Baylor, an independent candidate for Pennsylvania's 29th state Senate seat, filed a lawsuit Monday in Federal District Court to stop the Pennsylvania's Department of State from denying what Baylor says is his First Amendment rights of "Free Speech" and "Association."

The deadline for independent and third-party candidates to file nominating papers for the November election is Aug. 1. Baylor is challenging how the state assesses the validity of the signatures on petitions to access the November ballot.

While Republicans and Democrats have to gather fewer signatures to get on the ballot and hold "invitation only" primary elections to select candidates, independent and third-party candidates are at a disadvantage in Pennsylvania, which has some of the most restrictive ballot access laws in the nation.

Baylor charges in his complaint (Docketed at CV-08-1060) that the State Department's practice of not "officially" recognizing third party candidacies until the Aug. 1 deadline for them to file petitions to access the ballot, is discriminatory, and amounts to giving the major party candidates an impermissible head start in political races.

Baylor also claims that the pervasive practice of gerrymandering legislative districts unconstitutionally burdens First Amendment rights of "Association" by geometrically expanding the media markets a candidate must reach due to the fracturing of "communities of interest."

It's a long shot, but Baylor has little to lose. The deck is already stacked against independent and third-party candidates.

A copy of Baylor's complaint is posted on his blog.

The 29th Senate District covers all of Schuylkill County and parts of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties. The incumbent is Republican James Rhoades, who has held seat since 1981.

I'm not sure what Gov. Ed Rendell is smoking these days, but this is what he said after a Monday meeting with House and Senate leaders over his massive $28.3 billion budget proposal: "There was a spirit of cooperation in the air."

The governor added: "We won't have what happened last year because the priorities -- health care, energy independence, economic stimulus and education funding -- have been around for a long time."

Rendell then said he is available for budget talks with legislators "24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week."

What Gov. Rendell says and reality are often far apart. Rendell has sent six budgets to the Legislature since taking office in 2003. He has increased state spending by more than $7 billion. He has raised taxes repeatedly. He has made grandiose promises about casino gambling that haven't panned out.

The first five budgets met stiff resistance in the Legislature, which missed the June 30 constitutional deadline to pass the budget for five consecutive years. Why should 2008 be any different? Why shouldn't we expect Rendell to go 6-for-6 in futility?

Just because the governor's wish list has "been around for a long time" doesn't mean Rendell is going to get what he wants. You can beat a horse all you want. It's still not going to get up and run.

Rendell and the Legislative leaders agreed to meet weekly on the budget, but they shouldn't make any vacation plans for July 1. I can't see a budget deal getting done by the June 30 deadline, especially when Rendell wants to raise state spending by another $1 billion and sink the state deeper into debt.

This is an election year. All 203 members of the House and 25 of the 50 Senate members face the voters in November.

How would you like to be the incumbent who tells voters: "I gave in to Ed Spendell and decided to spend $1 billion we don't have. I also decided to borrow a few billion dollars that you and your children and you grandchildren will be paying off long after Gov. Rendell leaves office."

Conservative heavyweights Fred Thompson and Michael Steele will headline the Pennsylvania Republican Party's 2nd Annual Celebrate Pennsylvania Dinner on June 6 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

Thompson, a former U.S. Senator and a 2008 presidential candidate, and Steele, chairman of GOPAC and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, will address more than 500 state party members, elected officials and grassroots volu nteers from across the Commonwealth, according to PA GOP Chairman Robert A. Gleason Jr.

The discussion will focus on the critical 2008 Presidential Election, and the importance of delivering Pennsylvania's 21 electoral votes to Sen. John McCain, Gleason said.

The dinner will take place in the Chocolate Ballroom in Hershey. Cost per person is $125. State party members can purchase their ticket for $100 and a table of 10 can be reserved for $900. The cost to attend the VIP Reception is $250.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Megan Martin at 717-234-4901, ext. 131 or mmartin@pagop.org