Meehan, Hoeffel show advantages of name recognition

Reports that Pat Meehan  raised $580,000 for his congressional race in the last quarter of 2009, while Joe Hoeffel raised $400,000 for his gubernatorial campaign in the same quarter, demonstrate the large advantage the current system provides toward candidates with high name recognition.

That Meehan is well known from his days as U.S. Attorney, and Hoeffel from his occupancy or candidacy for almost every conceivable office (he’s currently a Montgomery County …

January 7, 2010 at 11:30 am | Comments (6)

Aide: Lentz raised about $300K last quarter

State Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) brought in about $300,000 in campaign contributions during the last three months of 2009, giving his 7th District congressional campaign more than $450,000 in cash on hand, according to campaign manager Vincent Rongione.

The fundraising haul, to be detailed in campaign finance reports published at the end of the month, was short of the $580,000 that likely Republican opponent Pat Meehan says he raised last quarter. But the…

January 6, 2010 at 4:00 pm | Comments (5)

Meehan camp says it raised $580K last quarter

Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan’s congressional campaign said Tuesday that it has racked up more than $580,000 in donations during the last three months of the year, a haul that would affirm forecasts that the 7th District race will be one of the most expensive open-seat contests in the country.

In a statement, Meehan’s campaign did not say how much cash it has on hand, figures that will be revealed when fourth quarter campaign finance…

January 5, 2010 at 1:30 pm | Comments (12)

Leach: If elected, Meehan will get a ‘reflected-contact-tan’ from John Boehner (Video)

WAYNE—When he introduced congressional hopeful Bryan Lentz during a fundraiser here Tuesday night, state Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) had some somber words to say about Lentz’s likely Republican opponent—and some more snarky words for House Republican leader John Boehner.

Mocking Republicans who he said claim to be moderates and then shun bipartisanship in Washington, Leach said of former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan: “So when you hear this guy get up and talk about…

December 29, 2009 at 9:58 pm | Comments (33)

Courting supporters, Lentz says ‘you won’t regret it’ (Video)

WAYNE—State Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) said Tuesday that his time in Harrisburg had taught him that individual lawmakers can have an impact, and he promised to “do what I believe is right” if elected to Congress next year.

Speaking to supporters during an evening fundraiser at the home of state Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) here, Lentz reflected upon the one-vote margin Democrats had in the state House when he first came to Harrisburg in 2006.…

December 29, 2009 at 9:45 pm | Comments (4)

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)

Former Fox29 anchor Dawn Stensland considering a run for Congress in the 7th District

More than two years after she and her husband Larry Mendte became the center of a local media firestorm, former news TV news anchor Dawn Stensland is considering a GOP run for Congress in the 7th District, a move that could significantly shake up what has been a clear primary field for Pat Meehan.

If she ultimately got into the race—and a decision doesn’t seem imminent—Stensland would likely benefit from a raft of early, free…

December 10, 2009 at 6:00 am | Comments (45)

Meehan and Lentz on the possible candidacy of Dawn Strensland

She hasn’t announced her candidacy, but news of former Fox29 anchor Dawn Strensland’s interest in the 7th District congressional race has already prompted some response from her potential opponents.

State Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware), the Democratic front-runner who would obviously like to see Strensland at least give Republican Pat Meehan a challenge in the GOP primary, had words of welcome in case she runs.

“We believe in elections, not coronations,” Lentz’s campaign manager…

December 9, 2009 at 3:50 pm | Comments (5)

A motive for Dawn Stensland?

In my earlier story about the fact that former Fox29 anchor Dawn Stensland might challenge Pat Meehan in the 7th District GOP primary, I left out an important factor to consider.

And that’s the possibility that Stensland may, just may, have a deeply personal motivation in this.

It was the U.S. Attorney’s office led by, yes, Pat Meehan, that prosecuted her husband Larry Mendte for hacking and leaking e-mails from his then co-anchor…

December 9, 2009 at 2:21 pm | Comments (1)

The Meehan and Christie show

You had to really want to see Pat Meehan and Chris Christie  Wednesday night—it was raining cats and dogs and the address for the Concordville Inn, “Route 1 and Route 322,” seemed to cover about half of Delaware County. But there we were, anxious to see the Republican candidate for the 7th District and the newly elected New Jersey governor, his friend and former neighboring U.S. Attorney.

Sixty minutes there was enough time to get…

December 4, 2009 at 11:44 am | Comments (5)