Four Pennsylvania Republicans are on top Democratic target lists, causing them to run scared and break with their party on key issues likely to play out in the 2008 Elections.
15. Tim Murphy, Pennsylvania’s 18th (72.7 percent). Democrats last year did not vigorously challenge Murphy, who was first elected in 2002 to a southwestern Pennsylvania district that was drawn by state GOP legislators to elect a Republican. The Democrats claim that the district (54 percent for Bush in 2004) can be captured in 2008, though: Their candidate is Bethany Hafer, a vice president at a consulting firm headed by her mother, former Pennsylvania Treasurer Barbara Hafer.20. Charlie Dent, Pennsylvania’s 15th (73.9 percent). Democrats last year ran a lackluster campaign against Dent, whose district in the Lehigh Valley voted narrowly for Kerry (by 1 point) in 2004. Democrat Siobhan Bennett, a local party activist and past candidate for mayor of Allentown, the district’s most populous city, is challenging Dent.
21. Jim Gerlach, Pennsylvania’s 6th (74.7 percent). Gerlach won a third term last year by 1.4 percentage points over Democratic lawyer Lois Murphy, who had nearly defeated Gerlach in 2004. The congressman’s 2006 win, while very narrow, spoke to his impressive political skills in holding a politically competitive district in suburbs and exurbs of Philadelphia in what was a terrible political environment for Pennsylvania Republicans. Gerlach surely will be seriously challenged in 2008, though no Democrat is officially in the race just yet.
23. Phil English, Pennsylvania’s 3rd (76.0 percent). English, who represents Erie, has some pro-labor sensibilities that have insulated him over the years in a district that could be politically competitive (53 percent for Bush in 2004). But English was re-elected in 2006 with a modest 54 percent vote share against a little-known and underfinanced Democrat. Democratic strategists point to the 2008 candidacies of Kyle W. Foust, a county councilman who is technically “exploring” a campaign, and lawyer Tom Myers, who is officially in the race. A third Democrat, Moise C. Waltner, recently filed paperwork to run against English.
18th District deserves better
We want a representative who does more than have his staff campaign for him on taxpayer time. It was convenient to dispose of them when they told the truth. It seems all Mr. Murphy cares about is protecting the President’s failed policy in Iraq, and oh wait a minute: he cares about not the workers losing their jobs, but CEO millionaire executive compensation packages. He opposed having the shareholders determine the compensation salaries. This move would set course to expanding the middle man’s pay, because afterall… they do most of the work. However, the CEO’S are the ones who write Mr. Murphy’s checks.
We deserve better representation and someone who is not afraidto speak up for middle class families. That person is Beth Hafer. We already know what Tim Murphy’s agenda is: it’s more in tune with corporate America and not families looking to make it.
Joe
West Newton, PA
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