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)

Latinos could be a swing vote in 15th

If the race in the 15th Congressional District ends up being a tight contest, Latino voters could prove to a be a key swing constituency, a new report indicates.

The report, titled “The Power of the Latino Vote in America” and released last week by a Latino voters’ group, cites the “exponential” growth of the Latino electorate in recent years, with turnout surging by 83 percent in Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2008. Latino voters have…

March 1, 2010 at 7:30 am | Comments (0)

A potential spoiler needs signatures first

In the closely-watched 15th District House race, Democrats hope they finally have a serious challenger for incumbent Republican Charlie Dent in Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan. And if the race ends up being a close one on Election Day, there could be a spoiler in the works—independent Jake Towne.

Towne, an engineer, has a political identity rooted in Tea Party activism, appearing on Fox News‘ “Freedom Watch.” Unlike most candidates identified with the Tea Party in…

February 22, 2010 at 8:15 am | Comments (5)

GOP files FEC complaint against Callahan

The state Republican Party has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, accusing Democrat John Callahan of violating campaign finance law by using his mayoral campaign committee to pay for background checks totaling close to $10,000.

The Callahan campaign conducted background checks on the candidate himself last year while he was considering a run for Congress. Callahan, the mayor of Bethlehem, used money from his local campaign account to pay for the background checks…

February 18, 2010 at 3:08 pm | Comments (3)

Dent kicking off campaign next weekend

Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15) will be formally kick off his campaign for a fourth term next Saturday in Allentown.

Dent’s campaign will be hosting an event at noon on Feb. 27 at Scottish Rite Cathedral in Allentown.

The incumbent is facing a strong challenge from Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, a White House recruit who has bested him in fundraising the last two quarters. He’s also facing a primary challenge from Palmerton Township’s Matthew Benol, and…

February 17, 2010 at 5:07 pm | Comments (6)

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)

House colleagues ante up for Dent

As he faces the unusual possibility of being outspent by a House challenger, Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15) is getting a little help from his friends on Capitol Hill—and using a nice chunk of change to help other Republican candidates and committees.

Dent raised about $286,000 in the last three months of 2009, finishing the year with about $612,000 on hand, according to campaign finance data. Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, a top Democratic…

February 3, 2010 at 12:03 pm | Comments (0)

GOP says internal poll shows Dent with big lead

Republicans say an internal poll of the 15th Congressional District race shows incumbent Republican Charlie Dent with a wide lead over his Democratic challenger, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan.

The poll, conducted by the Alexandria-based Tarrance Group, found Dent garnering 53 percent of the vote, compared to 27 percent for Callahan, according to a poll memo released by the National Republican Congressional Committee. Like other internal polling data released, the NRCC disclosed only the poll memo,…

January 26, 2010 at 6:55 pm | Comments (6)

Callahan says he has $625K on hand; outraises Dent (Updated)

Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan said Thursday that his congressional campaign has more than $725,000 in the last five months, ending 2009 with more than $625,000 in the bank. The announcement was the latest indication that Callahan, a White House recruit for the Democrats, will be able to mount a well-funded challenge against Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15).

Callahan’s campaign raised about $345,000 in the third quarter—a period in which he outraised Dent—signaling that his…

January 14, 2010 at 5:00 pm | Comments (7)

A wealth of post-holiday, last-minute fundraising pleas

We’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again: The days before the close of any FEC filing deadline are a time for candidates to squeeze every last dollar out of their supporters.

“Deadline in 2 days. Help elect a principled leader today,” read the subject-line of an e-mail Tuesday from Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey’s campaign manager.

“We are building the momentum necessary to win this race,” Bethlehem Mayor and Democratic 15th District hopeful…

December 29, 2009 at 1:25 pm | Comments (0)