Two ex-lawmakers back Marino in 10th District

Two former state Senators endorsed Republican Tom Marino’s congressional bid Thursday, giving the former U.S. Attorney more party support as he seeks his party’s nod to take on Congressman Chris Carney (D-10).

Former state Senators Charles Lemmond (R-Luzerne) and Roger Madigan (R-Bradford County) backed Marino over Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk and Luzerne County chiropractor Dave Madeira.

“I have known Tom since his days as Lycoming County District Attorney,” Madigan said in a statement. “I…

March 11, 2010 at 12:58 pm | Comments (2)

THE PRESS ROOM: Local blogs spring up to slam candidates

An occasional series of articles exploring how political campaigns are playing out in the media—in print, on the air, online and behind the scenes.

Think pa2010.com is catering to a narrow niche? Think again.

A plethora of new Web sites are sprouting up in the blogosphere, mostly as vehicles to bash candidates loathed by their authors, but sometimes just to cover a particular race from a certain ideological view. Whether these blogs will play any…

February 15, 2010 at 12:00 pm | Comments (7)

LEFTOVERS: A billboard for Madeira, Sestak & Specter tussle over taxes, Facebook censorship from the GOP

Usually we hear more about campaign ads on the Web and TV than those old-fashioned billboards. But 10th District GOP hopeful Dave Madeira’s campaign last week was bringing our attention to what it said was the first billboard ad in the race. The ad, apparently at the intersection of Route 6 and Route 11 in Clark’s Summit, features a picture of the United States Constitution, next to the simple question: “Miss Me Yet?”

We’ll take…

February 14, 2010 at 5:20 pm | Comments (13)

LEFTOVERS: Marino highlights NEPA support, Hoeffel’s Web ad

On the day his latest primary opponent officially got into the race, former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino said he had won the unanimous support of the GOP’s northeast regional caucus during its meeting last weekend.

Informal vote tallies that emerged after the caucus meeting Saturday did not include votes for a congressional endorsement, but the timing of Marino’s statement seemed intended to deflect at least some attention from Luzerne County chiropractor Dave Madeira’s former campaign…

February 9, 2010 at 3:34 pm | Comments (5)

Carney has about $483K

With his Republican opponents multiplying eight months before Election Day, Congressman Chris Carney (D-10) has a war chest of about half-a-million dollars, according to campaign finance data.

Carney raised about $153,000 in the closing months of 2009, finishing the year with about $483,000 in cash on hand.

Since then, former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino has entered the GOP primary as the party’s favored candidate to take on the second-term congressman. Snyder County…

January 31, 2010 at 10:40 am | Comments (1)

Madeira set to run in 10th District GOP primary

The Republican primary in the 10th Congressional District is now a three-man race.

David Madeira, a chiropractor in Luzerne County, said Thursday that he was getting into the mix. He’ll make it official Feb. 9 in a series of events across the northeast Pennsylvania District.

“Congressman [Chris] Carney likes to wave his ‘Blue Dog’ credentials,” Madeira said in a statement. “One year ago he voted for a nearly trillion dollar ’stimulus plan’ that not only…

January 29, 2010 at 11:12 am | Comments (1)

State lawmakers endorse Derk in 10th District

Three state lawmakers endorsed Republican Malcolm Derk for Congress on Thursday, giving the Synder County Commissioner at least some party support as much of the establishment GOP looks to unite behind former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino in the 10th District.

State Senator John Gordner, state Representative Merle Phillips and state Representative Russ Fairchild all backed Derk in campaign statements. All three represent at least part of Derk’s Snyder County home base. Derk is vying with…

January 28, 2010 at 2:10 pm | Comments (0)

Dems hit Marino on DeNaples and Luzerne, but Carney keeps it civil

Democrats in Harrisburg and Washington were quick to pounce on former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino’s entrance into the 10th Congressional District race Wednesday, criticizing him for representing a legally-troubled casino owner Louis DeNaples and for not detecting a scandal brewing in the Luzerne County juvenile courts when he was still in office. But the man Marino hopes to take on, Congressman Chris Carney (D-10), stayed out of the trenches for now.

Marino resigned…

January 27, 2010 at 10:38 pm | Comments (0)

Marino launches bid to take on Carney

Former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino formally announced his candidacy Congress in the 10th District Wednesday, providing what Republicans hope will be a top-tier challenge to sophomore Democrat Chris Carney.

Marino, one of three former federal prosecutors looking to capture House seats held by Democrats, declared his candidacy at events throughout the northeastern Pennsylvania district, including visits to Williamsport, South Abington Township and Hawley. That followed a radio announcement the day before. In between stops, he…

January 27, 2010 at 10:26 pm | Comments (1)

Marino poised to enter race against Carney on Wednesday

Former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino looks like he’s ready to run against Congressman Chris Carney (D-10).

Marino, a Republican, has been said to be considering a run for weeks. His campaign said Monday that he’d be making a “major announcement about his political future in the 10th Congressional District” during a series of events on Wednesday. Carney, a second-term Democrat, has carved out a comfortable niche as a moderate in the conservative-leaning district. But with…

January 25, 2010 at 4:53 pm | Comments (0)