LEFTOVERS: ‘Fumocrats’ for Meehan, Payton backs Onorato, Pike still wants a pledge

A few things slipped by us toward the end of the week.

Apparently former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan is getting some help from friends and allies of the man he helped put in prison, the convicted Vince Fumo. The Philadelphia Daily News reports on a few “Fumocrats” who have given to Meehan’s 7th District congressional campaign, including former Philly mayoral candidate Martin Weinberg and former City Controller Thomas Leonard.

Meehan’s allies says…

March 14, 2010 at 2:35 pm | Comments (3)

Callahan, Lentz on first ‘Red to Blue’ list

Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and state Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) are reportedly among the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s first round of “Red to Blue” candidates, a list highlighting the party’s highest-priority House challengers and open-seat candidates in the country.

Callahan, a White House recruit, is challenging Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15) in the Lehigh Valley. Lentz is seeking to hold the seat being vacated by Democrat Joe Sestak, and is the Democrats’ presumptive nominee to take…

March 10, 2010 at 9:28 am | Comments (17)

Meehan hits Lentz on missed hearings

Republican Pat Meehan this week criticized state Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) over Appropriations Committee hearings Lentz missed last month, continuing what is quickly becoming a heated congressional contest between the two even before the general election officially starts.

Meehan’s campaign noted that Lentz missed three committee hearings on Feb. 24, after missing one the day before. On Feb. 24, Lentz was in Washington for a candidate training session run by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.…

March 9, 2010 at 11:26 pm | Comments (11)

Meehan’s early fundraising haul was fueled by governor’s race

After former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan jumped from the race for governor to a congressional bid last fall, his nascent House campaign trumpeted a fundraising haul of more than $200,000 in just 16 September days. Though his campaign never explicitly said so, the subtle implication was that early money raised had come from scratch, a “groundswell” of support for his new race.

But recently-published records make clear that most of Meehan’s…

March 4, 2010 at 5:20 pm | Comments (6)

LEFTOVERS: More on Specter’s voting fib, Clark for Lentz, Irey’s with Burns

Democrat Joe Sestak’s Senate campaign on Wednesday at last began to push back against Senator Arlen Specter’s frequent claim that he voted more with Democrats than Republicans while in the GOP, accusing him of “flat-out perjury.”

Specter has often made the false claim, which his defenders say is meant to imply that he voted more often with Democrats on major social issues—a qualifier he often omits. The Sestak campaign has avoided pointing it our directly,…

February 24, 2010 at 11:00 pm | Comments (0)

Introducing the pa2010.com Webcast

Hello to all you political junkies out there, and welcome to the first ever pa2010.com Webcast!

It’s here that we’ll be joined from time to time by newsmakers, opinion leaders and political insiders of every stripe to discuss the issues surrounding the big 2010 elections. Below is part one of our first episode. Log-on throughout the week to see the rest.

In our first episode, hosted by pa2010.com editor Dan Hirschhorn, we were joined, from…

February 22, 2010 at 10:30 am | Comments (2)

ChesCo Dems endorse Trivedi

WEST CHESTER—The Chester County Democratic Committee endorsed Manan Trivedi for Congress on Saturday, giving the Reading physician an important organizational boost as he seeks to overcome a significantly better-funded opponent.

At the county party’s nominating convention here, Trivedi won 99 votes, well over the 77 needed for a formal endorsement and more than double the 40 votes garnered by former Inquirer editorial writer Doug Pike. Lower Merion Township Commissioner Brian Gordon, who only entered the…

February 20, 2010 at 2:25 pm | Comments (16)

DelCo Dems back Lentz

The Delaware County Democratic Committee endorsed state Representative Bryan Lentz for Congress in the 7th District Tuesday night, further solidifying Lentz’s status as the party’s overwhelming front-runner three months before the primary.

The Lentz campaign said a roll-vote wasn’t needed, with overwhelming support coming in the form of a standing voice vote. Environmental lawyer Gail Conner and political consultant E. Teresa Touey are both running, but neither have been able to gain much traction in…

February 17, 2010 at 3:00 pm | Comments (8)

Campaigns start the petition push

Tuesday is the first day that candidates can begin gathering the signatures needed to get on the May primary ballot, and their campaigns were ready to hit the ground running even before the sun came up.

Candidate for congress need 1,000 signatures from registered voters in their respective parties who reside in their respective districts, while statewide candidates need 2,000 signatures. Each campaign has through March 9 to complete the process, and each campaign will…

February 16, 2010 at 7:45 am | Comments (1)

Meehan speaks out against EFCA, earmarks, public option

PHILADELPHIA—Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan offered up a conservative critique of Washington Democrats here Tuesday, voicing his opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, a public option of health care and earmark spending in Washington.

He spoke at a candidates’ forum across the street from City Hall, an event sponsored by a coalition of Tea Party activist groups. As the sole declared Republican in the 7th Congressional District, Meehan was the only one of numerous…

February 9, 2010 at 9:48 pm | Comments (8)