Dent, Callahan agree on cap-and-trade

There was an almost freak occurrence in the 15th Congressional District this week: bitter rivals Charlie Dent and John Callahan found something on which they agree.

The common ground emerged after Dent, the incumbent Republican, challenged Callahan, the Bethlehem mayor and White House recruit, to take a stance on the cap-and-trade energy legislation that has passed the House but stalled in the Senate. Dent voted against the bill last year, and in response to the…

June 29, 2010 at 10:42 am | Comments (0)

Towne to be included in October debate

The third-party little guy will get his moment on stage with the main players in the 15th Congressional District.

Jake Towne, the libertarian-leaning independent candidate in the race, is set to participate in an October debate with incumbent Republican Charlie Dent and Democratic challenger John Callahan. The appearance in the debate, sponsored by The Morning Call, will offer the political outsider and super-underdog some much needed publicity just a few weeks before the general election…

June 29, 2010 at 8:00 am | Comments (3)

Callahan wants to see all BP cash donated

BETHLEHEM—Democrat John Callahan marched right up to his opponent’s district office here Thursday, employing a bit of political theater to drive home his point of the day: that elected officials should donate any campaign contributions they’ve received from BP employees or political action committees to charities that will benefit residents of the Gulf.

Callahan, the Bethlehem mayor, also took a chance to once again spotlight campaign cash that Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15) has received from…

June 24, 2010 at 9:41 pm | Comments (3)

Callahan diverting fundraiser proceeds to Gulf aid

Democrat John Callahan has decided that a “Run for Congress” fundraiser will benefit victims of the intractable BP oil spill instead of his congressional campaign.

In an e-mail to supporters Wednesday, Callahan, the Bethlehem mayor and 15th District candidate, said the July 1 fundraiser will go off as scheduled.

“After giving some thought to why I’m running for Congress, I’ve decided to donate these funds to help the families of the Gulf Coast who have…

June 24, 2010 at 8:19 am | Comments (0)

GOP incumbents get heat over Barton remark

Congressman Joe Barton’s (R-TX) Pennsylvania Ave. “I strongly support the creation of a $20 billion escrow fund to pay the costs associated with this environmental disaster that is wreaking havoc on the economy of the Gulf region and the lives of its residents.”

Not too far south, Republican Mike Fitzpatrick is taking heat from League of Conservation Voters, who called for the 8th District candidate to return $15,000 his campaigns have received from Barton. “Former…

June 18, 2010 at 5:27 pm | Comments (13)

Dent sees hope in national trend

Congressman Charlie Dent’s (R-15) campaign is pointing to a national poll of competitive House districts as evidence that the incumbent is well-positioned to win reeelection this year.

The Dent campaign on Wednesday highlighted a poll commissioned by NPR, which found, among other things, Republican incumbents in battleground districts to be less vulnerable than Democratic incumbents in similar districts. The poll, conducted by Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies, found…

June 17, 2010 at 10:16 am | Comments (5)

Casey to headline Callahan fundraiser

BETHLEHEM—Pennsylvania’s senior senator is ready to go to bat for White House recruit John Callahan.

Senator Bob Casey will attend a fundraiser here Friday for Callahan, the Democratic nominee in the 15th Congressional District. Those looking for a chance gab with the Bethlehem mayor and Casey need to dole out at least $75 for admission to the event, which is being held at a private residence.

“The event will go a long way towards helping…

June 15, 2010 at 3:58 pm | Comments (7)

Callahan says he would have opposed the bailouts (Updated)

Democratic congressional hopeful John Callahan is adamant that he would have voted against both financial bailouts that came before Congress in 2008—both the $700-billion measure that didn’t pass and the $850-billion bill that did.

“I want to be very clear about where I stand on both of those bailouts,” Callahan, the Bethlehem mayor, said in a recent interview with pa2010.com. “If I had to vote on either version of the bailout, I would have opposed…

June 14, 2010 at 9:45 am | Comments (2)

Callahan: Dent ‘in the pocket’ of Wall Street (Updated)

Democrat John Callahan’s campaign continues to bash Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15) as a tool of Wall Street, using a new Web ad to rehash votes in considers Dent’s payback for tens of thousands in campaign contributions from the financial sector.

The 60-second Web ad, titled “A Dent in your pocket” and sent to the campaign’s list of more than 45,000 registered voters in the 15th District, is only the latest of full story

June 9, 2010 at 5:13 pm | Comments (3)

Dent robo-call blames Callahan for lost bond savings

Congressman Charlie Dent (R-15) continues to go directly after Democratic challenger John Callahan’s legacy as Bethlehem mayor, using a new robo-call to resurrect a six-year-old bond refinancing on which the city lost more than $1.5 million worth of potential savings.

The issue is incredibly complex, and in the robo-call, Dent’s campaign seeks to blame Callahan for the lost savings, and for allegedly steering work to a preferred financial firm. But Dent’s campaign attack omits key…

June 9, 2010 at 5:03 pm | Comments (3)