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LEFTOVERS: Packer thinks he’ll lose, a robo-call in the 17th, we’re counting down

Well, it looks like Mel Packer might be getting ready to concede defeat.

When we spoke to the Green Party Senate candidate earlier this week, he conceded that the ballot challenge from Democrat Joe Sestak might force him out of the race. During a news conference Wednesday, Packer seemed even more resigned to that possibility.

The ballot challenge, he said in remarks reported by The Post-Gazette, “was not unexpected and given the absurd requirements that third-party candidates must meet to attain ballot status, his challenge will likely be successful and I will lose my already state-certified ballot status.”

A Commonwealth Court hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Aug. 18 in Harrisburg.

“Everywhere you turn we are struck down and put at a disadvantage and so are the voters of Pennsylvania,” Packer added. “One of the common things people said to us when we were circulating petitions—over and over again—was ‘Anything but those two. I’m sick of only having two choices.’”

Meanwhile, there’s a new robo-call in the 17th Congressional District, courtesy of the GOP. The Lebanon Daily News reports that the National Republican Congressional Committee is running the call against Democratic incumbent Tim Holden, hitting him for not returning campaign contributions from ethically embattled Democrats Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters.

“So far Congressman Holden’s fellow Democrats have returned more than $640,000 in dirty campaign money from Rangel and Waters, yet Congressman Holden refuses to return $20,000, and even voted three times to keep Rangel in charge of a powerful committee,” the robo-call says.

GOP nominee Dave Argall could use the help from the NRCC—he’s one of a few Republican House candidates who has struggled mightily to raise money.

And if you look to your right toward the top of the page, you’ll notice something new: pa2010.com is officially counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until polls open for Election Day. We hope you enjoy this new feature. But don’t get too transfixed watching the seconds tick away. There’s still plenty of news to break, and we’ll have it all for you here at pa2010.com.

August 11, 2010 at 11:17 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Dave Argall, Joe Sestak, Mel Packer, NRCC, PA-17, Tim Holden

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