The Specter camp’s messaging failure

May 18, 2010 at 1:45 pm

Facing the ballot Tuesday and the choice between Arlen Specter or Joe Sestak for Senate, I found myself walking back events of the past year in order to see if there was a single, critical and deciding issue upon which to make a decision.

This question presumes that both candidates were equally acceptable or annoying and a tie-breaker was necessary.

But it struck me that the critical mistake made by the Specter campaign was the…

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Wagner’s Inky endorsement only makes cash a bigger issue

May 3, 2010 at 4:05 pm

Oh, to be the money underdog. What a conundrum for Auditor General Jack Wagner and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel.

At a gubernatorial candidates’ forum Sunday night in Harrisburg, Wagner and Hoeffel were forced to take a back seat in war of words between state Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.

Williams, who got $1.5 million alone from school-choice advocates and has continued to rake in cash, was passionate and pointed…

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Toomey aims to bank on Specter’s party switch

April 8, 2010 at 5:13 pm

Pat Toomey’s decision to run for Senate helped prompt five-term incumbent Senator Arlen Specter’s party switch.

A year later, Toomey wants to bolster his coffers courtesy of Specter’s decision to not let Pennsylvania Republican primary voters have the final say on his 30-year Senate career. The former Wall Street banker, restaurant owner, congressman and conservative think tank leader unveiled a

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Orie indictment could raise questions about Corbett’s probe

April 8, 2010 at 7:00 am

Inside the case against state Senator Jane Orie, who was indicted Wednesday by the Allegheny County District Attorney, there rests a few paragraphs of interest to anyone interested in Attorney General Tom Corbett’s Bonusgate probe.

Like the Bonusgate defendants, some of whom have been convicted and await sentencing, Orie is charged with allegedly using legislative staff, equipment and offices for campaign efforts not only for herself, but also her sister, Joan Orie Melvin, the new…

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Hoeffel takes up the cause for currently self-loathing progressives

March 24, 2010 at 2:31 pm

As the clock winds down toward the May 18 gubernatorial primaries, one candidate continues to stump on issues and a philosophy that, frankly, make people feel squirrelly  in these days of Tea Party/Party of No obstructionism.

Not that all progressives are self-loathing, or self-doubting. It’s just that in these days of the economic meltdown, joblessness and eye-popping U.S. debt, it’s not exactly a slam-dunk for a candidate like Democrat Joe Hoeffel 

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Sestak responds to Specter camp brouhaha over salaries

March 1, 2010 at 7:40 pm

For anyone waiting to see what issues might help determine the outcome of the Democratic Senate primary this spring, Round One is now up for your consideration.

The race between Senator Arlen Specter and Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) has grown markedly more nasty over

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Peg Luksik: Grassroots underdog with a bite

February 4, 2010 at 12:05 pm

At the pBut maybe the effectiveness of his message could be in doubt./p
pThese are the days of populist anger and Tea Party momentum, a vein Toomey might have a tougher time tapping./p
pNorthumberland County…

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Dem leader says Sestak should pull a Gerlach

January 21, 2010 at 3:40 pm

A funny thing happened on the way to interpreting results of

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Sestak says there’s plenty of upside

January 11, 2010 at 9:00 pm

As Joe Sestak prepared to take to the steps of Pittsburgh City Hall to get some endorsements Monday, Arlen Specter was quick to remind us that he’s already got more than two dozen area Democrats in his camp. Specter’s campaign reminded us that folks such as former State Treasurer Barbara Hafer, Allegheny County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Vice Chair Jean Milko, former Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff and 24 other party leaders help…

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Holden may get challenge from his own party, too

January 11, 2010 at 4:15 pm

For Republicans, the time is right to mount a challenge against incumbent Congressman Tim Holden (R-17), who they charge is “too liberal” to represent a district that went for John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.

Maybe. Or maybe not, considering that Democratic strategists hardly put Holden’s seat on the endangered list this fall.

But there could be a new twist for Holden. There’s been some serious grumbling that Holden, the Blue Dog Democrat who…

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