KP's Delegation '08 Blog

Carney Gathers Bi-Partisan Support

Greg Palmer — Wed, 2 Jul 2008 08:18:53 -0400

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, who has been trying to late to show his bipartisan support, will get another boost later this month when David Urban, the former chief of staff for Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, hosts a DC fund-raiser for the freshman representative.

Urban, a Washington lobbyist who is used to spreading his money and support around Democrats and Republicans, tells the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice, “Over his term I’ve gotten to know Carney … he’s a pretty admirable guy and I think he’s doing great things for Pennsylvania.”

Dent and Bennett go toe-to-toe in 2Q fundraising

RobHop — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:27:30 -0400

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 »

Poll Shows English Trailing Narrowly (!)

Greg Palmer — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:49:43 -0400

From Roll Call:

A new poll commissioned by his challenger’s campaign showed Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) trailing in his bid for an eighth term by a single percentage point.

The poll showed businesswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D) leading English 41 percent to 40 percent, with 19 percent undecided.

English could be in one of the toughest races of his career against Dahlkemper, a political novice who won a four-way primary in April…

Hackett Says Happy 4th, Beijing!

Greg Palmer — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 22:35:49 -0400

Sources tell us that good ole’ Chris Hackett had a great time supporting American Values at the Independence Day parade in Montrose. He even brought American Flag pins to give out to supporters!

Except they were made in China. Mr. Hackett, your patriotism shines through once again! Nice work.

Transportation Dept. Denies Kanjorski Earmark

Greg Palmer — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 22:32:11 -0400

From the (new?) blog Local Values:

The Department of Transportation is refusing to follow through on a $5.6 million earmark by Paul Kanjorski.

The original earmark was in the 2005 Transportation Bill and authorized a parking garage to be constructed onto the Kanjorski Center—built in Naticoke in 1993 which is currently empty.

However, the Hill reports that the earmark does not meet federal standards. Federal funds are allowed for parking garages “only if they are connected to other public transportation facilities outside a business area with a population of 50,000 or more, or if it serves high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) and public mass transportation passengers.”

Hackett Tries to Make Hay Out of Carney Fundraiser

Greg Palmer — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 07:23:47 -0400

As usual, Gort has the scoop:

The Chris Hackett camp sent out a release today pointing out that he is having a big-dollar fundraising breakfast hosted by a Washington, DC lobbying firm whose major clients include the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, which has fought for placing tolls on Interstate I-80. The implication is that Carney is for tolling I-80 even though he is on the record as being opposed to it.
. read more »

Supreme Court Ruling Helps Hackett

Greg Palmer — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:40:36 -0400

The Supreme Court yesterday ruled in FEC v. Davis that “millionaire’s amendment” of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law was unconstitutional saying it violated free-speech protections.

The Millionaires’ Amendment is a provision of the McCain–Feingold Act that is designed to level the playing field when someone is able to spend large amounts of their own money in a federal election. If someone drops $350,000 of spare change into their own house campaign the contribution limits are tripled for the opponent and the national and state party’s may make unlimited coordinated expenditures on behalf of the candidate.

Barletta announces energy plan

RobHop — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:35:26 -0400

Congressional candidate and Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta proposed more drilling and the greater use of alternative fuels during a Monroe County press conference on Wednesday.

“It’s important, especially here in Monroe County, which is dependent on tourism that will affect the economy, and because so many people commute to work from here,” Barletta said.

Barletta, a Republican, is in a race to unseat U.S. Congressman Paul Kanjorski, a Democrat, for Pennsylvania’s 11th District, which includes Monroe County. read more »

For the First Time in Years, Gerlach Favored to Win

Greg Palmer — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:13:10 -0400

Maybe it’s time to give Rep. Jim Gerlach his due.

A survivor of near-death political experiences in the last two elections, the Republican from Chester County certainly has proved he can take a punch.

His titanic battles with Democrat Lois Murphy in 2004 and 2006 were subjects of national – even international – attention. TV crews from France and Japan followed him around, and leaders of both parties in Washington directed millions of dollars into the races, which were ranked among the handful of most competitive in the country. read more »

New GOP survey: Barletta would beat Kanjorski

RobHop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:09:40 -0400

Republican Lou Barletta would defeat 12-term incumbent Paul Kanjorski by 5 percentage points if the election were held today, according to an internal poll released Monday by the Barletta campaign.

Conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, a Harrisburg-based Republican polling agency, the results show Barletta would receive 47 percent of the vote compared to 42 percent for Kanjorski. read more »

Bennett Hires New Campaign Manager

Greg Palmer — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:10:54 -0400

Sam Bennett, the Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th, has replaced her campaign manager with a congressional staffer on the advice of national Democrats, she said.

Kathryn Seck, who recently left her job as communications director for the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, fills the spot left by Hannah Miller. Bennett said Miller moved on recently to pursue other opportunities. She said the split was amicable.

Hackett Likely to Face Carney in November

Greg Palmer — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:01:22 -0400

Why doesn’t this sort of pettiness between these two surprise me?

Luzerne County businessman Chris Hackett may be poised to challenge incumbent Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock Township, after apparently capturing the GOP nomination in the 10th Congressional District on Tuesday.

His opponent was far from conceding defeat, however.

As of 12:30, Mr. Hackett was leading opponent Dan Meuser by 2,339 votes, according to an unofficial tally by The Times-Tribune. According to unofficial primary election returns, Mr. Hackett polled 31,046 to Mr. Meuser’s 28,707 votes. read more »

Bennett: Uniquely Qualified to Serve the 15th?

Greg Palmer — Wed, 7 May 2008 05:15:28 -0400

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 »

The 10th CD - Not as Republican as You Thought?

Greg Palmer — Mon, 5 May 2008 20:03:04 -0400

Straight from the PA Dems, but worth noting. The 10th Congressional District, currently occupied by Chris Carney (D), is more Democratic than we all thought. The current registration numbers are 49% Repub, 40% Dem, and 11% independent. So, what’s this mean for Carney in the fall?

New voter registration figures show that the 10th Congressional District of Pennsylvania is trending Democratic. Based on new registration figures collected county by county, the 10th Congressional district now has Republican voter registration at 49%, Democratic registration at 40%, and Independents are at 11%. Past public polling has shown Republican Party registration to be 53%—a significant drop.

Au Contraire, Madame: Bennett Donors Outside PA

Greg Palmer — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:59:58 -0400

Very interesting, especially given that Bennett flacks accuse Dent of getting lots of support from outside the district.

How’s that Bennett grass roots campaign going? According to a study performed by the Dent camp, not too well. Evil genius Shawn Millan reports that 78% of her $177,823 in itemized contributions comes from outside the Lehigh Valley. Uh oh! Nearly 30% comes from people who do not even live in Pennsylvania.