Pa. House Speaker Will Not Seek Re-Election

Keith R. McCall, the Democrat from the 122nd District (Carbon County) who is Speaker of the State House is not seeking re-election.

He said he wants to spend time with his family.

McCall has represented the district since 1982 when he was elected to replace his late father.

Curt Schroder Drops Out Of Pa6

State Rep. Curt Schroder (R-155) has announced that he is ending his bid to represent the 6th District of Pennsylvania in Congress due to incumbent Jim Gerlach’s decision to seek re-election upon aborting his run for governor.

Schroder said:

I am ending my candidacy for the 6th Congressional District. I know to many of you this will come as a bitter disappointment. It certainly is to me. . . The sudden and unexpected re-entry into the 6th District race of the current incumbent presented a new and potentially insurmountable obstacle to my effort to be your next Congressman. . . After speaking with many donors and people I highly respect such as Congressman Bob Walker and Pat Toomey, it became clear that the prospect of adequate finances to convey my positions and strong convictions to the public were diminished. While I know for certain that I have the passion, energy, and commitment to do the job, I cannot answer the question of where the resources would come from to win this campaign in light of this development.I am ending my candidacy for the 6th Congressional District. I know to many of you this will come as a bitter disappointment. It certainly is to me. . . The sudden and unexpected re-entry into the 6th District race of the current incumbent presented a new and potentially insurmountable obstacle to my effort to be your next Congressman. . . After speaking with many donors and people I highly respect such as Congressman Bob Walker and Pat Toomey, it became clear that the prospect of adequate finances to convey my positions and strong convictions to the public were diminished. While I know for certain that I have the passion, energy, and commitment to do the job, I cannot answer the question of where the resources would come from to win this campaign in light of this development.

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

Kudos to Nathan Benefield for the tip.

Gerlach To Try To Keep His Congressional Seat

Congressman Jim Gerlach (R) has made it official that he will seek re-election to represent Pa6.

Gerlach had announced he was leaving congress to seek the governor’s office and several Republicans candidates lined up to replace him in what otherwise would have been an uncontested primary.

Yesterday, Gerlach said he ending his campaign for governor . Today, he said that he was going to try to keep his seat in congress.

Reports are that his strongest opponents — venture capitalist Steve Welch and state Rep. Curt Schroder (R-155) — are staying in the race.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has announced that it is supporting Gerlach.

The 6th District is an obviously gerrymanded one –and by the Republicans. It 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 Nathan Benefield for the tip.

Killion Drops Lt. Gov. Bid

State Rep. Thomas Killion (R-168) announced today that he is ending his bid for lieutenant governor. He said he will support the gubernatorial campaign of Pa. Attorney General Tom Corbett. Still in the race for the GOP nomination are:

Carol Aichele (Chester County Commissioner)
Bruce L. Castor Jr. (ex-Montco D.A.)
James F. Cawley (Bucks County Commissioner)
Russ Diamond (founder of  PACleanSweep)
Dominic D. “Nick” DiFrancesco II (Dauphin County Commissioner)
John H. Eichelberger, Jr. (state senator representing the 30th District)
James R. Matthews (Montco Commissioner, last GOP Lt. Gov candidate, Chris Matthews’ brother)
Frank L. Rizzo Jr. (Philly councilman, son of legendary mayor)
Rick Schenker (former Erie County executive)
Mike Turzai (state representative for the 28th District)
Joseph P. Watkins (pastor of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, the oldest African American Lutheran Church in Philadelphia)

Seeking the Democratic nod are:

Michael F. “Mike” Gerber (state representative for the 148th District)
Valerie McDonald Roberts (Allegheny County recorder of deeds)
Jonathan A. Saidel (former Philadelphia city controller)
Josh Shapiro (state representative for the 153rd District)
Doris Smith-Ribner (former Commonwealth Court judge)

The primary election is May 18.

Gerlach Quits Gov. Race

Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-6) announced today he was quitting his gubernatorial bid. Still in the race to represent the GOP in November are front-runner Attorney General Tom Corbett, National Guardsman Rober Allan Mansfield and State Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-128).

The primary is May 18.

There is speculation  that Gerlach will seek re-election in his remarkably gerrymanded district which includes Lower Merion in Montgomery County, Coatesville and Yellow Springs in Chester County, a large section of Berks County and a small part of Lehigh County.

This would not make him a popular fellow among some Republicans.

Businessman Steven Welch and State Rep. Curt Schroder (R-155) are well into raising money for what looks to be an expensive primary battle, and also in the GOP field are businessman Howard Cohen, property-rights advocate Patrick Henry Sellers, Lower Merion Township Commissioner Scott Zelov and Chester County geologist Walt Hufford.

Russ Diamond Enters Lt. Gov Race

Russ Diamond, the force behind PaCleanSweep which shook the state legislature in 2006, has announced a run for lieutenant governor as a Republican.

His platform calls for a convention to reform the state constitution, eliminating property taxes and protecting Pennsylvania from federal intrusion.

Those against whom he will be running in the May 18 primary include:

Carol Aichele,
Bruce L. Castor Jr.
James F. Cawley
Dominic D. “Nick” DiFrancesco II
John H. Eichelberger, Jr.
Thomas H. “Tom” Killion
James R. Matthews
Frank L. Rizzo Jr.
Rick Schenker
Mike Turzai
Joseph P. Watkins

Candidates for the Democratic nomination include:

Chris Doherty
Michael F. “Mike” Gerber
Valerie McDonald Roberts
Jonathan A. Saidel
Joshua Shapiro

Stensland Fires Back At Spencer

Stensland Fires Back At Spencer — Former Fox29 anchor Dawn Stensland responded, today, to the Delaware County Daily Times’ Gil Spencer regarding this Dec. 11 column concerning rumors of a run for the  Pa7 congressional seat by Ms. Stensland.

Ms. Stensland said  it was unfair for Spencer to compare her to Elin Woods since her husband, former KYW-TV anchor Larry Mendte, was not a serial adulterer.  Which is a fair point by Ms. Stensland.

In fact, I don’t even think Mendte has ever been actually accused of, or admitted to, adultery with former KYW-TV-anchor Alycia Lane, and, anyway, being pals with her is not what got him in trouble.

Ms. Stensland is definitely not ruling out a primary run which would be as a Republican and against party-endorsed former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan.

“Mr. Spencer hammered another nail into the“Girls Not Allowed Sign” on the “Good Old Boy’s” political clubhouse,” Ms. Stensland said in her letter, which is the sort of thing that winds up as an issue when you get prurient with politics.

A more relevant thing to bring up regarding any candidacy by Ms. Stensland would be that it was the U.S. Attorney’s office led by Meehan that prosecuted her husband for hacking into Ms. Lane’s computer and leaking her emails.

Stensland Fires Back At Spencer