Biden raising cash for Carney

Vice President Joe Biden is returning to his hometown next week to raise money for one of Pennsylvania’s most embattled House Democrats.

Biden will be in Scranton Monday to headline a fundraiser for Congressman Chris Carney (D-10). A Carney campaign spokesman

October 7, 2010 at 8:00 am | Comments (0)

Anti-abortion group again targets Dems in radio spots

The anti-abortion group Americans United for Life is up with a new slate of radio ads targeting Democrats, and three Pennsylvanians are among its familiar list of targets.

Democratic incumbents Kathy Dahlkemper, Chris Carney and Paul Kanjorski are all among those targeted by the ads, which are virtually identical to previous radio spots run by the group. Recently-filed campaign finance data indicates that Americans United for Life is spending about $12,000 on the ad campaign…

October 5, 2010 at 3:11 pm | Comments (3)

Carney clings to narrow lead in new poll

Congressman Chris Carney (D-10) is holding on to a slim lead in his bid for a third term, but his race against Republican Tom Marino is essentially a dead heat one month before Election Day, according to a new poll.

The Lycoming College survey released Monday echoed other public and private polls in showing a close race. Carney is facing a perilous political climate, but has benefited form a massive financial advantage and a seemingly…

October 5, 2010 at 10:49 am | Comments (5)

NRCC adds Carney to latest TV targets

A trio of new TV ads from national Republicans hits the airwaves in Pennsylvania, and for the first time this cycle the GOP has Congressman Chris Carney (D-10) directly in its crosshairs.

The National Republican Congressional Committee unveiled the three new spots Monday morning. Two target Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3) and Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11), vulnerable incumbents who have already been the subject of NRCC TV spots. But the ad against Carney marks the first…

October 4, 2010 at 1:53 pm | Comments (5)

Report: Marino resigned amid DOJ probe

A new report indicates that Republican Tom Marino resigned as U.S. Attorney because he was being investigated for giving a personal reference to a businessman his office was investigating.

The Morning Call, citing an anonymous source,

October 3, 2010 at 2:33 pm | Comments (10)

Changing story, Marino says he never got DOJ approval for DeNaples reference

First, Tom Marino said he had permission from his superiors to give a businessman a gaming application reference even as his U.S. Attorney’s office investigated the businessman—and his campaign said he could prove it. Then, pNow, the Republican congressional candidate has changed his tune once again, telling a local newspaper that he never sought authorization from the Department of Justice…

September 28, 2010 at 9:44 am | Comments (22)

LEFTOVERS: Labor mail, Dukakis for Trivedi, Lentz mocks Meehan’s debate skills

Organized labor continues to play big in the direct-mail game ahead of November.

The state’s AFL-CIO rolled out its latest mail pieces Monday, the third week in a row it’s hitting up homes across Pennsylvania. The new mail pieces, targeting Senate candidate Pat Toomey and six GOP House candidates, paint Republican hopefuls as friends of Wall Street who want to outsource American jobs.

They err on at least one count, the same count that has…

September 27, 2010 at 4:19 pm | Comments (11)

Carney pollster sees 8-point lead

Buoyed by stronger name recognition, Congressman Chris Carney (D-10) is holding an eight-point lead against Republican Tom Marino just five weeks before Election Day, according to a Carney campaign poll memo.

In the memo, released Monday amid other poll data showing Marino ahead despite troubling headlines for the challenger, Carney campaign pollster Margie Omero writes that “as news of Marino’s failed ethics, integrity and leadership continue to mount, voters have taken notice.” The memo describes…

September 27, 2010 at 11:25 am | Comments (7)

Polls show Republicans leading in NEPA

Polls commissioned by The Times Leader have found Republicans Tom Marino and Lou Barletta well positioned to knock off a pair of Democratic incumbents in northeast Pennsylvania.

A poll by the newspaper found Barletta leading Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) by 11 points,

September 26, 2010 at 2:18 pm | Comments (2)

DOJ confirms ‘no record’ of Marino’s permission

The Department of Justice has confirmed it has “no record” of ever authorizing for U.S. Attorney Tom Marino to provide a gaming application reference for a businessman his office was investigating.

Marino’s claim that he was authorized to give Louis DeNaples a reference has dogged his 10th District congressional campaign, and it was full story

September 26, 2010 at 2:06 pm | Comments (3)