Where the ‘nay’ votes on health care are heading

Only two Pennsylvania Democrats voted against health care reform legislation the first time around. And only one of those two still might change his mind for Round Two.

Congressmen Jason Altmire (D-4) and Tim Holden (D-17) both opposed a reform bill that passed the House late last year.

Altmire said on Fox News last weekend that he’s keeping an “open mind” for if and when the legislation comes back around for a second vote. But…

March 12, 2010 at 6:50 pm | Comments (13)

Corbett still up over Dem opponents

With the free Bonusgate publicity still flowing, Attorney General Tom Corbett continues to lead his potential Democratic rivals for governor, according to a new poll.

The Research 2000 survey released Friday showed Corbett, the likely GOP nominee, holding at least a six-point lead over each of the four Democratic candidates. But almost half of voters still don’t have an opinion of Corbett, in yet another sign that his lead in the polls may be more…

March 12, 2010 at 6:45 pm | Comments (5)

Specter leads Toomey by 6 in new poll

For the second time in 10 days, Arlen Specter can say he’s winning.

Specter holds a six-point lead over Republican Pat Toomey, 47 percent to 41 percent, according to a new Research 2000 poll. The survey, conducted for the liberal Web site Daily Kos, found only 11 percent of voters undecided in the general election matchup between Specter and Toomey.

Although the vast majority of polling from the last several months has shown Specter either…

March 12, 2010 at 6:36 pm | Comments (11)

A big win for Trivedi in MontCo

PLYMOUTH MEETING—Congressional hopeful Manan Trivedi won the endorsement of Montgomery County Democrats Thursday night, capping a furious run in which Trivedi has gone from relatively late entrant into the race to the favorite of the party’s rank-and-file throughout the 6th District.

Trivedi, a Reading physician and Iraq War veteran, overwhelmingly beat out former Inquirer editorial writer Doug Pike for the endorsement, winning 77 votes to Pike’s 28. It was an even larger margin of victory…

March 12, 2010 at 5:09 am | Comments (47)

Republicans pick Burns for 12th District special election

LATROBE—Wealthy businessman Tim Burns easily won the Republican Party’s nomination for special election in the 12th Congressional District Thursday, setting up a May 18 showdown with Democrat Mark Critz.

Burns captured well over a majority of the votes from local party insiders at Saint Vincent College here, beating military veteran Bill Russell 85-46, according to preliminary vote tallies. Russell vowed to fight on in the primary to be held that same day. For Republicans, Burns’…

March 12, 2010 at 5:00 am | Comments (9)

MontCo Dems forgo Senate endorsement

PLYMOUTH MEETING—Despite boisterous support from a contingent of Joe Sestak supporters, the Montgomery County Democratic Committee declined to endorse a candidate for Senate here Thursday.

The decision to forgo an endorsement means that sample ballots in the county will list the names of both Sestak and incumbent Senator Arlen Specter. Party insiders are now free to support either candidate in the May primary. It came after weeks of rumors that party leaders were jockeying to…

March 12, 2010 at 4:53 am | Comments (36)

For Burns, Russell is out of sight and out of mind

LATROBE—Even as his opponent vows to press on and challenge him in the May primary, Republican businessman Tim Burns says he’s not thinking much about Bill Russell now.

“I can’t be concerned with what Bill decides to do,” Burns told reporters here Thursday, shortly after winning the GOP nomination for the 12th District special election. “We are focused completely on this special election. From my campaign’s perspective, we are facing off against Mark…

March 12, 2010 at 4:47 am | Comments (4)

On home turf, Hoeffel easily wins MontCo endorsement

PLYMOUTH MEETING—Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel scored an easy endorsement win from his local Democratic Party Thursday night, beating out gubernatorial rival Dan Onorato by a five-to-one margin on a standing voice vote.

Hoeffel, who is underfunded and whose campaign has seemed lag of late, was widely expected to win on his home turf. No formal roll call vote was required during the county party’s endorsement convention at the Colonial Elementary School here.

“We need…

March 12, 2010 at 4:42 am | Comments (14)

The three 12th District candidates who went nowhere

LATROBE—Bill Choby, Luke Summerfield and Ron Robertson all came here Thursday night to seek the GOP’s nomination in the 12th District special election. They addressed party insiders, patiently took their questions, and left the podium to polite applause.

But none of the three was formally nominated for consideration in the endorsement vote, ending their candidacies as quickly as they had started.

Choby, a Johnstown dentist who ran against John Murtha multiple times, had been expected…

March 12, 2010 at 1:43 am | Comments (0)

From the Blogs

LEFTOVERS: SpecterPride, Kanjorski’s stimulus job, electricians for Pike

by Dan Hirschhorn

Reporters on the ground from Plymouth Meeting to Latrobe, and we still managed to miss plenty on Thursday.

Senator Arlen Specter will be formally rolling out his committee of major supporters within the LGBT community on Friday, in what his campaign is calling SpecterPride. The 68-member group includes Mark Segal, publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News. “No other elected official in all of Pennsylvania has such a long record of accomplishments on LGBT issues as…

March 12, 2010 at 1:32 am | Comments (2)