Corbett also told the media not to confuse a “fee” with a “tax.” Presumably, shifting the responsibility for levying a financial burden on the industry from the state to the counties would fulfill the governor’s “no tax hike” pledge. However, just such a proposal was floated at a January hearing about the impact of the industry, particularly on rural, northern tier counties where much of the drilling is happening.

Severance Tax Proposals

While there is no proposal yet to allow local and county governments to assess such fees, six Democrats and a Republican introduced SB 352 in early February to actually levy a severance tax on natural gas extraction. It was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, which has not scheduled a hearing on the bill. Two of the bill’s Democratic co-sponsors sit on the finance committee.

SB 352 would impose a tax of five percent of gross profits plus 4.6 cents per thousand cubic feet of natural gas extracted. In contrast, a proposal that nearly passed in 2010 would have imposed a tax of 39 cents per thousand cubic feet.

Sen. Ted Erickson, the sole Republican co-sponsor of the senate bill and chair of the Senate Majority Policy Committee held a hearing on natural gas drilling in late January. He said:

Clearly, there is a need for some sort of consistent funding mechanism to help local governments address the issues that arise when wells are built in their area, as well as funding for the Commonwealth for its activities related to monitoring, inspecting and updating regulations. By working with all levels of government and the industry, we have the opportunity now to address many of these issues.

In the House, Rep. Greg Vitali is the lead sponsor of a companion bill, HB 33, which mirrors the language in SB 352. Vitali said:

Pennsylvania is the only major natural gas producing state in the nation that does not have a severance tax or fee in place. Out-of-state companies are profiting from the Commonwealth’s resources, and the Commonwealth should benefit too.

He also explained that the tax would raise an estimated $245 million for the upcoming fiscal year and $570 million by 2015. The revenues would be shared by the general fund, local governments and environmental projects, including the depleted Growing Greener fund.

The problem for severance tax advocates, of course, is Corbett’s vow not to raise taxes of any kind. Even if SB 352 or another natural gas tax would make it through the legislature, Corbett would likely veto it. That would mean both houses would need a two-thirds majority to override the veto. Even if the tax would appear as part of another bill, Pennsylvania governors have a line-item veto power.

Support and opposition

Despite Corbett’s pledge, Pennsylvanians seem supportive of a natural gas tax. A Franklin and Marshall College poll conducted this month found that 62 percent favor a tax on natural gas extraction. According to the crosstabs, 57 percent of Republicans favor such a tax. The only other tax proposal with more support was a tax on smokeless tobacco products. Apparently, the governor’s budget address did nothing to swing public sentiment as a January poll conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research found 63 percent support for such a tax.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group representing the interests of the natural gas drillers, does not necessarily object to a severance tax. However, they disagreed with the 39 cent rate proposed last year as too high to be competitive. In that statement issued last year, the coalition said, “(O)ur industry maintains its support for a competitively structured severance tax that allows for capital recovery and reinvestment, comparable to other leading shale gas producing states, such as Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.”

The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry also opposed last year’s tax proposal, but left the door open for a compromise at a lower rate, which the current proposals offer. Chamber Vice President Gene Barr of Government and Public Affairs said last year:

It is possible for the legislature to pass a responsible severance tax that addresses the various concerns that have been raised, environmental and otherwise, while not harming the economic promise of the Marcellus Shale industry.

The progressive Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center supports a severance tax and have created a graphic on their website showing how many millions of dollars the state has already lost from failing to levy a tax. They explain that most states tax either tax the gross profits on a wellhead or levy a flat fee per thousand cubic feet. While the HB 33/SB 352 proposals would tax both, PBPC notes most producers prefer the flat fee as it is easier to calculate and more predictable. Another progressive group, PennFuture, supports a “substantial” severance tax, a moratorium on drilling leases on public lands and additional environmental regulations. Renew Growing Greener, a group working to replenish the state’s environmental fund, supports putting a significant portion of any severance tax toward Growing Greener.

The conservative Commonwealth Foundation, on the other hand, argues that a significant severance tax would drive drillers away from the state. They also note that other states delay implementation of such taxes in order to allow drillers to recoup upfront costs.

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania contends that a portion of any severance tax should be directed to local governments. However, CCAP is more interested in reversing the 2002 state Supreme Court decision Independent Oil and Gas Association vs. Fayette County that ruled oil and gas cannot be subject to property taxes. A reversal of that decision would be a revenue boon to Marcellus Shale counties. On the other hand, many companies lease land for drilling and the specifics of the lease would determine whether the landowner or the drilling company would shoulder the property tax burden.

Natural gas in Pennsylvania

The public and special interest opinion on a severance tax is only part of the story. On March 10, a public hearing in Pittsburgh illustrated both sides as some people talked about the new and badly-needed jobs as well as environmental impacts. Additionally, the industry creates economic ripples as state sales tax and local tax revenues increase in Marcellus Shale counties. The Marcellus Shale Coalition also notes that producers have invested $4 billion into the state. While the trucks needed for the work do cause damage to the local roads, the companies have been investing in repairs.

But there are significant drawbacks. Anecdotal evidence suggests that hotel rooms in the region are filled with employees of the drilling companies. In rural Wysox Township in eastern Bradford County, a hotel owner is constructing a new 40-unit building out of pre-fabricated units. The owner told the Towanda Daily Review that the demand for more rooms is driving demand for hotel space. However, the region also offers outdoor tourism destinations and there are fears that businesses catering primarily to tourists will suffer — even as restaurants and convenience stores thrive – as tourists compete with drillers for limited hotel rooms during peak tourist seasons during the summer and autumn. Hunters are also concerned that all of the drilling activity could affect harvests in addition to being squeezed out of hotels.

This situation also poses a problem for local governments that use the state and local hotel taxes for tourism promotion. Under state law, anyone who stays in a hotel room for 30 days is considered a “resident” and the tax does not apply. One Bradford County hotel has been completely rented by a drilling company and has paid no hotel tax for months.

Finally, there is the health risk. At issue is the process known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.” The Halliburton, the company once headed by former Vice President Dick Cheney, developed the technology in 1949. New horizontal drilling technologies and marketing incentives helped dramatically increase the use of the technology since 2007. Source Watch, a publication of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy, details how Cheney urged the U.S. Congress to exempt fracking from regulation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This so-called “Halliburton Loophole” does not apply to state regulations, meaning the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has the responsibility to regulate and enforce those regulations until Congress restores EPA’s authority to regulate fracking. The liberal Center for American Progress in Washington DC called on Congress and the EPA Monday to strengthen water and air pollution measures in regards to fracking operations.

The problem is that the chemicals used in fracking are not particularly healthy to humans, animals and plants if they get into ground and surface water supplies. Halliburton recently began to disclose the chemicals used in this process and they include hydrochloric acid, methanol, acetic acid and formaldehyde. These chemicals are mixed with large amounts of water and sand and injected into the ground in order to get to the natural gas deposits. While there are plenty of reports of suspected contamination, it has been the iconic scene in the documentary Gasland of a man lighting his tap water on fire that sparked the public’s attention to the issue.

The Commonwealth Foundation, writing on their blog “Energy Facts Pa.,” claims that the Fracking process itself is not to blame for contamination. Rather, they claim, contamination is caused by the disposal of wastewater or resurfacing of wastewater caused by poor well design. Commonwealth foundation claims that drillers are constantly making improvements to well designs and adds that current laws fine violators and hold them responsible for remediation efforts.

There have also been scares of radioactive materials getting into rivers as the fracking process unlocks uranium in the rocks underground. DEP sampled seven of them and found no elevated traces of radioactivity. Additionally, there have been documented cases of gas wells blowing out, sending gas and polluted water into the air.

Since January DEP regulations have prohibited dumping wastewater with more than 500 milliliters per liter of dissolved solids into the watersheds, effectively preventing the dumping of frack water. Some industry professionals claim that the new regulations will be a challenge to the industry. In response, drilling companies claim they can recycle most of the water used in the fracking process, minimizing waste water, though critics remain skeptical as millions of gallons of frack water still ends up in municipal treatment plants, often ones not designed to treat that kind of capacity.

Natural gas is currently the country’s most efficient alternative to coal and oil. Washington DC, for example, runs their entire city bus fleet on natural gas. Unfortunately, extracting it from the ground has serious environmental and social impacts. Pennsylvania remains the sole major natural gas producer that does not charge a tax to help address these issues. A high tax might drive the drillers away, but a tax haven would likely attract even more drilling with no revenue benefit to the state or municipalities.

Vitali formally backed Lentz outside his Haverford Township home, calling him “uniquely qualified.” Vitali’s support was largely assumed at this point—with Lentz now the party’s presumptive nominee, much of the local Democratic establishment had already lined up behind him.

But it nonetheless closed the book on what could have been a contentious primary, with local Democrats sharply—though not bitterly—divided over who was the best candidate.

“I suspect that no candidate nationwide shares Bryan’s qualifications for Congress,” Vitali said in a statement. “He was a Major in the Army, and we need people with hands-on experience who know how to make tough decisions regarding Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s an extremely hard worker and a smart legislator who knows how to get the job done. I enthusiastically support him.”

Lentz faces only one primary opponent, after environmental lawyer Gail Conner dropped out of the race in the wake of a ballot challenge spearheaded by Lentz. The other candidate, political consultant E. Teresa Touey, is also facing a ballot challenge brought by Lentz, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Harrisburg.

Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan is the sole Republican candidate.

See video of the endorsement below, courtesy of the Lentz campaign.

A Politico report brings us a list of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s top-priority races. In Pennsylvania, the 6th, the 7th and the 15th are all among the party’s “top races.” But whereas the DCCC lists the party’s candidate in the 6th as still-to-be-determined in a primary, it matter-of-factly lists Lentz as the candidate in the 7th.

This isn’t really a surprise. The DCCC wanted Lentz to run in 2006 before Joe Sestak came on the scene. Lentz eventually stepped aside at the urging of Gov. Ed Rendell. Ever since Sestak began flirting with a Senate bid last year, Lentz has been gearing up for a run. And his campaign has been far more active than those of environmental lawyer Gail Conner or political consultant E. Teresa Touey. State Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) is still mulling a run, but with each passing day, party insiders increasingly assume he’s out.

And last month we overheard Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8), who’s on the DCCC’s recruiting committee, saying that of Lentz: “That’s our guy.”

So there it is. We had assumed this anyway, but now we know for sure: Democrats consider Lentz their presumptive nominee.

Explains why he spent the day jostling with his general election opponent.

At an American Legion post in Upper Darby, Lentz—who has been gearing up his campaign for a few months—reflected on his upbringing in southeastern Pennsylvania, his military service, his time as a local prosecutor and his time as a state lawmaker.

“We need a Congress that is willing to stand up against the powerful special interests and stand on the side of regular people,” Lentz said, according to his remarks as prepared for delivery. “The small businesswoman who is trying to keep the doors of her shop open, the union worker who is trying to keep his job in the face of unfair foreign competition, the teacher who is working late to give our kids the best education possible.

“Send me to Washington to serve and fight for the people of the Delaware Valley and I will always put your interests ahead of the special interests and I will always honor the values that I learned here from my family,” he added.

Lentz has already raised more than $250,000 and won the backing of much of the political establishment in the district, which is mostly in Delaware County. This is his second time seeking the seat—he was a candidate in 2006 before stepping aside for Sestak, who is now running for Senate. He has built a campaign team that includes one of the premiere media consulting firms in the state and several players in Sestak’s successful bid to recapture the seat for Democrats in 2006.

He faces political consultant E. Teresa Touey and environmental lawyer Gail Conner in next year’s primary. State Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) is still considering a run. Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan is expected to be the Republican nominee.

See video of Lentz’s campaign announcement below:

Gail Conner, the founder and president of an environmental consulting firm in Newtown Square, sought to to frame herself as something of a political outsider compared to her opponents.

“People here know that solutions to our problems are not coming from Harrisburg and Washington, and they want a strong and clear voice to represent them and work for their interests,” she said in a statement.

Conner faces state Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware), who has rapidly been lining up party support, building a strong campaign team and is formally announcing his candidacy Thursday. Political consultant E. Teresa Touey is also running in the primary, and state Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) is still considering a run. Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan is expected to be the Republican nominee.

See Conner’s full announcement below:

BUSINESS OWNER AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYER
GAIL CONNER ANNOUNCES RACE FOR SESTAK HOUSE SEAT

Says “District Residents Want a Strong, Clear Voice” in Congress

EDGMONT, PA, November 10, 2009 – Environmental lawyer and entrepreneur Gail M. Conner announced today that she is a candidate for the Pennsylvania 7th District Congressional seat being vacated by Congressman Joe Sestak.

Conner is president of G&C Environmental Services, Inc., an environmental consulting firm she founded in 1988. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Widener University Law School. She is a former Trustee of Immaculata University.

Conner was an elected Obama delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She was appointed to the Citizens Advisory Council of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) by Governor Rendell in June 2005 and reappointed in February 2008. Conner was appointed to the DEP Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee by Acting Secretary John Hanger on February 9, 2009.

“One year from now, we will elect a new representative from PA-7,” Conner said. “I will work to bring visionary leadership and common-sense thinking to Congress. People here know that solutions to our problems are not coming from Harrisburg and Washington, and they want a strong and clear voice to represent them and work for their interests. ”

In April 2008, Conner received over 43,000 votes as a delegate candidate in PA-7, more than anyone else in the 13-person field except for Rep. Sestak’s brother, Richard.

Vincent Rongione, a Delaware County native, was a deputy campaign manager for Sestak in 2006 and the campaign manager for Carney in 2008. Since then, he’s been Carney’s press secretary in Washington.

His hiring, announced Wednesday morning, continues Lentz’s early efforts at building a campaign team familiar with the district and with ties to Sestak. He has also retained The Campaign Group to handle his media.

“We are very pleased to have Vince on the team,” Lentz said in a statement. “He brings a lifetime of experience in Delaware County and an excellent track record both on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail. As a former Airborne Ranger, prosecutor and current legislator from Delaware County, I am confident that Vince shares my spirit of service and determination to run a strong positive campaign about important issues like creating jobs, cutting middle-class taxes and providing for our seniors and veterans.”

Lentz is increasingly considered the Democratic favorite in a primary against political consultant E. Teresa Touey and with state Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) still considering a run. Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan is the likely Republican nominee.

Lentz, who finished the quarter with almost the full fundraising haul still in the bank and has since raised another $30,000, by no means relied on his state House colleagues for the bulk of his campaign cash. He collected money from dozens of individual contributors and several political action committees, taking far less than the legal maximum from many individuals, who he can later go back to for more, according to an analysis of his third quarter campaign finance report.

But donations from more than two dozen state House colleagues across the state, either through their political committees or from their own wallets, underscore the support Lentz has managed to build within Democratic ranks ahead of next year’s primary. The representatives’ committees gave Lentz’s campaign anywhere from $100 to $2,000, and he netted more than $15,000 from fellow members in the state capitol.

“My colleagues in Harrisburg, my colleagues from the millitary, my colleagues from the district attorney’s office, they’re all throughout the [third quarter] report,” Lentz told pa2010.com. “There’s no more humbling thing than to have the people you work with … say you’d be a good congressman.”

Among the campaigns giving money to Lentz were committees controlled by state Representatives Mike Gerber, Josh Shapiro, Joe Markosek, Dan Frankel, Eugene DePasquale, Tim Mahoney, Tim Briggs and Rick Taylor. State Representatives David Kessler and Babette Josephs made personal contributions.

State Senator Daylin Leach also contributed from his political committee, and Lentz even got support from two of the Democrats he is hoping to join in Washington. Committees controlled by Congressman Patrick Murphy and Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz gave $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

Lentz faces political consultant E. Teresa Touey in next year’s primary to succeed incumbent Joe Sestak, and state Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) is also considering a run. But even supporters of Vitali are increasingly—if quietly—saying that Lentz is the party’s likely nominee. The likely Republican nominee, former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan, raised more than $200,000 in his first 16 days in the race.

Meehan got into the 7th Congressional District race Sept. 14, with Republican leaders seeming to clear the field for him to set up one of the most competitive House races in the country. In the 16 days between then and the close of the FEC’s third quarter, the source said, Meehan raked in more than $200,000. The early haul, apparently none of which came from the state committee Meehan had set up to explore a run for governor, provides more proof of his potency as a candidate and a fundraiser.

State Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) and political consultant E. Teresa Touey are running for the Democratic nomination, while state Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) is considering a run.

FEC reports won’t be published until next Thursday.

UPDATE—The Meehan campaign puts out the following release:

Pat Meehan Raises More than $200,000 in 16 Days in Campaign for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District

DREXEL HILL, PA – Pat Meehan, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and former District Attorney of Delaware County, has raised more than $200,000 in the 16 days since he announced his candidacy for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.  In addition to his fundraising strength, Meehan’s candidacy has grabbed the attention of many political analysts, who now rate the seat as a toss-up or one of the most likely seats in the country to switch to the Republican Party.

“I greatly appreciate the tremendous groundswell of support that I have received since announcing my candidacy,” said Meehan.  “Local residents are frustrated because they feel that their voices are not being heard.  They feel that Washington is serving special interests and pushing a partisan political agenda that does not reflect our values or priorities.  As a Member of Congress, I will serve as an independent voice of the people on issues such as taxes, job creation, health care, and the need to restore fiscal responsibility in government.”

Since Meehan announced his candidacy on Monday, September 14 at events in Delaware, Montgomery, and Chester Counties, many political analysts have taken notice of his background, experience, and the strength of his campaign.

Washington Post political reporter Chris Cillizza called Meehan an “A list candidate” and said his campaign “creates a great pickup opportunity for Republicans” in a seat that “has a solid Republican base within it.”  Based on the strength of Meehan’s candidacy, Cillizza ranked the 7th Congressional District as the 6th most likely seat in the nation to change from Democrat to Republican representation. (Source: Washington Post’s The Fix blog, 9/25/09).

Charles Cook of the Cook Political Report noted in early September that “Republicans have an even money shot of picking up the seat of Senate candidate Rep. Joe Sestak (PA-07) in the inner Philadelphia suburbs, thanks to the… candidacy of popular prosecutor Pat Meehan.” The Rothenberg Political Report, a prominent handicapper of campaigns, recently switched its rating for the 7th District from the relatively safe “Democrat Favored” to “Toss-up.” (Sources: Cook Political Report, 9/3/09 and Rothenberg Political Report, 9/23/009).

“Even with the early successes and the support I have received, I recognize that this is going to be a long and hard fought campaign,” said Meehan.  “I look forward to talking with voters over the course of this campaign about my commitment to help put a stop to the unchecked spending in Washington, restore integrity and accountability to Congress, and ensure that the voice of the average citizen is again heard by our elected officials in the nation’s capital.”

Oh, and there’s still those freshman and sophomore Democrats who have to defend conservative districts.

Day after day, the Keystone State has become the to place watch for fiercely competitive House races, a microcosm of national political trends that could very well serve as the loudest amplification of whatever does—or does not—happen on Election Day 2010.

“You really get a lot of bang for your buck when you watch Pennsylvania,” said Nathan Gonzales, political editor for the Rothenberg Political Report.

After making significant gains the last two cycles, Democrats acknowledge they’re on the offensive here just like they are throughout the country, determined to avoid the cascading losses they experienced in 1994.

But opportunities abound for both parties, and political analysts say that if Republicans are to make major gains in the country, they’ll have to perform well in Pennsylvania. Four years after losing Delaware County’s 7th District to Sestak, Republicans hope to take it back by seemingly clearing the primary field for former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan, widely considered a strong candidate, even by Democrats. Not too far to the north, Democrats hope to win Gerlach’s seat almost 10 years after it was drawn to ensure Republican control, and after coming agonizingly close to knocking him off in previous cycles. To the north of that, Democrats also hope to finally have a formidable challenger to incumbent Dent in the 15th District, having convinced Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan to get in the race. To the north of that, Republicans are looking to knock off longtime incumbent Paul Kanjorski in the 11th District.

“There are a lot of districts that are exposed,” said David Wasserman, House editor for the Cook Political Report. “And it’s not just the districts that were drawn to elect Republicans. … There are five or six Democrats who could end up facing competitive races in Pennsylvania.”

In some ways, the high-stakes cycle is the inevitable result of years of shifting political trends. When Republicans controlled redistricting in 2000, districts were drawn in Pennsylvania not to safely entrench Republicans incumbents, but more to win as many seats as possible.

“Instead of concentrating their voters in a smaller number of districts, they spread them out in a larger number of districts where they’d have just enough of a majority,” said Chris Borick, a pollster and political scientist at Muhlenberg College.

But then dissatisfaction with the Bush administration led to widespread defections from the GOP voter rolls, especially in the critical Philadelphia suburbs. Democrats now outnumber Republicans by more than 1.2 million voters, and the tables turned in the last two cycles.

“They tried to maximize the amount of seats they had,” Borick said. “In an attempt to get a bigger majority of seats in the state, they took some risks, and those risks have come back to bite them big in the last decade.”

Now, with Democrats controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, Republicans are looking for what has historically been a significant, mid-term election snap back in their direction. The uncertainty surrounding the health care debate has only added to their confidence.

“Obviously you never want to count their chickens before they hatch, but the way things are going right now, the environment is really favoring Republicans,” said John Randall, e-campaign director for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Not that Republicans don’t face their own challenges. A crowded GOP primary to succeed Gerlach in the 6th District has Democrats confident they can finally win there. And Callahan is seen as the strongest challenger to ever take on Dent in the 15th District.

“The race in the 15th District is a bellwether,” Wasserman said, “because if John Callahan is able to stay in the game, then that’s sort of an indication that voters are frustrated with both parties, but in more of an anti-incumbent mood. But if he goes nowhere, that tells us voters are more frustrated with Obama’s inability to change course in Washington, and that this is not the time to give Democrats more control.”

Defending the seats they currently hold, Gonzales said, will determine whether Republicans can make larger national progress.

“You can’t make big gains on offense without having a good defense,” he said.

There are 13 months until Election Day, and a multitude of things could change. The economy could get better—or worse. The war in Afghanistan could continue to play a larger role in the political debate. More candidates could—and almost certainly will—emerge.

However things turn out, said Franklin & Marshall College political scientist G. Terry Madonna, Pennsylvania is sure to stay in the limelight.

“We’re definitely in the top-5 states for the most competitive seats,” he said.

Taken together, Lentz, who is running for Congress in the 7th District, said the insiders backing him “form the backbone of our party.”

“It is truly an honor to receive the endorsement of so many of our great elected officials and local leaders in the Democratic Party,” Lentz said in a statement.

The endorsements come on the heels of a pa2010.com report about local Democrats still looking to push state Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) into the race, and they demonstrate just how much Lentz has been able to rally Democrats behind him—and how difficult it might be for Vitali to catch up should he decide to run. Lentz has already won the support of leaders from Radnor and Marple in Vitali’s Legislative District—though no one on the list is from Vitali’s strong Haverford base.

Some of the elected officials endorsing Lentz Thursday include Brookhaven Mayor Mike Hess, Landsdowne Mayor Jayne Young and Media Mayor Robert A. McMahon, along with council members and township commissioners from Radnor, Ridley Park, Sharon Hill, Swarthmore and Upper Providence.

“Whether it was in uniform or in the halls of the state capitol, Lentz has proven himself to be an effective leader and a person of great integrity,” Hess, the Brookhaven mayor, said in a statement from the campaign. “I have no doubt that if we send Bryan Lentz to Washington that he will continue to stand up and be a voice for middle-class Americans, fight for what is right and always put the needs of his constituents before his own.”

Political consultant E. Teresa Touey is also seeking the Democratic nomination. Former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan is expected to be the Republican candidate.

See the full release from the Lentz campaign below:

Delaware County Democratic Officials and Party Leaders Rally Around Lentz for Congress

~Show of party unity underscores popularity among local leaders ~

SWARTHMORE, PA—Democratic elected officials and Democratic Party leaders from around Delaware County today endorsed Bryan Lentz for the Democratic nomination for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.  The majority of Delaware County municipalities in the 7th District are represented in the endorsements, giving Lentz a huge boost in anticipation of his formal announcement as a candidate for Congress.

“It is truly an honor to receive the endorsement of so many of our great elected officials and local leaders in the Democratic Party,” Lentz stated.  “They form the backbone of our party, and I thank them all for their service to their communities and for this tremendous show of early support.”

Included on the list are elected officials from large Democratic municipalities such as Marple, Radnor and Nether Providence Townships as well as prominent officials like Media Mayor Bob McMahon, Media Council President Frank Daly and Lansdowne Mayor Jayne Young.

“Whether it was in uniform or in the halls of the state capitol, Lentz has proven himself to be an effective leader and a person of great integrity,” Mike Hess, Mayor of Brookhaven Borough, stated.  “I have no doubt that if we send Bryan Lentz to Washington that he will continue to stand up and be a voice for middle-class Americans, fight for what is right and always put the needs of his constituents before his own.”

Since defeating a 28-year incumbent to win a seat in the state legislature, Lentz has taken his role as a leader in the local Democratic Party very seriously.  He works hard for local candidates, raising money and campaigning door-to-door with them.  Lentz is a former U.S. Army Ranger and Iraq war veteran who also served overseas in the Sinai Peninsula and Bosnia.  He was awarded both the Bronze Star for Service and the War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.  In civilian life, Lentz served for six years as a prosecutor with the District Attorney’s office, where he prosecuted violent crime.  He is currently serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and he lives in Swarthmore with his wife Jennifer and their son Thomas.

With Congressman Sestak’s announcement that he will vacant his Congressional seat and challenge Senator Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate Primary, Lentz is poised to carry the Democratic banner into the general election to hold onto the 7^th Congressional District.  Lentz began raising money and building a campaign organization and is planning to formally announce his candidacy in the near future.

The Democrats endorsing Lentz include:

Mike Hess……………………………………………………………Brookhaven Borough Mayor

John Wilwert……………………………………………..Brookhaven Borough Council President

Michael Ruggieri……………………………………………………Brookhaven Borough Council

Harry L. Seth……………………………………………………….Brookhaven Borough Council

Janice Sawicki………………………………………………………Brookhaven Borough Council

Sande Walton……………………………………..Brookhaven Democratic Committee, Co-Chair

Peter Jesson…………………………………………..Chadds Ford Democratic Committee, Chair

Phil Fabrizio……………………………Clifton Heights Democratic Executive Committee, Chair

Lee Taliaferro……………………………………Darby Township Democratic Committee, Chair

Marius Russo……………………………………..East Lansdowne Democratic Committee, Chair

Sharon Coleman………………………………………….Lansdowne Borough Council, President

Jayne Young………………………………………………………….Lansdowne Borough Mayor

Ellen Lustgarten……………………………………………………..Lansdowne Borough Council

Billy Smith…………………………………………………………..Lansdowne Borough Council

Tony Campuzano………………………………………Lansdowne Democratic Committee, Chair

James Balk…………………………………Marple Township Board of Commissioners, President

Charles Sammartino…………………Marple Township Board of Commissioners, Vice President

John Butler……………………………………………Marple Township Board of Commissioners

Robert A. McMahon……………………………………………………….Media Borough Mayor

Frank Daly……………………………………………………..Media Borough Council, President

Donald Dix……………………………………………Mid-County Democratic Committee, Chair

Mario Cimino……………………………………………………………Morton Borough Council

Lin A. Floyd…………………..Nether Providence Township Board of Commissioners, President

Frank Noyes……………..Nether Providence Township Board of Commissioners, Vice President

Sallie Anderson…………………………..Nether Providence Township Board of Commissioners

Matt Sullivan……………………………..Nether Providence Township Board of Commissioners

David Landau…………………………………..Nether Providence Democratic Committee, Chair

John DiPompeo………………………………………..Newtown Township Board of Supervisors

John Fisher………………………………………Radnor Board of Commissioners, Vice President

William Spingler…………………………………………………Radnor Board of Commissioners

Brucie Rapoport……………………………………………………………..Radnor School Board

Eric Zajac……………………………………………………………………Radnor School Board

Bruce Bikin…………………………………………………Radnor Democratic Committee, Chair

James Donahue……………………………………………..Ridley Democratic Committee, Chair

Joe Yorke…………………………………………………………..Ridley Park Council, President

Jeanne Frantz………………………………………..Ridley Park Council, President Pro Tempore

Linda Smith…………………………………………………..Ridley Park Council, Vice President

Doris Lamb……………………………………………………………………Ridley Park Council

Nina Walls…………………………………………….Ridley Park Democratic Committee, Chair

Sally Morbeck……………………………………………Rutledge Democratic Committee, Chair

Steve Travers………………………………………………………..Sharon Hill Borough Council

Scott MacNeil……………………………………………………….Sharon Hill Borough Council

Michael Finnegan……………………………………………………Sharon Hill Borough Council

Edward Kelly…………………………………………..Springfield Democratic Committee, Chair

Elisabeth Knapp…………………………………………………….Swarthmore Borough Council

Tom Huestis……………………………………………..Swarthmore Borough Council, President

Susan Smythe………………………………………Swarthmore Borough Council, Vice President

Ralph Jacobs………………………………………………………..Swarthmore Borough Council

Melissa Lewicki…………………………………………………….Swarthmore Borough Council

Rick Stabinski…………………………………………Swarthmore Democratic Committee, Chair

Colleen Guiney……………………………………Swarthmore Democratic Committee, Treasurer

Michael Power………………………………………….Thornbury Democratic Committee, Chair

Angela D’Alessandro…………………….Upper Darby Democratic Executive Committee, Chair

Marge Dugan………………………..Upper Darby Democratic Executive Committee, Vice Chair

Joe Hawkins……………………Upper Darby Democratic Executive Committee, 2nd Vice Chair

Lisa Belgrove…………………………Upper Darby Democratic Executive Committee, Treasurer

Edward Bradley………………………………….Upper Darby Democratic Executive Committee

Cynthia Jackson………………………………….Upper Darby Democratic Executive Committee

Bill Clinton………………………………………………….Upper Providence Township Council

Mary Gay Scanlon………………………………………..Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board

Rick Sonntag………………………………………………Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board

Mark Kuperberg………………………………………….Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board

*All names and titles are for identification purposes only.

XXX

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