U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District, slightly outraised Democratic challenger Sam Bennett with a haul of $244,000 during the second quarter of the year as the candidates padded their war chests for the campaign stretch run.

Bennett’s $222,000 tally from April through June was her best quarterly take since she jumped into the race in early 2007, bringing her overall fundraising to $534,000, her campaign said.

Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to disclose their fundraising numbers to the Federal Election Commission. Their next filing won’t come until mid-October, just weeks before the Nov. 4 election.  read more »

Bernie O’Hare conducted a great interview with congressional candidate Sam Bennett, who’s challenging Charlie Dent in the 15th. I think he’s splitting it up into parts, but here’s my favorite piece of Part 1:

Question: How are you qualified to represent us in the U.S. House of Reps., having never served as an elected official before? (Bennett has never won a primary in which she ran opposed by another Democrat.)  read more »

Former NRCC Treasurer Christopher J. Ward last month returned $3,500 taken from Rep. Charlie Dent’s (R-Pa.) leadership PAC, bringing to more than $7,700 the total returned by Ward so far.

In a disclosure report filed with the Federal Election Commission today, Dent’s PAC, Dedicated to Establishing Teamwork (DENT) PAC, reported receiving $3,500 from Ward on Feb. 6. The contribution was classified as “repay misappropriated funds.”

Making a case that he remains more concerned with the needs of his district than the ‘‘mindless partisan bickering’‘ of Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent on Friday formally announced that he is seeking a third term.

‘‘All the time, people tell me Washington is broken,’‘ said Dent, R-15. ‘‘And you know what? They are absolutely right. This first session of the 110th Congress dramatically proved the point. In 2007, Congress accomplished less in more time than any Congress in recent history. It’s sad but true. We have to do better.’‘  read more »

Congressional hopeful Bill Hall outlined his proposal Thursday for improving the nation’s health care system, though the Democrat stopped short of endorsing universal benefits.

The Upper Mount Bethel Township resident also levied criticism against his potential Democratic opponent in the April 22 primary, Siobhan “Sam” Bennett of Allentown, and against incumbent U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Lehigh Valley.

Hall, speaking to reporters inside the Lehigh County Government Center, called for leaving the federal Medicare and Pennsylvania’s Medicaid systems intact.  read more »

As debate in Congress raged this year over the president’s plan for Iraq, U.S. Reps. Charlie Dent and Jim Gerlach frequently turned to one another for each other’s take. The two Republicans, after all, know each other well.

Dent, of the 15th District, and Gerlach, of the 6th, in their nearly 18 years as political allies, have established as close a bond as any two lawmakers in the state delegation, forged by nearly identical routes to Congress, neighboring districts and — after last year’s election drubbing for the GOP — increasing isolation as Republicans amid a sea of southeastern Pennsylvania Democrats.  read more »

Is anyone surprised? Nope! But I do like that quote from Professor Frank Colon.

“I think the problem with Lisa is she can’t make up her mind about what she wants to do.”

— Lehigh professor Frank Colon

Next year’s Lehigh Valley congressional seat campaign is shaping up to be a real snoozer.

It’s looking like Charlie Dent, the incumbent Republican, will battle Democrat Sam Bennett of Allentown — and it says here that won’t amount to much of a race.

Lisa Boscola, the Democratic Pennsylvania senator, might be able to give Dent a worthwhile challenge. And her entry into the fray would have set up some great political theater.

But Boscola will announce any day now that she’s not running. So says a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity and has spoken with Boscola about her plans.

Third quarter fundraising numbers are in and Sam Bennett’s — in the eyes of Muhlenberg College professor Christopher Borick — don’t “inspire confidence.”

Bennett raised about $28,000 during the quarter that ended Sept. 30 and had $33,000 (I updated these numbers at 5:50) in cash at the end of the month, according to campaign consultant Walter Ludwig. The official tally should soon be available on the Federal Election Commission Web site.

Bennett is running for the 15th congressional district seat held by Republican Charlie Dent, who raised $158,000 in the quarter and has $459,000 in the bank.  read more »