How will the 2009 state budget battle shape 2010 elections?

By calling for a 16 percent increase in the personal income tax in order to keep state spending at pre-economic crisis levels, Gov. Ed Rendell has placed his Democrat colleagues in Harrisburg, particularly in the state House, in a box—and potentially at great political risk in 2010. Democrats will have to choose whether to support the agenda of a lame-duck governor, or stand up for their constituents and reject his plan to increase taxes on…

Toomey trails both Specter and Sestak in new poll

Republican Pat Toomey trails both of his potential Democratic rivals for Senate, according to a poll released today.

The

The arguments about EFCA are wrong—time to pass the bill

The Employee Free Choice Act is a bipartisan proposal to improve the union-organizing process and protect workers’ union rights. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.) recently reintroduced the bill to Congress. Originally presented in 2007, it passed the House but stopped in the Senate at the end of the 110th Congress.

Now, the 111th Congress will consider the bill.

EFCA is controversial and hotly debated. Labor unions and advocates strongly favor it.…

Sestak endorses smoking legislation awaiting Obama’s signature

Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7), pThe Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (HR 1256) would authorize the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the sale and distribution of tobacco products. The House a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/business/13tobacco.html?ref=politics" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.nytimes.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F06%2F13%2Fbusiness%2F13tobacco.html%3Fref%3Dpolitics','voted+307-97')" target="_blank"voted 307-97/a for the bill, which now awaits President Barack Obama’s signature./p
pThe legislation would give the FDA greater authority to regulate access to, and the advertising and promotion of, tobacco products. It also would allow the FDA to adopt rulings it believes are “appropriate to protect the public health.”/p
pOne of the main goals of the bill is to prevent underage smoking. “As a father, it is of upmost (sic) importance to me that we discourage teenage smoking,” Sestak said in a a href="http://sestak.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa07_sestak/090612_tobacco.shtml" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://sestak.house.gov']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fsestak.house.gov%2Fapps%2Flist%2Fpress%2Fpa07_sestak%2F090612_tobacco.shtml','statement')" target="_blank">statement on his pAccording to data cited by a href="http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/index.php" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.tobaccofreekids.org']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tobaccofreekids.org%2Findex.php','Campaign+for+Tobacco-Free+Kids')" target="_blank"Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids/a, Pennsylvania minors smoke 32.9 million packs of cigarettes each year./p
pUnder the new bill, tobacco manufacturers would be forced to disclose the contents of cigarettes and list harmful ingredients in their current products. Tobacco manufacturers would no longer be able to sell products that suggest a modified or reduced risk, such as “light” cigarettes, unless evidence suggests that these cigarettes significantly reduce the risk of tobacco-related disease. The marketing of flavored cigarettes, exempting menthol-flavored cigarettes, also would be prohibited./p
pThere are a href="http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?A=174&Q=236092" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dsf.health.state.pa.us%2Fhealth%2Fcwp%2Fview.asp%3FA%3D174%26amp%3BQ%3D236092','approximately+2%2C200%2C000+cigarette+smokers+in+Pennsylvania')" target="_blank">approximately 2,200,000 cigarette smokers in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Thirty percent of Pennsylvanians aged 18 to 29 smoke cigarettes, while 10 percent in that age group identified as former smokers.

Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, reported spending at least 13.8 million last year to lobby the federal government, according to a

Philly’s best-known fiscal watchdog eyes a spot in Harrisburg

PHILADELPHIA—Ask a handful of people who know Jonathan Saidel, and most will use the same word to describe how he’s feeling right now: restless.

It’s understandable. In the 1990s, he was a political star, a City Controller in Philadelphia who built a reputation as a fiscal reformer, transforming an office of less-than-token importance into a thorn in local politicians’ sides. He was in office less than a year when he blocked former Mayor Wilson Goode’s…

Sestak: Specter is a flight risk… so gimme money

It’s always interesting to observe what politicians write in their fundraising e-mails to supporters. It is in these letters that candidates for office communicate most directly with their most fervent—and yes, wealthy—backers, and use their strongest political rhetoric to ply the pump for donations. A recent such e-mail from Joe Sestak provides insight into the line of attack he is fine-tuning for use in what looks like an inevitable primary run against Arlen Specter. Sestak…

The First Read — June 18, 2009

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.

Sign up for The First Read. And for all the latest news, log on to pa2010.com, your destination for Pennsylvania’s big 2010 elections.

Specter leads Sestak by 19 in new poll
Senator Arlen Specter continues to hold a significant lead over Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) in a likely primary matchup, but that…

Subscribe to the pa2010.com bloggers!

Want to know when your favorite bloggers posts a new item? Now it’s easy!

pa2010.com is proud to announce that every one of our fantastic group of bloggers now has his or her own RSS feed. Just visit the home page for your favorite blogger, and click on the icon at the top of the page.

It’s that simple!

…

Specter leads Sestak by 19 in new poll

Senator Arlen Specter continues to hold a significant lead over Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) in a likely primary matchup, but that edge could be closing slowly as Sestak gains more name recognition from his public crusade against Specter, according to a new poll.

The

Sestak vs. Specter: How much cash?

Estimates are that Arlen Specter could spend as much as $15 million for his 2010 re-election bid—and those are on the conservative side. He already has more than $6 million in the bank, and with fundraisers now sanctioned by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, including the one in California last month and the one scheduled for New York June 30, Specter is working to build the war chest.

Meanwhile, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) sent another…