Meehan’s best quarter leaves him with $1.5M

Republican Pat Meehan’s congressional campaign said Monday that it raised more than $725,000 in the third quarter of the year, marking his best fundraising period to date and potentially giving him a key financial edge in the closing days before the election.

Meehan, who has been the GOP’s fundraising star in Pennsylvania this cycle, said he finished September with more than $1.5 million in the bank. Assuming he begins airing TV ads soon, that number…

Toomey and Sestak to debate twice this month

There will indeed be at least two debates between the candidates in Pennsylvania’s competitive Senate race.

Democrat Joe Sestak and Republican Pat Toomey will come together for their first debate of the general election cycle Oct. 20. That debate on Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate will be moderated by George Stephanopoulos.

Two days later, the candidates will participate in another debate on Pittsburgh’s CBS affiliate.

After debating twice before the May primary as common foes to Senator…

NRCC adds Carney to latest TV targets

A trio of new TV ads from national Republicans hits the airwaves in Pennsylvania, and for the first time this cycle the GOP has Congressman Chris Carney (D-10) directly in its crosshairs.

The National Republican Congressional Committee unveiled the three new spots Monday morning. Two target Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3) and Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11), vulnerable incumbents who have already been the subject of NRCC TV spots. But the ad against Carney marks the first…

LEFTOVERS: McClatchy polls Pa., Murphy’s COS to Rahm, Dent’s new ad

Polling data, anyone?

Yes, there’s yet another set of numbers we missed,

Report: Marino resigned amid DOJ probe

A new report indicates that Republican Tom Marino resigned as U.S. Attorney because he was being investigated for giving a personal reference to a businessman his office was investigating.

The Morning Call, citing an anonymous source,

Rasmussen: Corbett up 12 points

Republican Tom Corbett continues to enjoy a comfortable, double-digit lead in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, according to a new poll.

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Kanjo keeps up the Hazleton attack in new ad

The latest TV ad from Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) keeps building on what has become the foundation of the campaign’s media blitz: arguing that Republican opponent Lou Barletta is a failed mayor in Hazleton.

Kanjorski’s campaign tries to frame the 30-second spot as a response to Barletta by pulling a screen shot from

Rendell says Dems were ‘too scared’ for tax fight

Ever-critical of his party’s political moxie, Gov. Ed Rendell had more harsh words for Democrats this weekend, saying party leaders were “too scared” to take up a fight over letting Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy expire.

Democrats recently abandoned efforts to address the matter before the midterm elections, despite widespread popular support for letting tax cuts for top earners lapse while extending them for the middle class.

“I think we were too scared,” Rendell…

Corbett’s new ad tackles brain drain

A new TV ad from Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett takes aim at Pennsylvania’s inability to keep college graduates within its borders—the often lamented brain drain.

“It’s really quite tragic,” Corbett says in the ad, which started airing late last week.”

Corbett goes on to talk about better matching Pennsylvania employers with graduates.

“Because instead of tearful goodbyes at the missed holidays,” Corbett says, “it’s time to start saying, ‘welcome back home to Pennsylvania.’”

See…

Onorato starts TV effort to bring opponent down

Weeks away from Election Day and seemingly needing a game-changer, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato has taken to the airwaves with the first two negative ads of the general election.

Onorato’s newest spots, which started airing late last week, reiterates the campaign’s long-running critiques of Republican rival Tom Corbett, seeking a contrast between Onorato’s record of balancing budgets in Allegheny County with the fact that Corbett has requested budget increases as state attorney general. One…