Initial projections, left meaningless by the passage of time

Almost six months ago, I decided to go through the 2010 elections and make my first predictions. Although many candidates weren’t included that are now being mentioned or are officially in, here they are…

Tom Knox beats Tom Corbett for Governor

Joe Hoeffel over Bruce Castor for Lt. Governor

Arlen Specter over Chris Matthews for Senate

Now, obviously some of these things won’t happen since a majority of these candidates aren’t even in the races,…

Toomey Admits to Pa GOP Chair Why Toomey Would Be a Terrible Senator

By ARLEN SPECTER FOR SENATE

Harrisburg – Pat Toomey admitted to Pennsylvania GOP Chairman Rob Gleason eight weeks ago that he would be a disinterested, lackluster U.S. Senator, according to press reports yesterday.

Toomey, woefully lacking understanding of the overall role of a Senator, told Gleason that he didn’t want to be in the Senate and “be number 100 and vote ‘no’ on everything,” according to an interview with the website PoliticsPA.com.

“Pat Toomey doesn’t…

Kortz: ‘Just an ordinary steel worker’

In his surprise campaign for U.S. Senate, state Representative Bill Kortz (D-Allegheny) has wasted no time in declaring himself the outsider candidate and seems determined to use his lack of experience in elected office as his biggest qualification.

“I’m just an ordinary steel worker, but I’m running for all the right reasons,” Kortz told pa2010.com a day after he

If Sestak runs for Senate, Lentz likely to run for PA-7

When Bryan Lentz first returned from serving in the Iraq War a few years ago, he had his sights set on representing Delaware County’s 7th Congressional District. But the Democratic party eventually backed another military man for the seat, former Navy Vice-Admiral Joe Sestak.

So Lentz quickly yielded to the elder Sestak, who won the seat in 2006.

Now, Sestak is thinking of running for Senate. And if he does, Lentz, now a second-term state…

New Philly green-jobs center could stoke 2010 energy debate

PHILADELPHIA—This week the local Fox affiliate reported on the opening of Kensington’s new John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Facility. The new green jobs training facility could serve as a catalyst for debate in the 2010 elections, with joblessness threatening many American families and politicians struggling to find ways to attract new businesses to Pennsylvania. The new green jobs training facility is part of a much larger effort in Philadelphia and the…

State GOP help for Congressional races a welcome idea

I was interested in the news that the state Republican Party is going to have a

The universal challenge: Fundraising in a recession

PHILADELPHIA—From the most high-profile political favorite to the lowliest underdog, there’s one thing every candidate for office has in common, one reality they all have to confront: They’re asking for money at a terrible time.

As candidates lay the groundwork for the 2010 elections, they are confronted with the harshest economic climate in decades, one that by almost all accounts makes fundraising more difficult. How much more difficult is a matter of some dispute—many of…

The First Read — April 22, 2009

Good Morning!

Every Monday-Thursday morning, pa2010.com compiles the most important political news of the day, from newspapers to the blogosphere and back. Enjoy this edition.

For all the latest news, log on to pa2010.com, your destination for Pennsylvania’s big 2010 elections. Sign up for The First Read on our home page, and never miss the big stories.

MontCo GOP feud could spill into Lt. Gov. race
BLUE BELL—For more than a year, Montgomery County’s Republican…

Chairman Gleason’s big day

You have to wonder state GOP Chairman Rob Gleason knew exactly what was going to happen when he sat down with my buddy (and good friend of the site), PoliticsPA reporter Alex Roarty.

In an interview that Alex released in excerpts throughout the day Tuesday, Gleason essentially said that Toomey didn’t really want to be a Senator but could win election anyway. The interview has dominated the news today. See my story on it

Gleason says Toomey didn’t want to be Senator, but can win anyway

State GOP Chairman Rob Gleason revealed Tuesday that Senate candidate Pat Toomey had told him two months ago he didn’t want to be a Senator. But Gleason said Toomey could just as easily win a general election as incumbent Senator Arlen Specter.

Gleason’s comments, in a three-part interview with Full Story