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GOP candidate in 3rd District was a Dem until this year

A businessman seeking the Republican nomination to run against freshman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3) was a registered Democrat until earlier this year, according to voting records.

Paul Huber, who is one of a few GOPers looking to take on Dahlkemper—and has been the most active in speaking out against her votes in Congress—was registered as a Democrat from 1975-2008, including during last year’s presidential primary and general elections, according to Crawford County records. He registered as a Republican before the primary election earlier this year.

In a statement, Huber said liberals in Congress had prompted his evolution from conservative Democrat to Republican.

“I had always considered myself a Reagan Democrat—believing in limited government, greater personal freedom, and a strong national defense,” Huber said. “I became a Republican because I could no longer stand by as liberals in Congress like Kathy Dahlkemper supported higher taxes, more spending, and more regulations that are killing jobs in Northwest Pennsylvania. I’m a lifelong businessman, not a career politician, and I believe we need to pursue common-sense conservative policies that will create jobs and grow the economy, get government spending under control, and reform health care without nationalizing it.”

Whether disclosure of his past party registration will make a splash in the next year’s primary remains unclear. Insurance agent Steven Fisher, who is also running for the GOP nomination, was not immediately available for comment Monday afternoon. Elaine Surma, a senior agent in the state attorney general’s office, is also moving toward a run.

November 24, 2009 at 5:45 am

--Dan Hirschhorn

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