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More political analysis from Ryan Costello

Dan Hirschhorn — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:00:06 +0000

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 “free-for-all” primary he exited.

So we were delighted to hear from him again when Gerlach got back into the race late last week. Here’s what he told us in an e-mail, a couple hours before Gerlach made his announcement but once it was abundantly clear which way he was heading.

“Jim Gerlach is sort of like Donovan McNabb in this instance: He’s proven, and effective,” Costello said. “I think it will be difficult to make a compelling case [for another] Republican if he decides to run for reelect. Back to my Eagles analogy: Kevin Kolb might be a great quarterback someday, but I’m not ready to see him start over Donovan.

That said,” he added, “a guy like Curt Schroder has diligently pursued the nomination, and I can say from personal experience that Curt has made significant inroads with the Republican Committee in Chester County, and Berks and Montgomery too. Other GOP candidates and their supporters have already put a lot of time and money into the race as well. This moment in time is absolutely fascinating for anyone who holds the 6th Congressional Seat in high esteem; as a candidate, political observer, or resident thereof.”

Costello calls the primary he exited a ‘free-for-all’

Dan Hirschhorn — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:07:21 +0000

NEW YORK—Now that he’s no longer running for the Republican nomination in the 6th Congressional District, Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello is free to pontificate on the political landscape unfettered.

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.

Costello bows out of 6th District primary

pa2010.com Staff — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:45:57 +0000

The crowded GOP primary in the 6th Congressional District just got one candidate smaller.

Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello said Monday afternoon that he was dropping out of the race, saying in a statement that “it is not in the cards” for him to run this year. Costello, who had pledged not to run if he didn’t receive the backing of the local party committees, had never gained much traction in the race.

“While I believe I would have made a strong and respectable showing during the endorsement process,” Costello said, “and would have been able to present myself as a strong standard-bearer for the Republican Party in the general election, at this point I have determined that it is not in the cards for me for the 2010 election cycle.

“It is crucial to our State and Country that the 6th Congressional District remains in the Republican column, and I will enthusiastically support the Republican candidate who wins the 2010 primary,” he added.

Cohen officially gets into PA-6 GOP primary

Dan Hirschhorn — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:54:24 +0000

Former Thornburgh administration Revenue Secretary Howard Cohen formally entered the race for Congress in the 6th District Thursday, promising to campaign in a “civil manner and with an adherence to authentic, conservative Republican principles.”

Cohen’s candidacy makes the GOP primary to replace incumbent Jim Gerlach a four-way race, and undoubtedly one of the most interesting House primaries in the state. As a longtime worker in state and federal government who has never sought elected office, Cohen brings a different resume to the table than the other candidates.

“I am not a career politician, but I know how to cut government spending and to maximize the use of the public dollar,” Cohen said Thursday morning in prepared remarks during an announcement at his home in Bala Cynwyd.

Later, in an interview with pa2010.com, he said he was best positioned to hold the Republican seat that Democrats have been chipping away at for years.

“If this is going to remain a Republican seat,” he said, “the only one who can do that is Howard Cohen.”

Cohen faces Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello, state Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester) and Phoenixville businessman Steven Welch in next year’s primary.

See the full text of Cohen’s remarks as prepared for delivery below:

Thank you for joining me this morning as we begin the effort to choose a Congressman to represent the citizens of the Sixth Congressional District of Pennsylvania.

After considerable thought and long discussions with my family, I have concluded that my life experiences have equipped me to go to Washington to help create an environment in which meaningful solutions to our country’s serious problems can be put in place in Congress. I believe this can be accomplished in a civil manner and with an adherence to authentic, conservative Republican principles. Therefore, today I’m formally announcing my candidacy to become the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from the Sixth District.

Standing beside me is Barbara, the love of my life and my wife of more than 37 years. We first met in Washington in the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee hearing room. When she asked me the hard questions about making this race and what it might mean to our lives together, I reread David McCullough’s award-winning biography of John Adams, especially John’s correspondence with Abigail. Like Abigail, Barbara understands the “arduous task” and my determination to succeed in this undertaking. As Abigail wrote: “You cannot be, I know, nor do I wish to see you, an inactive spectator…. We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.”

In addition to the qualifications I’ve gained in both the private and public sectors, I’m running for this office because those in control in Washington today are giving away our children’s and our grandchildren’s futures, and I just can’t sit here and watch it happen. And let’s be fair-minded about this. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. The Bush Administration got this spending ball rolling. But President Obama and his Democrat colleagues have enlarged the problems, made things worse and upped the ante three and four fold. Our party has the responsibility to return us to fundamental, proven Republican principles.

My dad was a policeman; a street cop in Newark, New Jersey. I think that once you’ve had a cop in your family you never lose the sense that you can do something to make things better, safer, more secure. Washington needs a cop mentality. It needs representatives who understand the differences between good and bad policies. It needs folks who will put the brakes on the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

My campaign will have a few constant themes:

First, the economy. We must get people back to work. We must oppose those who pass huge, unfunded spending bills on Capitol Hill. We must provide an economic environment that encourages the creation and growth of small and family businesses. Right now, the powerbrokers in Washington are killing small and family businesses, while spending billions of our dollars to see that the big boys survive and thrive. And government grows unchecked. We must provide the economic environment that allows these businesses to grow. That is where the good jobs will be.

Our current economic situation requires that we reduce the wage tax so individuals can keep, spend and invest more of their hard earned dollars. Workers and those employing workers would see an immediate increase in disposable income if the wage tax were reduced. Family owned businesses would have more money to invest to grow their businesses, to better train their workers, to add to the wealth of the Nation. When the Congress and President Obama had the choice between cutting taxes and empowering people or increasing the role of government, they made the wrong choice.

Economics is in large part about expectations. We need optimism, not pessimism. If every worker had additional disposable income, they could spend more. Demand would go up. People would go back to work, and work is what America is about.

The second theme of my campaign is that we must integrate our thinking about America’s energy needs and our environment. The two are not necessarily incompatible. Simplistic, bumper sticker answers will not solve our problems in these areas. I have not given up hope that there is a bipartisan spirit in Congress that has not yet been tapped. I intend to work on that when I get to Washington in January of 2011.

Third, and this is very important, we Republicans in the Sixth District should nominate a candidate for the U.S. House who understands the huge enterprise that is the Federal government. While we should apply private sector principles whenever appropriate, operating a large public bureaucracy is different than running a private business. I understand these differences.

I am not a career politician, but I know how to cut government spending and to maximize the use of the public dollar. My background in private businesses, meeting payrolls in large and small companies both here and abroad, has taught me a lot about management. My decade in the Federal government and then as Governor Dick Thornburgh’s first Revenue Secretary have provided valuable lessons about public sector management. No other candidate has this experience. My years as a professor at Georgetown, Boston College and Dickinson law schools, combined with more than 25 years of teaching business and public sector management at The Wharton School and The Fels Center of Government have given me the balance between theory and practice. I intend to carry the skills and lessons learned from all of these experiences to Washington and make a difference in ways that count.

But I can’t do any of these things alone. I need the assistance of you, the citizens of the Sixth District. We are establishing a website www.howardcohenforcongress.com, where you give me your views, suggestions and ideas on the important public issues facing us today. I want your input and will read your messages. In this way, I am asking you to go with me to Washington. I cannot reach my goals without you, the voters of the Sixth Congressional District, either in this campaign or during my service in Washington.

Barbara and I have lived in this historic house, on this special street in Lower Merion Township for more than 32 years. This is our home. We are proud residents of Montgomery County and the Sixth District. We have always been active in Republican politics. Barbara was a GOP committeewoman for more than 10 years and an officer of the Lower Merion Republican Committee. My candidacy is an opportunity for us to give back to the community that has been so good to our family, including our son David and daughter Sarah.

Perhaps my feelings about all this can be summed up in the prophetic words of the early American patriot, Thomas Paine, who said: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men and women, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

Former Thornburgh aide poised to enter PA-6 race

Dan Hirschhorn — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:05:41 +0000

A former Revenue Secretary in the Thornburgh administration with a resume deep on government service and academia is set to formally declare his candidacy in the 6th Congressional District, adding another Republican to what has quickly become one of the most crowded, competitive primaries in the state.

Howard Cohen, who runs a business consulting firm in Bala Cynwyd, told pa2010.com that he is likely to make an official announcement next week. But he has already filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. And in considering the race over the last couple months, he said, he has met with party leaders in the district, in Harrisburg and in Washington, while also talking to the three Republicans already in the race.

“I have told people I’m running and I am running,” Cohen said in a phone interview Monday.

“I have been involved in political life and government life for over 40 years, and I am somewhat disappointed in the quality of political dialogue not only in the country but even in the neighborhood and certainly in the state,” he added. “I think the recent 101 days of the Commonwealth being withinout a budget is symptomatic of much deeper issues in the body politic. I have decided to run because I think, without being arrogant about it, that I can make a serious contribution to elevating the political dialogue in this region.”

At 68 years old and with years in public service at the state and federal levels, Cohen is a different candidate than his three competitors, contrasts that he seems sure to emphasize in constructing a campaign narrative. Aside from two years in the Thornburgh administration, he has worked as a legislative aide in Washington, served stints in the Nixon and Ford White Houses and said he was instrumental in the eventual folding of the Civil Aeronautics Board.

“Not many conservatives can say they helped put an unneeded agency of the federal government out of business,” Cohen said.

Along with significant experience working as both a professor and administrator in academia, and sprinkled with some private sector work, Cohen is presenting his qualifications for office as quite different from his opponents.

“I have a very sincere interest in managing government,” he said. “It’s time to put people in Congress who can cut government where appropriate and get down in the trenches where it matters.”

The political challenges he faces going forward are formidable. Businessman Steven Welch is pouring loads of his own money into funding a campaign, a factor that Cohen acknowledges creates a “financial David and Goliath” dynamic. State Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester), meanwhile, has represented parts of the gerrymandered district for years, and Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello is looking to run an energetic campaign. The winner of any primary will face a Democrat whose party is determined to capture the seat after years of getting tantalizingly close to knocking off incumbent Jim Gerlach, who is running for governor.

But Cohen says he’s ready for the challenge.

“At a time when things are bad in the country, if people who have an interest in public life and have been as lucky as I have been in my career, if we don’t get into politics, than I think the level of political discourse will continue to be bumper-sticker solutions for very complicated problems,” he said.

$20K on hand for Costello

Dan Hirschhorn — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:57:43 +0000

Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello has raised just north of $30,000 toward his 6th District Congressional bid, finishing the third quarter with about $20,000 on hand, according to campaign finance data.

Costello, who faces a crowded Republican primary, had already sought to play down the importance of his early fundraising numbers before they were published online Thursday. Almost all the money he raised came from individual contributors in and around the suburban Philadelphia district.

Costello spent almost $10,000 since entering the race, on expenses ranging from fundraising and printing costs to basic office needs. His committee also donated $250 to local Superior Court candidate Paula Ott.

Costello downplays fundraising, calls on opponents to match endorsement pledge

Dan Hirschhorn — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:12:18 +0000

Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello sought to play down the importance of early fundraising numbers this week, saying he is focused on helping local GOP candidates in next month’s election “as requested by Republican Party leaders.”

Costello, who is running for Congress in the 6th District, did say he had raised $30,000 as of the third quarter filing deadline, and that he did so without holding fundraisers or soliciting contributions from local Republican committees and party insiders. But with both opponents holding significantly more cash on hand early in the race, Costello came back to a pledge he made last month not to run for the seat if the local party organizations endorse someone else.

“One question that I have answered is that I will not run against the party if I am not endorsed and another candidate is endorsed,” Costello said in an e-mail. “It seems timely for my opponents to directly answer this question now as well.

“I look forward to helping elect Republican candidates in 2009, and then moving forward with more aggressive fundraising efforts,” he added. “My December 31st fundraising deadline has always been the benchmark for me, not the October 1st deadline.”

Costello faces state Representative Curt Schroder and businessman Steven Welch in next year’s primary.

Schroder has about $87K on hand

Dan Hirschhorn — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:09:28 +0000

State Representative Curt Schroder’s (R-Chester) Congressional campaign raised just under $88,000 during the third quarter, finishing the period with almost $87,000 in cash on hand, according to new campaign finance data.

Schroder, who faces a competitive GOP primary in the 6th District, spent lightly during the quarter, shelling out about $16,000, mostly on Web site design, branding and consulting.

With opponent Steven Welch loaning his own campaign half-a-million dollars, Schroder’s third-quarter numbers underscored the fundraising challenge he faces going forward. Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello is also running, but his campaign finance report had not yet been published online Tuesday afternoon.

Welch loaned his campaign half-a-million dollars

Dan Hirschhorn — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:41:42 +0000

For those wondering whether Republican Steven Welch would shell out the dough for his own Congressional campaign, the answer has emerged.

Welch, a wealthy businessman running in the 6th District, made a loan of $500,000 to his campaign last quarter, according to new campaign finance data. Meanwhile, he raised just over $59,000. And while he has about $511,000 in cash on hand, the half-a-million-dollar loan remains debt on the books. Whether he actually expects repayment of that money remains an open question.

The numbers, which emerged in his October quarterly campaign finance report, shed new light on the campaign’s announcement last week that it has half-a-million on hand. It also makes clear that Welch is willing to spend the kind of money that Democrat Doug Pike is shelling out. Pike has already given his campaign a little more than half-a-million dollars.

Welch faces Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello and state Representative Curt Schroder in next year’s GOP primary.

Source: Welch has half-a-million on hand (Updated)

Dan Hirschhorn — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:07:09 +0000

Republican Congressional candidate Steven Welch ended the third quarter with more than $500,000 in campaign cash on hand, a campaign insider told pa2010.com.

Welch, who is running in the 6th District, did not report any fundraising last quarter, when he was still gearing up for a run in the 7th District instead. He now faces a crowded primary against Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello and state Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester).

The campaign was still tabulating exactly how much it had raised in the third quarter. It is unclear if the cash on hand number includes any contributions directly from Welch, a wealthy businessman who is expected to spend his own money on the campaign.

UPDATE—The Welch campaign released the following statement to reporter Friday afternoon:

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — Steven Welch announced today that his campaign will report over $500,000 cash on hand for the 3rd quarter of fundraising, and the support from over 100 donors.

“We want to thank our supporters who helped us reach this milestone, and let them know that together we will accomplish our goal of bringing about responsible results in Congress,” said Steven Welch. “The fact that we have so many new volunteers and supporters who have never been involved in politics is a testament to the excitement of our campaign. We will continue to focus on engaging voters and discussing the vital issues that will help determine the future for our families, communities and our nation.”

Steven Welch is the founder & former CEO of the Mitos Group, a leader in biotechnology solutions. Steven is also the co-founder of DreamIt Ventures, a unique venture firm that helps technology start-ups get off the ground. Over the past two years DreamIt has funded over 20 small businesses and helped nearly 100 entrepreneurs. In 2008 Steven was selected as a member of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 under 40, as well as being named its Entrepreneur of the Year.

Most recently Steven was awarded the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship to build bridges internationally in small business communities to drive job creation and economic development. Steven and his wife, Nicole, live in Phoenixville with their daughter and son.