About five weeks after he dropped out of the 6th District race in the wake of incumbent Jim Gerlach’s surprise decision to see reelection, Schroder still netted about a quarter of the endorsements votes cast by county committee members. Though Gerlach easily won the party’s endorsement, the strong showing for a candidate not even in the race underscored just how much Schroder’s supporters were stung by Gerlach’s decision—even after Steven Welch’s withdrawal from the contest effectively secured a primary win for the incumbent.

In the end, Gerlach got 128 votes, well over the 60 percent needed for an endorsement. Schroder, who was a favorite of the party’s conservative wing, got 56 votes, and Tea Party candidate Patrick Sellers had 9.

In an interview with pa2010.com, Schroder said people had told him of their intention to enter his name into nomination for the committee’s endorsement, and that he decided to take a hands-off approach to the matter. He has made no secret of his frustration with how things turned out.

“I took the approach that I wasn’t going to encourage it or discourage it,” Schroder said. “People can do what they want to. It was gratifying to know that there were a number of committee people who would vote for me.”

Schroder was confident, though, that the party will now come together.

“Once you get past the endorsement I think the party gets united,” he said. “Whatever differences there might be between various groups within the party, those pale with our differences with the Democrats.”

A campaign spokesman didn’t make Gerlach available for an interview over the weekend. But in a statement, Gerlach said: “I am honored to have earned the Chester County Republican Committee endorsement and extremely grateful for the support of the hard working committee members who have been the driving force behind every one of my victories.

“This endorsement clearly signals that Republicans are energized and united in purpose this year,” he added. “Our fight for common sense solutions that create jobs, let families keep more of their paychecks and shrink our crippling deficits is well under way.”

State Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester), who dropped out of the race shortly after Gerlach got back into it, had raised about $186,000 by the end of last year, according to campaign finance data. He had about $127,000 in cash on hand.

Only the smallest percentage of Schroder’s donors had given the legal maximum, meaning he could have returned for more when what had looked to be a competitive primary content with businessman Steven Welch heated up. Gerlach now faces a primary challenge from Welch, who is staying in the race.

Schroder had briefly signaled that he might stay in the race even if Gerlach ran again, but a two-sentence statement from his campaign Monday evening ended his candidacy. “Curt Schroder has ended his campaign for the 6th Congressional District,” the campaign said. “He plans to continue serving in the Pennsylvania House and will run for re-election in the 155th District.”

With significant party support, Schroder had been considered a front-runner in the crowded GOP primary to succeed Gerlach. His exit leaves businessman Steven Welch as the only candidate who has yet to make his intentions clear. Welch implied he might still run last week, but left plenty of room for speculation. Howard Cohen also exited the race last week, while geologist Walt Hufford and tea-party activist Patrick Sellers both said they would continue to run.

Schroder was clearly upset by the sudden change of political circumstance, as demonstrated by the terseness of his campaign’s statement and, more revealingly, a message he posted on his Facebook page late Thursday night before Gerlach’s announcement.

“I announced for Congress almost six months ago under assurances from the incumbent that he absolutely would not be running for Congress again,” Schroder wrote then. “Tonight I am reading press and blog reports that he might be considering re-entering the race for Congress. The response from committee people and grass roots supporters to my campaign has been overwhelming and positive. I believe real change is needed in Washington. People want bold new direction and leadership, not more of the same. The 6th District deserves a Congressman who actually wants the job, not one who is merely settling for it.”

With Schroder out, Welch’s ability to self-fund his own candidacy would seem to make him the only Republican left in the race who could realistically challenge Gerlach for the party’s nomination.

UPDATE: Schroder sent the following e-mail to his supporters Monday evening:

I am ending my candidacy for the 6th Congressional District.  I know to many of you this will come as a bitter disappointment.  It certainly is to me.

For six months we have worked together toward a shared goal of protecting our freedoms and liberties which are under assault by the collectivist policies of a Congress that seeks to expand government control at the expense of our personal freedoms.  That fight must and will continue for the sake of our great nation and those who will come after us.  I will continue to stand with you in this struggle. One does not need to be in the US Congress to effectuate positive change.  Many of you receiving this message are living proof of that.

Our campaign could not have been going any better.  I was on the cusp of receiving the endorsement of the Chester County Republican Committee and I had strong support in both Berks and Montgomery Counties. My fundraising was going well.  All of that changed without warning late last week.

The sudden and unexpected re-entry into the 6th District race of the current incumbent presented a new and potentially insurmountable obstacle to my effort to be your next Congressman.  Since Friday morning when I first learned of it through a Washington, DC on line newspaper, I have spent days and some sleepless nights agonizing over the decision of whether to continue.  Let me be clear:  Every one of my grassroots supporters have strongly urged me to continue.  The vast majority of Republican Committee people in Chester County pledged their continued support for me.  I am extremely grateful and humbled by your overwhelming expression of confidence and support.  I believe I would have secured a majority of committee votes at the Chester County GOP convention.

The bigger problem though is how to raise the money needed to run against an incumbent Congressman who will have the complete financial resources of the Washington DC establishment behind him.  After speaking with many donors and people I highly respect such as Congressman Bob Walker and Pat Toomey, it became clear that the prospect of adequate finances to convey my positions and strong convictions to the public were diminished.  While I know for certain that I have the passion, energy, and commitment to do the job, I cannot answer the question of where the resources would come from to win this campaign in light of this development.

Words cannot express my gratitude for your help, support and friendship over these past few months.  I believe your help has built a solid foundation for the future should the opportunity arise for me to address the issues facing our nation once again.   Deanna and I are forever grateful for your support, encouragement, thoughts and prayers.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

]]> http://www.pa2012.com/2010/01/schroder-drops-out-of-6th-district-race/feed/ 3 http://www.pa2012.com/2010/01/more-political-analysis-from-ryan-costello/ http://www.pa2012.com/2010/01/more-political-analysis-from-ryan-costello/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:00:06 +0000 Dan Hirschhorn http://www.pa2010.com/?p=5413 We’re beginning to really enjoy Ryan Costello’s punditry on the 6th Congressional District. You’ll recall that Costello, the Chester County Recorder of Deeds, got out of the Republican primary in that race long before incumbent Jim Gerlach changed his mind and said he’d seek reelection last week. When we bumped into him in New York last month, he was kind enough to share his thoughts on the…

His announcement had been widely expected even before he formally ended his gubernatorial campaign. In a statement, Gerlach said he represented the “best chance for Republicans to not only hold this seat, but play a major role in regaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives.” And he claimed that “hundreds” of his constituents had contacted him after he quit the governor’s race urging him to seek reelection.

“Seeking re-election to the 6th Congressional District rather than running for governor will change my position on the ballot,” Gerlach said. “However, my principles remain the same. I am committed to helping families keep more of their hard-earned paychecks, giving small businesses the freedom they need to create jobs and remain competitive and making sure the government lives within its means and works for the people.

“I have held this seat in the face of fiercely competitive elections in which opponents and liberal interest groups have spent millions against me in the worst political environments for Republicans in a generation,” he added.

Gerlach’s decision will drastically reshape what had been a crowded primary field of Republicans looking to replace him. With the National Republican Congressional Committee seen as firmly behind Gerlach, other candidates are certain to face some pressure to exit the race. Two Republicans who were seen as front-runners in the primary, businessman Steven Welch and state Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester), both signaled that they might stay in the race, but did not say so explicitly. A third Republican, Howard Cohen, was waiting for Gerlach to make his final decision on Friday.

“As I have said before I admire Jim’s commitment to public service and look forward to a professional, spirited debate on the best way to revive the American Dream and stop burdening our children with mountains of debt,” Welch said in a statement.

Democrats, for their part, have sought to downplay the political importance of Gerlach’s change of heart. The Democratic Congressional Campaign committee has reaffirmed the 6th District as an important pick-up opportunity for the party, and Democratic candidates Doug Pike and Manan Trivedi had come out swinging against Gerlach even before his announcement was formalized.

“Doug Pike is ready to hold Congressman Gerlach accountable for his record of incredible irresponsibility on the economy, on health care, and on wall street oversight,” Pike campaign manager Andrew Eldredge-Martin said.

The race remains one of the most competitive in the state. Democrats have come tantalizingly close to beating Gerlach in each of their four tries. Dan Wofford lost by less than three points in 2002. Lois Murphy lost by two points in 2004 and by less than two points when she tried again in 2006. And when the party put up a less experience candidate in 2008, Bob Roggio lost by only four points.

Barack Obama won the district with about 58 percent of the vote in 2008, and Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district by more than 20,000 voters.

“Jim Gerlach has been an outstanding Congressman serving the citizens of the Pennsylvania Sixth District,  I have supported Jim every time he ran,” Cohen said. “When he announced that he was running for Governor, I went through a deliberative process that included consulting with many friends and individuals who know the district and know me, including Jim Gerlach. I also looked at others who were running, and I concluded that I could do the job better than those who were running, or those who were planning to run.

“I am in this race until my Congressman, Jim Gerlach, makes a decision as to whether he will run for reelection. At that time, I will make a decision as to whether I continue my campaign. I want to serve the citizens of the 6th District and as I have said many times, I am ready to go to work for them on day one.”

State Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester) has indicated he may stay in the race even if Gerlach runs again. An aide to another GOP front-runner, businessman Steven Welch, could not be immediately reached Thursday evening.

Speaking of annual appropriations for a handful of local schools, hospitals and other entities, Schroder, a Republican candidate in the 6th Congressional District said that “we are seeing Washington, D.C.-style earmarks under the guise of local impact.”

“Just because a certain interest has a sugar mama or sugar daddy in the district, they will get funding in perpetuity,” Schroder said, according to The Inquirer.

Walker, who served in Congress for 20 years until 1997 and attended Schroder’s campaign kick-off event Monday night, said Schoder’s candidacy offers “the chance to send a true champion to Washington.” Walker said he “could not think of anyone who he would be more delighted to see in the U.S. Congress.”

Schroder faces a crowded GOP primary to succeed incumbent Republican Jim Gerlach, who is running for governor.

In an interview with pa2010.com during Congressman Charlie Dent’s reception here Saturday afternoon, with Welch about 25 feet away, Schroder said he’s glad to see so many candidates running in the GOP primary to succeed Jim Gerlach—with one exception.

“I welcome anyone to the race who’s actually from the district, who has a history of serving the party,” Schroder said.

Schroder, seemingly a favored candidate of the conservative grassroots in the 6th Congressional District, never mentions Welch by name is such statements. But they echo previous comments he’s made, and the implication is clear. Welch lives just across the river from the gerrymandered district, and he was briefly a Democrat from 2006-2009. As if to make sure the point isn’t missed, Schroder emphasized again the exception to his words of welcome. But after all that, he won’t say Welch’s name.

“I’ll just leave it at that,” he said with a smile. “People will see my experiences and the principles I hold as the best fit for the district, but in the meantime, I welcome the energy the other candidates bring.”

Asked by pa2010.com to offer his analysis, Costello said he sees state Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester) and businessman Steven Welch as the two favorites. And the contrast between them, he said, shows a sort of double-edged sword in electoral politics. Candidates in Montgomery County, he said, would have to “demonstrate they’re contenders soon.”

“I think Curt’s going to have the problem of, has he been in Harrisburg too long?” Costello said during a the Governor Mifflin Society’s party here Friday night. “And Welch will have the problem of inexperience. Everyone wants experience, and when they get experience they want a fresh face.

“I think it’s a free-for-all,” he said.

Costello, who dropped out of the primary this week, was sanguine about his decision.

“I want to hold meaningful public office,” he said, “and I don’t want to run a negative, scorched-earth race. If that means I have to sit this one out, I’m good-natured about it.