Toomey a top recipient of Wall Street cash

For months, Democrats have tried to paint Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey as Wall Street’s guy. If you measure that just by campaign cash, they’ve got a point.

New data from the Center for Responsive Politics indicates that Toomey was among one of the top recipients of contributions from Wall Street and financial industry interests between February and June. Of the 10 candidates in both parties who received the most from the financial sector, only …

LEFTOVERS: McDonnell for Corbett, Cook on Carney, campaign hit sites

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett is getting some help from a fellow prosecutor.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell headlined a fundraiser for Corbett Thursday night outside Pittsburgh, and was set to raise more cash for Corbett during a Republican Governors Association event Friday morning in the city. McDonnell was a state attorney general himself before being elected governor last year.

The Washington Post, which pMeanwhile, political forecaster Charlie Cook says Congressman Chris Carney (D-10) could be in more trouble than we think. Even though his Republican opponent Tom Marino hasn’t raised much money, the political climate in northeast Pennsylvania could be perilous for Carney, and the emCook Political Report/em has changed its forecast on the race from leans Democratic to a toss-up./p
p“While Republican polling shows Carney down anywhere from a handful of points to double digits,” the folks at Cook wrote, “Carney hasn’t released any of his own polling, suggesting his health care vote took a serious toll in this very Republican district.”/p
pAnd with just weeks remaining before Election Day, we’re starting to see more and more so-called hit sites from campaigns targeting their opponents. The latest ones come from Republicans Pat Toomey and Dave Argall./p
pToomey’s Senate campaign this week unveiled a href="http://www.joesaystax.com/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.joesaystax.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.joesaystax.com%2F','Joe+Says+Tax')" target="_blank"emJoe Says Tax/em/a, which, naturally, paints Democrat Joe Sestak as a spend-aholic. And Argall’s campaign rolled out a href="http://www.sendtimpacking.com/SendTimPacking.com/SendTimPacking.com_-_Tim_Holden__Going_on_Vacation_on_Our_Dime.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.sendtimpacking.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sendtimpacking.com%2FSendTimPacking.com%2FSendTimPacking.com_-_Tim_Holden__Going_on_Vacation_on_Our_Dime.html','SendTimPacking.com')" target="_blank">SendTimPacking.com, which argues that it’s time for Congressman Tim Holden …

Critz bucks White House on spending

Congressman Mark Critz (D-12) came out against President Obama’s proposal for $50 billion in infrastructure spending Thursday, as he continued to distance himself from the Democratic leadership ahead of his November rematch with Republican Tim Burns.

Critz voiced some support for proposed tax cuts targeted toward small business. But less than four months after prevailing in the May special election with the help of his party’s leadership, he said Obama’s spending plan is “too expensive.” …

Barletta’s immigration law again knocked back in court

A federal appeals court on Thursday dealt the latest blow Hazleton’s strict immigration ordinance, as Republican Mayor Lou Barletta again found the issue on which he built a national political profile pushed back by judges.

The court ruled that Hazleton cannot enforce its law seeking to fine landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny permits to companies that employ them. The law has never been enforced, and after being enacted in 2006, it was …

Dorgan: Sestak ‘exactly the opposite’ of Toomey

Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak campaigned Thursday with one of the country’s leading opponents of financial deregulation, as he continued to make the argument that Republican rival Pat Toomey personifies the policies that helped lead to the financial crisis.

Sestak was joined in Philadelphia by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND). Dorgan, who is not seeking reelection, warned against the 1999 legislative push to repeal financial restrictions first enacted during the Great Depression. That Glass-Stegall legislation passed …

Kanjorski Campaign Asks Barletta to Demand Removal of Ad

By KANJORSKI FOR CONGRESS

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Today, a conservative front group that wants to destroy Social Security began airing TV ads lying about Paul Kanjorski’s record in order to help elect Lou Barletta.  The Kanjorski campaign is calling on Lou Barletta to denounce these ads and demand that they be taken off the air.

The group responsible for the ads, 60 Plus Association, is a conservative front group that has long been in the …

The Onorato Plan: More of the Same

By TOM CORBETT FOR GOVERNOR

HARRISBURG, PA – With Pennsylvania facing a projected budget deficit of more than $1 billion, Dan Onorato is trying to deceive voters into believing that he is a fiscally responsible leader who will as Governor, “…figure out how to live within our [Pennsylvania’s] budget.”  In Philadelphia today, he talked about his real plans to spend more money and raise taxes.

Onorato’s new found passion to enact a severance tax on …

Callahan-supported, job-killing health care law is already costing Americans more money

By DENT FOR CONGRESS

The job-killing government health care law passed earlier this year with John Callahan’s blessing is already costing American families and small businesses more in premiums. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that consumers and businesses in some states might face rate hikes up to 20 percent, largely due to mandates in the health care law.1 Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary released a …

Republican Concern About Meehan Campaign Grows, Shadowy Front Group for Insurance Industry Used to Launch Attack Ad

By LENTZ FOR CONGRESS

Springfield, PA – Today Americans for Job Security, a shadowy advocacy group that is funded by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, launched an attack ad against Bryan Lentz’s campaign in the 7th Congressional District. The ad is the latest sign that Republicans are skirting ethical boundaries in order to back the flagging political campaign of Pat Meehan.
Over the past two decades, media outlets have reported that Americans for Job Security …

Sen. Byron Dorgan Campaigns with Joe Sestak

By SESTAK FOR SENATE

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), a longtime independent voice in the Senate who predicted the dire consequences of creating “too big to fail” banks and hazards of exposing commercial banks to the risky Wall Street gambling, will campaign with Joe Sestak tomorrow.

“I am honored to have Senator Dorgan stand with me today,” said Admiral Sestak. “His independent pragmatic approach and his willingness to stand up to both Wall …