GOP memo claims 7-point edge for Fitzpatrick

A GOP-commissioned survey has found Republican Mike Fitzpatrick enjoying a seven-point lead ahead of his rematch against Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8), according to a new poll memo.

The poll memo, released Thursday by the Fitzpatrick campaign, describes a survey conducted by the GOP firm Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of the challenger’s campaign and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The memo says Fitzpatrick is “well-positioned to retake” to Bucks County seat he lost to Murphy…

August 26, 2010 at 10:00 am | Comments (9)

Murphy, Fitzpatrick spar on debates

When it comes to scheduling debates in the 8th Congressional District, the candidates and their campaigns are, well, debating.

On primary night back in May, Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8) sent a letter to his newly-nominated Republican opponent Mike Fitzpatrick, challenging to him to a series of eight debates. Fitzpatrick accepted the challenge and the some, offering to show up for as many as 15.

So it came as a surprise to some, especially those in…

August 25, 2010 at 8:17 am | Comments (7)

Pols chime in on Iraq

With Thursday marking the official withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, Pennsylvania’s political candidates were issuing the expected stream of statements.

“I think people will look back at this war as an unnecessary one,” Democrat Joe Sestak, the former Navy Admiral and current Senate candidate, said on MSNBC. “One that we unfortunately harmed our national security fabric as we have lost our focus where the real challenge was and that was in Afghanistan where we…

August 20, 2010 at 9:20 am | Comments (16)

Lingenfelter’s off the ballot in the 8th

Tom Lingenfelter’s latest campaign to represent the 8th Congressional District has ended before it really even began.

Lingenfelter, who was running as an independent, called it quits Thursday in the face of a ballot challenge. Lawyers involved in the case said his withdrawal came after a marathon, all-day court hearing in Harrisburg.

“It was very close, but the progression of numbers didn’t go our way,” said Larry Otter, Lingenfelter’s lawyer. Otter said an early-morning ruling…

August 19, 2010 at 9:30 pm | Comments (15)

LEFTOVERS: A Senate poll, Onorato’s cash, small biz for Fitz, CQ on Dent

The public polls say Republican Pat Toomey is up by nine points in the Senate race. Democrats say “not so fast.”

A Democratic operative somewhere must have been peeved by all the coverage these polls get, because MSNBC got its hands on an internal poll. The results? Toomey’s leading Joe Sestak by two points, 46 percent to 44 percent. We weren’t able to get our hands on…

August 19, 2010 at 9:20 pm | Comments (21)

Lingenfelter hires prominent attorney for ballot challenge

When Tom Lingenfelter goes to Harrisburg Thursday to defend his right to be on the 8th Congressional District ballot, he’ll have the help of veteran election lawyer Larry Otter.

Otter, a Bucks County attorney who has been involved in a plethora of ballot cases, is representing Lingenfelter.

“I know we should win,” Linenfelter told pa2010.com. “If the law is based on fairness and logic, we should win.”

Otter declined to comment on the case in…

August 19, 2010 at 8:54 am | Comments (1)

Four debates in the 8th

Their rematch looming, the candidates in the 8th Congressional District will debate at least four times in the coming months before Election Day.

Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy and Republican Mike Fitzpatrick are still putting the finishing touches on the campaign debate schedule. But four events are already scheduled for October. And in September, the candidates will host a Q&A-style forum with newsman Larry Kane.

The first debate scheduled is set to take place Oct. 3,…

August 16, 2010 at 8:44 am | Comments (6)

Fitzpatrick supports Lingenfelter ballot challenge

Republican Mike Fitzpatrick’s campaign says it’s supporting an effort to keep independent candidate Tom Lingenfelter off the ballot in the 8th Congressional District. But the campaign won’t disclose the extent of any involvement it has had with the ballot challenge.

Fitzpatrick campaign manager Kyle Whatley called the effort “bipartisan” and said his candidate “shares the concerns” of the four people who brought the challenge. Such challenges are almost always filed at…

August 11, 2010 at 11:16 am | Comments (12)

Murphy answers a call to show the jobs

Republican Mike Fitzpatrick recently called on opponent Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8) to substantiate a claim made that he had helped bring 3,000 jobs to the Bucks County district. Mocking the claim made in an official congressional mailer as “Murphy’s undocumented workers,” Fitzpatrick said that “Murphy must document these jobs.” Late last week, Murphy did just that.

In a conference call with reporters, Murphy showed off a list of 2,962 jobs brought to the district by…

August 9, 2010 at 4:31 pm | Comments (16)

Former Murphy aides help Lingenfelter

In his rush to get on the 8th District ballot at the last minute, Tom Lingenfelter got some help from a Democratic duo who used to work for one of his opponents.

The Intelligencer reports that Brian Caplan and Jessica Milinichik, who used to work for Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8) and now work for the state Democratic Party, both gathered signatures for Lingenfelter’s nominating petitions.

A ballot…

August 6, 2010 at 12:55 pm | Comments (13)