Category: Election 2010 Primary

F&M Now Has Toomey Beating Specter

The latest Franklin & Marshall poll has Pat Toomey beating incumbent Arlen Specter to represent Pennsylvania in the Senate 33-29 with 32 undecided. This is a direct reversal of March’s results which had Specter up 33-29 with 29 percent  undecided. In January F&M had Toomey & Specter tied at 30.

 
Also in the latest, Toomey beats Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7)  27-19 with 49 percent undecided. This is up from last month which had Toomey ahead 25-22 with 47 percent undecided.
 
And party-endorsed Specter keeps a strong lead over Sestak in the Democrat Primary race 32-12 with 52 percent undecided.
 
The Rasmussen Poll has had Toomey ahead of Specter for three straight months with the most recent tally being 49-40, and Toomey beating Sestak 42-37. 
 
Rasmussen has Specter leading Sestak handily. 
 
A QuinnipiacUniversity poll released March 2, however, has Specter beating Toomey by 7points and Sestak by 24 points.
 
In the GOP gubernatorial primary race, F&M has  Attorney General Tom Corbett  extending his lead over state Rep. Sam Rohrer to 28-4 but 66 percent remain undecided. In January, it was 23-5 with 69 percent undecided.
 
In the four-man Democrat gubernatorial race, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato is the front runner favored by 11 percent of the Dem voters followed by state Auditor General Jack Wagner at 7 percent, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel at 5 percent and State Senator Anthony Williams (D-191) at 2 percent with 71 percent undecided. 
Here is a pdf of the F&M report.

Clear Road For Lou Barletta

Chris Paige has withdrawn from the Pennsylvania 11th Congressional District Republican Primary leaving Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta the last man standing to face the Democrat candidate this November. That candidate is almost certainly going to be incumbent Paul “I Believe In Executive Orders” Kanjorski but still he faces a May 18 challenge from Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien and in this climate you never can tell.

Barletta  would have likely beat Kanjorski in 2008 but for the Obama surge.

Presumptive GOP 7thD Nominee Unloads On Corrupt Bill Filled With Backroom Deals

The former U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Delaware County District Attorney who is going to almost certainly be the Republican nominee for the Pennsylvania 7th District Congressional seat being vacated by Democrat Joe Sestak for a senate run has spoken out on the health care disaster passed last night by the House of Representatives.

“Dems rammed through legislation that raises taxes on middle class & represents a government takeover of 17% of the economy,” Pat Meehan said on Twitter. “This is a bad bill filled with corrupt backroom deals to secure a bare majority of support. (The) bill could not stand on own merits.”

His expected opponent in November, State Rep. Bryan Lentz (D-161) has called the travesty “The type of common-sense starting point we need to lower costs for the consumer, improve the quality of care and help stabilize our economy.”

Where does the Democrat Party find such geniuses.

Hey Lentz, how about we put in the restrictions on access to lawyers that we just put on access to doctors and nurses and drugs? How about we restrict the actions of lawyers as we just did the actions of doctors and lawyers and drug makers?

It should be noted that Sestak voted for the bill, and was an enthusiastic backer.

Fightin’ Sam Rohrer To Speak In Newtown Square, Scotland

State Rep. Sam Rohrer, the underdog challenger to be the GOP gubernatorial candidate, will hold a town hall, 7 p.m., Friday, at Delaware County Christian School, 462 Malin Road, Newtown Square, Pa. 19073.

Rohrer represents the 128th District. The GOP’s endorsed candidate is state Attorney General Tom Corbett. The primary election is May 18.

 
And Dwight Weidman informs me that Sam will hold a town meeting 9-10:30 the following morning at the Scotland Community Center, Main St., Scotland, — the one near Chambersburg not Northumbria.
 
It’s a tough schedule he’s given himself.

 

 

 

Proven Cost-Cutter Seeks To Fill Rohrer Seat

Mark M. Gillen, the man who won an election in 2001 for Berks County Jury Commissioner to eliminate the $18,000 part-time job, is seeking the 128th District seat in the State House being vacated by Samuel E. Rohrer  to pursue the Republican nomination for governor.

He is running in the GOP primary which is May 18.

Gillen says he will work to reduce the size and cost of Pennsylvania government, not serve more than eight years, and not accept per diem payments.

GOP Picks Burns In Race To Fill Murtha Seat

GOP leaders from Pennsylvania’s 12 Congressional District, tonight, picked businessman Tim Burns as its candidate to fill  remaining months of the seat left vacant by the Feb. 8 death of John Murtha.

Burns beat out  Bill Russell, Murtha’s opposition in 2008, by a vote of 85-46.

Also seeking the nomination were Ron Robertson, Luke Summerfield  and Bill Choby.

Burns will take on Democrat Mark Critz in a special election on May 18, the day of the primary.

A separate vote will be taken to determine the candidates for the general election for a full two-year term. Russell said he will not remove himself from the primary.

Can Admiral Joe Be A Health Care ‘No’?

Residents of Pennsylvania’s 7th District are reportedly getting emails (aka spam) from President Obama asking them to call Congressman Joe Sestak to say  thank you for his vote last fall to socialize our health care system and “to report that OFA supporters in Pennsylvania have pledged 332,199 volunteer hours to back up member of Congress like yours who stand up for health reform”

Sestak wavering on socializing our health care system would be like Ed Rendell joining the Republican Party.

Hafer Off The Ballot

Former state Treasurer Barbara Hafer has removed herself from the Democratic primary ballot to replace the late John Murtha as congressman for the 12th District of Pennsylvania, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The state Democratic Party’s Executive Committee  picked 
Mark Critz, who had been Murtha’s district director, as its candidate in a special election to fill out the rest of Murtha’s term.

There will be a primary election to determine the party candidates for the general election race for a new two-year term . Still preparing to battle Critz in it are Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic Jr., Air Force veteran Ron Mackell Jr. of Johnstown and Navy veteran Ryan Bucchianeri.

Republicans will choose, tomorrow, either  Johnstown
businessman Tim Burns, Army veteran William Russell, or  Bill Choby as their nominee for the special election.,

Specter, Sestak Now Face A Conservative Dem

Democrats will have a third choice for senator in the Pennsylvania primary, May 18.

Joseph Vodvarka of Allegheny County appears to have acquired the necessary 2,000 signatures to get on the ballot to battle incumbent Arlen Specter and 7th District Congressman Joe Sestak.

Vodarka describes himself as a manufacturer and small business owner. He describes himself as a conservative Democrat. He is against ObamaCare and has been an NRA member for 36 years.

Vodarka will have nowhere near the resources as the other candidates and Specter, the party’s endorsed candidate, is already the heavy favorite. Still he’s the lone candidate not from the Philadelphia area and western Pennsylvanians are known for their reluctance to vote for Philadelphians.

Dems Pick Critz In Murtha Replacement Race

The state Democratic Party’s Executive Committee, today, picked 
Mark Critz as the party’s candidate to replace the late John Murtha to represent Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District.

Critz had been Murtha’s district director. Also, seeking the nomination were former state Treasurer Barbara Hafer, Cambria County Controller Ed Cemic Jr. and former Naval Officer Ryan Bucchianeri.

The election will be  May 18, the day of the state primary.  The Republican nominee will be selected Thursday and be either Tim Burns or Bill Russell who opposed Murtha in 2008.

The winner will serve out the rest of Murtha’s term. An election will be held in November for a new term and there will also be a primary election May 18 to pick the candidates for the November race.

Bucchianeri and Ms. Hafer  say they will be primary candidates.

PoliticsPA.Com says the finally tally of the Executive Committee was Critz, 30; Hafer, 18; and Bucchianeri, 1.