Refund Watch: $97K in Specter donor refunds

About 95 people have requested refunds of their donations to Senator Arlen Specter since he switched parties two weeks ago, asking that about $97,000 worth of political contributions be returned, campaign manager Christopher Nicholas told pa2010.com.

With some

THE PRESS ROOM: For the Specter campaign, loads of media but no spokesperson

An occasional series of articles exploring how political campaigns are playing out in the media.

Senator Arlen Specter’s reelection campaign is arguably the most high-profile race in the country, followed by reporters and bloggers from coast-to-coast.

But despite millions of dollars in the bank, the campaign still hasn’t hired someone to handle all those pesky journalists. That sometimes means a deluge of media requests to be handled by campaign manager Christopher Nicholas. And it can…

For Kortz, the challenge is getting noticed

PHILADELPHIA—It seemed like every Democratic candidate in the room was up on stage. Candidates for local row offices, judicial slots and more were introduced one-by-one by Congressman Bob Brady (D-1), chairman of the city’s Democratic Party.

And then there was Bill Kortz, standing off-stage, seeming almost like an anonymous observer in the crowd of rank-and-file Democrats at the party’s spring dinner here Monday evening.

This is Kortz’s life now. The state Representative from Allegheny County…

There’s elections this year, too

Only expected major 2009 Primary upset is McCarthy will get the third spot on the Democratic Superior Court Ballot…

More on the Murtha-Russell battle

This has been

Congratulations, Virginia Davis!

Pat Meehan’s spokeswoman Virginia Davis tells pa2010.com Central that she and her husband are expecting their second child, a baby girl, in September.

Davis and her husband Brett live with their first child, Owen, in Havertown.

No word yet if or when Davis—who has also worked for former Senator Rick Santorum—will take some time off from Meehan’s exploratory run for governor.

But pa2010.com Central offers a hearty Mazel Tov to the whole Davis family (no,…

Think before revving-up the Marcellus gas engine

Pennsylvania is strategically located to reap a windfall associated with Marcellus shale. But the next governor needs to make sure that any mineral extraction strategy is buffeted by balanced and sensible environmental stewardship and sane revenue strategies. Natural gas is not the magic bullet to cure our fiscal and energy woes, and we need to avoid putting all of our eggs into the Marcellus shale basket. We know what happens when coal companies abandon mines.…

Paper pushes Platts for Senate

The York Daily Record has another name to add to the mix of possible GOP Senate candidates—their hometown Congressman Todd Platts (R-19).

“Think about it,” the newspaper writes in an

Specter is again targeted, this time on card-check

Senator Arlen Specter is once again being targeted by an advocacy group’s ad campaign. This time, it’s the American Rights at Work

DIVERSE GROUP MEANS BUSINESS WHEN IT COMES TO PASSING THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

By THE AFL-CIO

Philadelphia, PA – On Wednesday, May 13that 1pm at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, workers will join with prominent leaders of the Philadelphia community including Janice R. Bellace, Samuel Blank Professor of Legal Studies, Chair, Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department at the Wharton School of Business; Rabbi Linda Holtzman, Mishkan Shalom; John D’Angelo, Synergistic Healthcare; Pat Eiding, President of Philadelphia AFL-CIO, contending that America’s workers deserve…