Category: Election 2010 Primary

Tenacious Rohrer Marches On


Most observers figure the GOP nomination for this year’s governor’s race has been wrapped up with a pretty bow on top for party-endorsed  Attorney General Tom Corbett  but by the slew of stops he has slated for  March, last-challenger-left Sam Rohrer seems determined to see them surprised.

Rohrer, the state representative for the 128th District, has 10 stops scheduled for the rest of this month including two today starting with  the Greater Philadelphia Candidates Forum where he is expected to face off against Corbett and Democrats Joe Hoeffel, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, state Auditor General Jack Wagner, and State Senator Anthony Williams, who represents the 191th District which consists of parts of Philadelphia and Yeadon in Delaware County.

He will then go to the Pizza Como Club in Pennsburg for an 8:30 p.m. event sponsored by the Upper Montgomery County Republican Club.

The Chamber forum is scheduled to be broadcast on PCN at 9 p.m.

Rohrer has a meeting scheduled in Delaware County, 7 p.m., March 26 at the Delaware County Christian School, 462 Malin Road, Newtown Square.

African-American Republican To Seek Gov. As Independent

Robert Allen Mansfield, a sergeant in the National Guard with service in Iraq, has announced he is dropping out of the May 18 Republican primary election to run for governor as an independent.

The state Republican committee voted overwhelmingly, last month, to endorse Attorney General Tom Corbett for the spot.

Still in the primary race is state Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-128)

Mansfield is an African-American from Philadelphia, born in 1971, whose heroine addicted mother put him up for adoption. He spent two years in foster care before being adopted by the Mansfield family.

He had a stormy youth in which he ran away from home several times. Things began to turn around in 1991, he says, when he accepted Jesus Christ into his life. He earned his GED and  joined the Guard in 1996.

While in the Guard he did odd jobs and began his own financial firm, R. Allen Associates.

He now lives in York.

For the independent run he will require 19,000 signatures rather than the 2,000 he got for the primary.

Here is a link to a biography and his positions.

They include a belief in smaller government, school choice, free markets, and that every child is a gift from God.

“I know that life begins at conception,” he says. “I don’t need to defer to a higher pay grade to come to that conclusion”

Singel Backs Critz For Murtha Seat

Former Lt. Gov. Mark Singel, who ended his bid Thursday to replace fellow Democrat John Murtha as Pennsylvania 12th District’s representative in Congress, has endorsed Mark Critz for the seat. Critz is Murtha’s former district director.

A special election will be held May 18, the day of the state’s primary election, to fill the remaining months of the term of Murtha who died Feb. 8.

A election for a full-term will be held in November.

Other Democrats seeking the seat are Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic Jr., former Navy officer Ryan Bucchianeri, and former state Treasurer Barbara Hafer and writer Ron Mackell Jr

Theleading contender for the GOP nomination is Bill Russell, who wasMurtha’s opposition in 2008.  GOP activist Dave Battaglia  andbusinessman Tim Burns were also GOP primary candidates.

Thanks to PoliticsPa.Com

Sestak OK With Terror Trials In Pa., Is Lentz?

Congressman Joe Sestak (D-Pa7) is fine with having the trials of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his fellow 9/11 plotters  held in a federal court in western Pennsylvania if they should be blocked in New York City or Northern Virginia.

“I would accept them anywhere in America, to be brought here, to bebrought to justice, to have the keys thrown away or to have them giventhe death sentence by a jury of our peers,” said Thursday according to the Wall Street Journal.

If you feel that way, Joe, why bother with the trial? Do you understand the concept of the presumption of innocence? Do you realize that a judge is mandated to throw out tainted evidence, an action that could almost guarantee acquittal? Or do you think we should make exceptions for these guys and, if so, how would that not be a far greater mockery of due process and our system of justice than simply putting them  before military tribunals in accordance with well-established procedures?

Can you comprehend that these guys aren’t afraid of death — which as noted is not guaranteed so imagine them serving a life sentence in federal prison and being a constant source of inspiration for kidnappings and terrorist acts in attempts to free them — and that they would use these trials as platforms for propaganda and the acquisition of sensitive information  which they can funnel to their followers?

I guess not.

To be honest, Joe, I would be far more willing to guarantee a Specter-Toomey senate race this fall than I would KSM’s conviction in a civilian trial much less death.

Which brings us to the race to replace Sestak in the 7th District:  Does Bryan Lentz, the presumptive Democratic nominee agree with Sestak about this state being a fine place for a civilian terror trial? If not, is Lentz, who served in a civil affairs unit in Iraq and  was a prosecutor with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office, willing to explain to the congressman why such a trial is a real bad idea?

Pat Meehan, the former federal prosecutor and Delaware County D.A. who is going to be the GOP nominee for the seat, certainly can.

Specter Says Reconciliation OK For Destroying Health Care

Sen. Arlen Specter (S as in Specterite-Pa.) has changed his mind. At first blush that’s not news with regard to the longtime Republican who switched to the Dems when it looked like he’d lose the GOP primary, but when you realized Specter is not blushing when he says it regarding this particular matter, it becomes rather remarkable.

Specter was one of 20 senators who signed a letter presented to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Feb. 19,  supporting the use of reconciliation, a process to avoid a Senate filibuster regarding budgetary matters, to pass ObamaCare.

Specter says he changed his mind to support of this dubious action — the people of America are making it clearer by the day they don’t want socialized medicine — because he has learned it has been used many times in the past according to PoliticsPa.Com.

So, Specter — who has been a senator since 1981 — has just come to realized this?

“I have (supported reconciliation) after taking a look at theprecedents and seeing that it has been used very, very broadly,”Specter said.

At least he didn’t cite Scottish law.

The sooner he goes the better off this country will be.


Pastor Watkins Ends Lt. Gov. Bid

Joe Watkins, the pastor of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church which is the oldest African American Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, has announced he is ending his bid to be the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor making the road for party-endorsed Joe Cawley, a Bucks County Commissioner, that much smoother.

Watkins was expected to Cawley’s biggest threat.

Those saying they are still in the race are:
Chet Beiler — former Lancaster County GOP chairman
Steve Johnson– York County businessman
Russ Diamond, founder of PaCleanSweep

Candidates who still have their campaign websites up include:
Billy McCue, a businessman
John Kennedy, a former state representative

The Democratic candidates are party-endorsed Jonathan Sadel, a former Philadelphia city controller; and Doris Smith-Ribner, a retired Commonwealth Courth judge.

The primary election is May 18.

More Seek Murtha Seat


The ballot to replace Democrat John Murtha as the representative for Pa-12 in Congress has gotten longer with announcements by Murtha’s former district director Mark Critz and Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic Jr. that they will seek the seat.

They join fellow Democrats former Lt. Gov Mark Singel and former State Treasurer Barbera Hafer in the race along with Ron Mackell Jr. and 34-year-old Ryan Bucchianeri who had begun primary challenges before Murtha’s Feb. 8 death.

Meanwhile, Murtha’s widow, Joyce, has announced she will not run.

The
leading contender for the GOP nomination is Bill Russell, who was
Murtha’s opposition in 2008.  GOP activist Dave Battaglia  and
businessman Tim Burns were also GOP primary candidates.

There will be a special election May 18, the day of the primary election, to fill the remaining months of Murtha’s term. The election for a full two-year term, of course, is in November.

Welch Quits 6th District Race

Chester County businessman Steven Welch announced this morning that he is ending his quest to represent Pennsylvania’s 6th District in Congress preventing what could have been a costly primary battle with incumbent Jim Gerlach.

Gerlach said last year he was going to seek a move to the Governor’s Mansion rather than re-election to Congress, causing several strong candidates to put their hats in the ring for the GOP primary. Gerlach ended the gubernatorial bid Jan. 7. The next day he announced he was going to try to keep his House seat.

State Rep. Curt Schroder (R-155) left the field, Jan. 11, so with Welch’s announcement the most dangerous primary challengers to Gerlach are out of the game.

The gerrymanded 6th District 
includes Lower Merion in Montgomery County, Coatesville and Yellow Springs in
Chester County, a large part of Berks County and part of Lehigh County.

Kudos to Pa2010.Com for the tip.

Singel Seeks Murtha Seat

Former Lt. Gov. Mark Singel has announced that he will seek the 12th District Pennsylvania congressional seat left vacant by the Feb. 8 death of fellow Democrat John Murtha.

A special election will be held, May 18, the same day as the primary election, to fill the remaining months of Murtha’s term. An election for a fresh term will occur in November.

Singel represented the 35th District in the state senate from 1981-87, before becoming being elected lieutenant governor with Gov. Bob Casey. He wasacting governor for six months in 1993.

Ron Mackell Jr. and 34-year-old Ryan Bucchianeri  had announced primary challenges to Murtha. With the congressman’s death former state Treasurer Barbera Hafer has also expressed interest in the seat. Another possible candidate is Murtha’s widow, Joyce.

The leading contender for the GOP nomination is Bill Russell, who was Murtha’s opposition in 2008.  GOP activist Dave Battaglia  and businessman Tim Burns were also GOP primary candidates.

I’ve met Singel. Somehow, the subject of economist Milton Friedman came up. Singel seemed confused as to who he was then dismissed him saying something akin to “he’s from the 60s”.

4 Staffers Leave Sestak

Important cogs of Congressman Joe Sestak’s (D-7) Senate campaign have come off the wheel according to Pa2010.com.

Sestak is challenging incumbent and former Republican Arlen Specter in the May 18 Primary Election.

Political Director Rich Culbert and press operative Garry Ritterstein left soon after the  Democratic State Committee, Feb. 7, endorsed  Specter over Admiral Joe.

Others who left  were Jason Henry, who was effectively the campaign’s political
director for western Pennsylvania who took his leave in mid-January and Andrew Blum of volunteer operations who left in late January.