Written by Roberta BirosTuesday, March 9th was the last day to file nomination petitions in Pennsylvania. Individuals wishing to run as a major party candidate needed to gather a pre-determined number of signatures in order for their names to appear on the Primary Ballot in May for their respective parties. There are several state-wide and regional races of note, and the candidates in those races are numerous. All of the petitions that were filed are listed HERE for your review.
U.S. Senator
In the race for US Senator, three Democrats will fight for Arlen Specter’s seat.
SPECTER, ARLEN
SESTAK, JOE
VODVARKA, JOSEPH
In the Republican race for US Senator, two Republicans will battle it out for the opportunity to take Arlen Specter’s seat.
TOOMEY, PAT
LUKSIK, PEG
Details:
The candidates in the race for US Senator were required to gather 2000 signatures on their petitions, and they needed to submit a $200.00 filing fee for the privilege of running for office.
My Comments:
We are all looking forward to seeing Arlen Specter lose. At this point it is a matter of whether he loses in the Primary or in the General Election. I wish I had a preference, but I do not. Anytime will be a good time to see Arlen Specter retire.
Pennsylvania Governor
In the race for Governor, four Democrats are taking on the challenge to fill Ed Rendell’s very capable shoes (that was a joke, of course).
WAGNER, JACK
ONORATO, DAN
HOEFFEL, JOSEPH
WILLIAMS, ANTHONY HARDY
On the Republican side, there are two options for the Republican Gubernatorial candidate.
CORBETT, TOM
ROHRER, SAMUEL
Details:
The candidates that wished to run for the office of Governor of Pennsylvania were required to gather 2000 signatures and pay a $200.00 filing fee. The 2000 signatures needed to include at least 100 signatures from each of at least 10 counties.
My Comments:
I have favorites from both the Republican and Democrat tickets in this race. For the Democrats, I have a special respect and admiration for Jack Wagner. I like Jack and I feel that he would make a fine Governor. In the Republican column, I am a fan of Sam Rohrer. In 2009, I published my own “Directory of Fiscally Conservative PA Legislators”. The list was based on the participation of the legislators in specific fiscally conservative events. Representative Rohrer faired very well in my unscientific poll, and, therefore, tops my list of preferred candidates.
Representative in Congress, 3rd District
To focus more closely on the Northwest Region of Pennsylvania, I’d like to discuss the race for Representative in Congress in the 3rd District.
On the Democrat ticket, current incumbent, Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper has an opponent.
DAHLKEMPER, KATHY
MARIN, MEL
On the Republican ticket, six candidates have stepped up to send Mrs. Dahlkemper back home to Erie.
FRANZ, ED
KELLY, MIKE
HUBER, PAUL
GRABB, CLAYTON
FISHER, STEVEN
MOORE, MARTHA
Details:
Candidates running for the much coveted position of Representative in Congress needed to collect 1000 signatures and pay a $150.00 filing fee.
My Comments:
First, I’m very excited to see that Mrs. Dahlkemper has a Democrat opponent. I wish Mel Marin the best of luck.
The field of six Republicans is interesting. I’m impressed by two of the Republican candidates. Steven Fisher seems very intelligent and hard-working. I had a brief email conversation with him last week regarding the recent problems within Mrs. Dahlkemper’s office (read the full story HERE, and I will publish details regarding Mr. Fisher’s comments within the next week). Mr. Fisher was quick to personally respond to my query, and I respect that in any one that is seeking a position in public service. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting with candidate Ed Franz. Mr. Franz was kind enough to devote time to a personal discussion with me at a meet and greet earlier this week. Mr. Franz is also a hard worker, and he seems to have the best interests of the people of the 3rd District in the correct perspective. Candidates Kelly, Huber, Grabb, and Moore have not responded to my personal queries. I, therefore, cannot offer a positive testimonial regarding their ability to serve the people of my congressional district.
2010 Election in Mercer County decided by Petitions
As a resident and concerned citizen of Mercer County, I always attempt to focus on the races that directly impact our local area. Unfortunately, it appears that ALL of the races for Senator and Representatives in the General Assembly have already been determined.
Senator in the General Assembly, 50th
Incumbent Senator Bob Robbins (R) was simply required to receive 500 signatures and pay a $100 filing fee to guarantee is re-election. At this point it appears that he will have NO opponent. The Mercer County Incumbent Party wins this election by a landslide (based on 500 signatures and $100).
Representative in the General Assembly, 7th
Incumbent Representative Mark Longietti (D) was simply required to receive 300 signatures and pay a $100 filing fee to guarantee re-election. At this point it appears that he will have NO opponent. The Mercer County Incumbent Party wins this election by a landslide (based on 300 signatures and $100).
Representative in the General Assembly, 8th
Incumbent Representative Dick Stevenson (R) was simply required to receive 300 signatures and pay a $100 filing fee to guarantee re-election. At this point it appears that he will have NO opponent. The Mercer County Incumbent Party wins this election by a landslide (based on 300 signatures and $100).
Are you seeing the trend here? Well, it wouldn’t be complete unless . . . yes . . .
Representative in the General Assembly, 17th
Incumbent Representative Michele Brooks (R) was simply required to receive 300 signatures and pay a $100 filing fee to guarantee re-election. At this point it appears that he will have NO opponent. The Mercer County Incumbent Party wins this election by a landslide (based on 300 signatures and $100).
But does it stop there? Oh Gosh NO.
Member of the Democrat State Committee (43rd)
Mark Longietti (State Rep.) and Liz Fair (Mercer County Prothonotary) will again both run against no other candidates for the two seats. 100 signatures each and a $25 filing fee allows the two of them to walk into the positions unopposed. The Mercer County Incumbent Party wins this election by a landslide.
Member of the Republican State Committee (43rd)
Cindy Robbins (wife of State Senator, and chairwoman of the Mercer County Incumbent Party), Walter Richardson (husband of Mercer County Treasurer, and husband of the co-chairwoman of the Mercer County Incumbent Party), and Scott Boyd (newcomer and Tea Party organizer) will all run together with no other challengers for the three seats. 100 signatures each and a $25 filing fee allows the three of them to walk into the positions unopposed. The Mercer County Incumbent Party wins two seats and will do everything that they can to discourage all activity by Scott Boyd.
My Comments:
Once again, no one in Mercer County (with the exception of Scott Boyd) wants to step up to challenge the Mercer County Incumbent Party. Democrats are watching the backs of Republicans, and Republicans are watching the backs of Democrats. In the end, the incumbents run unopposed and everything remains business as usual in Mercer County.
I would be remiss if I did not point out that it is NOT TOO LATE to challenge the incumbents. If you have the nerve, it is possible to run against Senator Bob Robbins and Representatives Stevenson, Longietti, and Brooks. “How?”, you ask.
Third party, minority party candidates, and non-affiliated candidates can run for ANY of these offices. To do so, interested parties need to file nomination papers by early August. Until that time, interested candidates would need to begin gathering signatures in the quantities required by the State. That number is calculated by determining “2% of the largest entire vote cast for an elected candidate at the last election within the district”. Those numbers are computed below:
To run against State Senator Bob Robbins, third party candidates must gather 826 signatures in 6 months (41,302 x .02).
To run against Representative Mark Longietti, third party candidates must gather 519 signatures in 6 months (25,941 x .02).
To run against Representative Dick Stevenson, third party candidates must gather 488 signatures in 6 months (24,389 x .02).
To run against Representative Michele Brooks, third party candidates must gather 337 signatures in 6 months (16,844 x .02).
Races of Note from a Conservative Perspective
As I referenced earlier in this article, in 2009 I published my own “Directory of Fiscally Conservative PA Legislators”. The list was based on the participation of the legislators in specific fiscally conservative events. The full list can be viewed HERE.
I decided to take a look at the list to see how our conservative legislators are doing in their respective races this year. Of the legislators that are on the list, the following are considered the MOST FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE by my rankings. I’ve also noted the status of their political races this year:
Bradley Roae (6th) – running unopposed in November
Daryl Metcalfe (12th)* -- will have a Democrat opponent in November, but Rep. Metcalfe is also running for the office of Lt. Governor
Michele Brooks (17th)* -- running unopposed in November
Mike Turzai (28th)* -- will have a Democrat opponent in November.
Thomas Creighton (37th)* -- will have a Republican opponent in the Primary.
Scott Hutchinson (64th)* -- running unopposed in November
Kathy Rapp (65th)* -- running unopposed in November
Jerry Stern (80th)* -- running unopposed in November
Rob Kauffman (89th) – running unopposed in November
Todd Rock (90th) ) – running unopposed in November
Dan Moul (91st)* )* -- will have a Democrat opponent in November.
Stanley Saylor (94th)* -- will have a Democrat opponent in November.
Rosemarie Swanger (102nd) -- will have a Republican opponent in the Primary.
Karen Boback (117th) -- will have a Democrat opponent in November.
Samuel Rohrer (128th) – running for the office of Governor of Pennsylvania.
Jim Cox (129th) – running unopposed in November
Paul Clymer (145th) -- will have a Democrat opponent in November.
Bob Mensch (147th) – running for the office of State Senator.
Curt Schroder (155th)* -- will have a Democrat opponent in November.
* - an asterisk designates that the individual received my highest rating for fiscal conservative legislators in 2009.
In Closing
So, there you have it . . . a summary of the interesting races in 2010 as of today, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. As we all know, however, the dynamics of these races could change on a dime in the coming days, weeks, and months.
I’ve always made it clear that I support fiscally conservative candidates. The list above is a summary of “who needs your help” this year. I intend on offering my assistance to any fiscally conservative candidate that is willing to accept my help (regardless of the location of their voting district).
I’ve also made my thoughts regarding the importance of running for public office very clear. Competition and opposition during an election is healthy. It draws attention to the importance of elected office, and it forces our elected officials to defend their territory. I give credit to all of the candidates that have taken the step to run in 2010, and I encourage concerned citizens to get involved in the process. If ANYONE in Mercer County is interested in running as a third party candidate for any of the legislative positions outlined above, feel free to contact me at roberta.in.mercer@gmail.com. I am willing to offer assistance, guidance, and support in your endeavor.
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