Argall narrowly wins primary in 17th

May 19, 2010 at 5:04 am

State Senator Dave Argall (R-Schuylkill) just barely edged out a win in the 17th District Republican primary Tuesday, winning the Republican Party’s nomination by less than 1,000 votes in the central Pennsylvania district.

Preliminary election returns showed Argall winning 32.4 percent of the vote, with Frank Ryan, a military veteran who has run for the seat before, finishing just behind him at 31 percent. Josh First came in third place with about 23 percent of…

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TV time could be hard to come by in the 17th

April 27, 2010 at 2:03 pm

With the Republican primary in the 17th Congressional District only three weeks away, candidates in the crowded field could find name recognition—and the TV often needed to buy it—a tough commodity to afford. The central Pennsylvania district sits in a relatively inexpensive media market, but few candidates have raised the money needed for a sustained TV ad blitz. Still, Republicans Frank Ryan and Allen Griffith said last week that they’re preparing ad campaigns that will…

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Holden’s primary challenger stays on the ballot

April 12, 2010 at 7:30 pm

After a long day in court last week, Democrat Sheila Dow-Ford will remain on the ballot against Congressman Tim Holden (D-17). Commonwealth Court Judge James R. Kelley on Monday ruled against a ballot challenge brought by one of Holden’s supporters, clearing the way for Dow-Ford to continue her underdog campaign in the central Pennsylvania district.

“It is a clear vindication for all the hard work, energy, courage and commitment of the many Sheila Dow-Ford for Congress supporters,” Dow-Ford…

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Dow-Ford criticizes Holden for ballot challenge

March 30, 2010 at 9:52 am

Democrat Sheila Dow-Ford says the ballot challenge against her is little more than a political distraction manufactured by Congressman Tim Holden (D-17) to divert attention from the issues and his recent vote against health care reform legislation.

Dow-Ford, who is mounting an underdog challenge to Holden in the May primary, is having her nominating petitions challenged in court by Yesenia Rosado, an employee at the state Department of Community and Economic Development. Ballot challenges are…

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Dems look to hang pay hike vote on Argall, but is it too late?

March 22, 2010 at 10:03 am

It’s been almost five years since Pennsylvania lawmakers voted to raise their own pay in the middle of the night without public debate, igniting a fury of voter outrage that ended with dozens of of them being voted out of office and the pay hike being repealed.

And even after that much time, partisans on both sides of the aisle still look for ways to hang that vote on opponents who cast it. Democrats are…

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Dow-Ford declares against Holden; still staffing up

March 14, 2010 at 2:23 pm

Congressman Tim Holden’s recent statement that

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Joe the Plumber endorses Ryan in the 17th

March 4, 2010 at 8:33 pm

Republican Frank Ryan got a celebrity boost in his bid to take on Congressman Tim Holden (D-17) Thursday, from none other than the famous “Joe the Plumber.”

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who improbably emerged as a conservative icon after John McCain mentioned him repeatedly during a 2008 presidential debate, said Ryan, a retired Marine Colonel, has “outstanding qualifications for public office.”

“I am looking nationwide for candidates who reflect conservative values and whose personal record of…

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Underdogs gear up in the 17th

February 22, 2010 at 7:45 am

To political watchers, the race in the 17th Congressional District is a showdown between incumbent Democrat Tim Holden and state Senator Dave Argall (R-Schuylkill)—as well as one more competitive House race in a state full of them.

But before the two can face each other in November, they’ll each have to face a primary against underdogs determined to make a dent. Argall’s GOP opponents recently made their first mark, when the Dauphin County Republican Committee…

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Sestak urges reconcilliation to pass health care

February 5, 2010 at 2:34 pm

Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) this week called for Democrats to use the parliamentary procedure known as reconciliation to push through elements of health care reform legislation, telling congressional leaders that his support for a pubic option and for revoking anti-trust exemptions enjoyed by insurance companies is such that he supports using “any means necessary.”

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sestak delivered his strongest statements on health…

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Holden has almost $700K

January 30, 2010 at 4:28 pm

Now facing what could be his first competitive election cycle in years, Congressman Tim Holden (D-17) finished 2009 with about $675,000 in campaign cash on hand, according to

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