If she ultimately got into the race—and a decision doesn’t seem imminent—Stensland would likely benefit from a raft of early, free publicity that could make her formidable, even as the party establishment is firmly behind Meehan, the former U.S. Attorney. Stensland already has name recognition not only from her eight years as Fox29′s news anchor, but also from the scandal that embroiled her husband for months last year, as Mendte admitted having an “improper” relationship with his CBS3 co-anchor Alycia Lane, eventually got a probation sentence for hacking and leaking Lane’s e-mails—and Stensland won some plaudits in media circles for handling the whole thing with grace.

Reached briefly by telephone Wednesday morning, Stensland, whose interest in the race was first floated by columnist Chris Freind on the right-leaning blog PAWaterCooler.com, was hesitant to discuss her possible candidacy on the record. But she did not deny being interested in the race.

“The only thing I can tell you you is I was married in Delaware County, half my family is in Delaware County, I love Delaware County,” she told pa2010.com. “That’s all I can say.”

The political obstacle Stensland would confront in the race are not insignificant. She and Larry live in Chestnut Hill, which is not in district, and would have to decide whether to move and face the inevitable “carpetbagger” charges or run from outside the district. And local Republican leaders, who exercise tight control over local races, have been firmly behind Meehan, to the extent that they helped prod businessman Steven Welch out of the primary earlier this year. With the GOP anxious to recapture the seat being vacated by incumbent Democrat Joe Sestak, the party has been determined to give Meehan a clear path to the general election.

But her media profile would no doubt provide a helpful, early advantage. She left Fox in the fall after her contract wasn’t renewed. But she shared her experience of her husband’s scandal in a candid interview with Philadelphia Magazine last year.

The divide, which played out in interviews with numerous party insiders, in many ways mirrors conflicts that are all too familiar for the party. It has pitted contingents of Democrats from Media and Swarthmore against those from Haverford, Radnor and other areas. It has seen insiders who supported Sestak over Lentz in 2006 once again seeking an alternative candidate, this time in Vitali. And it has brought latent resentment of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s role in local politics back to the forefront.

But it has also played out against the backdrop of a looming party leadership battle, and has sometimes even cut across ideological lines within the party. And with Republicans appearing to settle on a strong candidate early in one of the most competitive House races in the country, it has the potential to make Democratic efforts to hold the seat all the more difficult.

“They’re both good men, but I don’t want to see a fight,” said Peter Jesson, the Chadds Ford party chairman who is supporting Lentz. “They’re going to burn up a lot of energy.

“It would give an enormous advantage to the Republicans if treasure and energy were spent on a contentious primary,” he added.

Lentz supporters see the two-term state lawmaker as an energetic campaigner whose military background will prove politically potent, and they have tried to discourage Vitali from jumping in, some more directly than others. But proponents of Vitali see a longtime community leader who has repeatedly won in a Republican-leaning state House district. One of Vitali’s biggest supporters, party treasurer Paul Scoles, e-mailed party members in August, asking them to “flood” Vitali’s mailbox “with messages encouraging him to declare his candidacy.”

“We need Greg in Congress,” Scoles wrote in the e-mail obtained by pa2010.com. “We need his brains, his passion on environmental issues, his dedication to working hard for his constituents, his integrity, and above all his calm but steady independence.”

The divide emerged long before political consultant E. Teresa Touey announced her candidacy this week. Lentz is definitely running and Vitali won’t make a final decision until after next month’s general election. But with the viability of Touey’s candidacy still unknown, Lentz, Vitali and party leaders all seemed to agree in interviews that it will be vital for any party primary to be conducted in a way that doesn’t harm the eventual nominee’s chances in a general election.

“I think it’s up to everbody to make sure that if we do have a primary, we treat everyone with respect,” said Anthony Campisi, a party vice-chair.

Signaling that he would take just that tone if he eventually runs, Vitali said: “I really am very conscious of trying to make sure that this is not personal. I want to stay 100 percent positive.”

But the disagreements are real, and while far from vitriolic, they run deep in the county party’s political culture. If they can be traced to a recent starting point, it would probably be in early 2006, when Sestak returned to the district to run for Congress. The DCCC had largely settled on Lentz, while some local insiders were behind Scoles. When Scoles bowed out and backed Sestak, Gov. Ed Rendell eventually prodded Lentz out of the race. Ever since, there have been raw feelings among Lentz supporters, and just as raw feelings among Sestak supporters who didn’t want the DCCC picking their candidate.

“I think that’s playing out today to a considerable extent,” Scoles said in an interview. “There were a lot of people who wanted Lentz [in 2006].

Vitali met with the DCCC in August and has been quiet since, Scoles said, only fueling the perception that the committee is trying to keep him out. The DCCC publicly maintains neutrality in most primaries.

“We haven’t heard a word from him since,” Scoles said. “I suspect someone there squelched him.”

In Campisi’s view, any dissatisfaction from 2006 was fueled by the fact that the seat finally seemed winnable for Democrats for the first time in years—and remains that way today.

“People who wanted to run all these years and didn’t feel they could win now think they can run,” he said. But, he said, “anyone who was unhappy about Bryan stepping aisde in 2006 should call the governor. He’s the one who called up Bryan. No one in Delaware County had anything to do with that.”

The X-factor at play is a party leadership fight looming next year. Shortly after the primary, party chairman Cliff Wilson will step aside. Many see Campisi as being groomed as a successor. And both leaders are staying decidedly neutral on the Lentz-Vitali question, wary of alienating supporters of either candidate. Sestak, for his part, also seems to be staying out of it so far.

But the most important question may be whether a primary is a good or bad thing for the party. Lentz supporters want the party to coalesce around him.

“The worst nightmare for me is to have more than one person running,” said Jesson, the Chadds Ford chair. “It’s not going to be an easy race for the Democrats, and the more we can work as a team, the better off we’ll be.”

Vitali supporters think a primary will help whoever eventually wins.

“I think a contested primaries are a good thing,” Scoles said. “They draw attention to candidates. I would like to see this turn into a primary where we could debate some serious issues.”

And if party leaders are leaning in any direction, it’s toward letting whoever wants to run get in the race. Wilson sent just that signal in attending Touey’s announcement in Drexel Hill on Monday.

“There are people like myself who think a primary can energize the party,” he said then. “We’re an open party. I’d like to see a good primary that involves the voters.”

Regardless, Campisi is confident the party will be ready next November to take on former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan, the likely GOP nominee.

“If your question is will [a primary] impact our ability to keep the seat,” he said, “my answer is no.”

UPDATE: On Thursday morning, Lentz’s campaign announced endorsements from numerous county Democratic insiders.

I’m not sure whether Judge deserves criticism for not realizing that his county party is affected by the larger goings-on of the national party, or for not realizing what state the national party itself is in, but are they doing something wrong? Well, let’s review.

On the state level, Republicans not only badly lost the race to register new voters during last year’s presidential campaign but also lost a great many of their own voters who opted to become Independents or Democrats.

And while Republicans, obviously, still control the state Senate, Democrats, for the moment, hold both the Governor’s mansion and the state House and have a fairly good winning percentage in state races over these past several years.

On the national stage, Republicans suffered significant setbacks in House, Senate, and gubernatorial races in both 2006 and 2008, and lost the White House to a candidate who ignited political participation and excited the populace in a way that had never been seen.

And on the heels of such electoral losses, facing an exceedingly popular president and with a party identification hovering somewhere around 25 percent at a time when our country is facing major challenges on many fronts, how has the GOP chosen to deal with this?

By screaming “no” at the top of their lungs to any ideas put forward by President Obama or Congressional Democrats, presenting patently laughable ideas of their own (anyone remember the “budget” proposal with no numbers?) and putting their party infighting on blatant public display.

And of course, let’s not forget the public meltdowns of some of their party’s rising stars. The brothel visiting of “family values” Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and gay sex scandals of Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) and Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) are but a distant memory thanks to the recent admissions of adultery by former moralizing “Promise Keepers” Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC), the latter adding to his difficulties with a six-day disappearance that was first reported to be a hike up the Appalachian Trail (with no way to reach him in the event of an emergency and no temporary hand-off of power to the Lt. Governor just to be on the safe side), then revealed to be a covert excursion to see his mistress in, of all places, Buenos Aires, followed by a Romeo-esque soliloquy on true and tragic love delivered to, gads, The Associated Press.

Not to be outdone, superstar Alaska Governor Sarah Palin chose the opening day of a long, national holiday weekend to deliver her own rambling, frenetic address as to why she was not only not planning to seek re-election at the end of her term, but that she wasn’t even going to finish the last 2 1/2 years of it!

Are they doing something wrong?

Oh yeah, you betcha.

Sestak, the former Navy admiral, won the historically conservative 7th District in 2006, unseating Curt Weldon and becoming the first Democrat to hold the office in two decades. With Sestak now eying the Senate race, Republicans are licking their lips at what could be their best shot at winning back a House seat in 2010.

“I think it’s a great opportunity if he does run for senate,” said county GOP chairman Thomas Judge. “We certainly are looking with a sharp eye at what the Congressman does.”

With Sestak having all but declared his candidacy, Judge said he had spoken to several people about the prospect of running, but wouldn’t say who the possible candidates were. Wealthy businessman Steven Welch and former prosecutor Craig Williams, who ran against Sestak last year, are both rumored to be considering a run. Former U.S. Attorney and current gubernatorial Pat Meehan is also said to be looking at the race. State Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) is emerging as the likely Democrat in the race.

The prospect of a high-powered race between Lentz and Meehan, in particular, has political junkies fawning with excitement.

G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and political scientist at Franklin & Marshall College, said an open race would likely be one of the 10 most-watched in the country.

Provided the Republicans can come up with a  strong candidate, it creates a very competitive situation,” he said.

It’s unlikely the GOP will have any trouble on that count. Unlike other suburban Philadelphia counties where Republican power has waned considerably in recent years, the Republican Party in Delaware County is still a potent political machine. It maintains a strong hold over many local offices, and its endorsed judicial candidates fared better last month than endorsed Republicans in other suburban counties. Republicans still outnumber Democrats in the district, though it’s a large block of independent voters that has the power to sway elections.

“It’s one of the most powerful [county parties] in the state,” state GOP spokesman Michael Barley said. “They have a good committee that’s very active and well managed. That can only help you in these types of races. When you’re looking at a race where turnout’s going to be a key factor, it’s good to have a party apparatus that can bring out voters.”

Anthony Campisi, vice-chair of the county Democratic Party, said Sestak’s depature wouldn’t mean a Democratic loss in 2010.

“It’ll be competitive, but I think we certainly have a strong chance to keep the seat in Democratic hands,” he said.

And Sestak doesn’t have to leave, Judge said, for Republicans to mount a challenge.

“Even if Joe Sestak stays there, we do have people who have said they’d be interested in running,” he said.

Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan is seriously considering a run for Congress, eyeing the 7th District seat that Joe Sestak seems increasingly likely to vacate in favor of a Senate bid, according to a Republican operative familiar with Meehan’s thinking.

“He’s talked with high-ranking Republican officials and is strongly considering a potential run,” said the Republican, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “He’s definitely interested and I know there’s a lot of peopole who would like to see him do it.”

Meehan has been preparing a campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination for months. But with the governor’s race widely seen as the GOP’s best hope to make a political comeback in the state and some party leaders eager to see Attorney General Tom Corbett coast through a primary, Meehan has been under quiet but consistent pressure to consider other options.

If Sestak does indeed run for Senate, the Delaware County Congressional seat would in some ways be a natural fit for Meehan, a former District Attorney in the county. And it could prove to be Meehan’s most viable way of leaving the governor’s race.

“This would be a good exit for him, to switch over to a high-profile race like that,” said the Republican operative, who is not affiliated with Corbett’s campaign or with any of Meehan’s other potential opponents. “Delaware County is his base, and I think he would do very well there.”

Meehan spokeswoman Virginia Davis said that nothing had changed about Meehan’s plans.

“Pat Meehan continues to build an exploratory committee for Governor,” Davis said. “While he has received calls from party leaders to consider other races, his focus is on building an exploratory committee for governor.”

The Meehan campaign has for weeks been batting down speculation that he will eventually pursue a different race. After Senator Arlen Specter switched parties last month, some encouraged Meehan to run for Senate. But as a longtime ally of Specter’s—Meehan ran his 1992 campaign—a run against his old boss has never been taken seriously by people who know Meehan.

There has also been speculation he could opt for the Lieutenant Governor spot, but it’s highly unlikely he would choose to be second fiddle to Corbett, the man he still hopes to beat.

A run for Congress, by contrast, could be politically viable, in more ways than one. He has established political relationships in Delaware County, and if Sestak doesn’t seek reelection, a district where Republicans still outnumber Democrats would be hugely competitive, likely drawing significant national attention and money. Sestak unseated incumbent Republican Curt Weldon in 2006.

“He’s the perfect guy to run in that seat,” the Republican operative said. “It could potentially be a really good pickup for the Republican Party.”

County GOP chair Thomas Judge told pa2010.com that candidates had approached him about running, but wouldn’t name names.

“Even if Joe Sestak stays there, we do have people who have said they’d be interested in running,” Judge said.

Much depends on Sestak. Meehan is unlikely to make any moves until Sestak makes his intentions clearer, which could take weeks or longer. But if Sestak pursue higher office and Republican leaders continue to back Corbett, Meehan could find himself under increasing pressure to find a different race.

One logistical obstacle would be financial. Meehan has had a successful fundraising stint as a potential gubernatorial candidate, raising over $700,000. But any money raised for a state campaign would have to be returned if he ran for federal office. And unlike state law, which doesn’t cap campaign contributions, a run for Congress would force Meehan to expand his fundraising base, with federal donors legally limited to $2,400 for the primary and $2,400 for the general election

Even so, the Republican operative said, “Meehan could raise some good money.

“Now that a Sestak run seems more likely,” he said, “there’s a growing feeling that Pat Meehan would be a great candidate to put that seat back into the Republican column.”

UPDATE: See my blog posting on this story.

UPDATE: Davis gives Capitol Ideas a succinct “no” when asked if Meehan is considering the race, going a step further than in her statement to pa2010.com.