HOUSE CANDIDATES JOCKEYING
Monday, March 8, 2010 at 10:40PM PA-12: Local 12th district Democratic officials met this weekend and formally endorsed congressional staffer Mark Critz to replace the late Rep. John Murtha. Critz, part of the Murtha district staff team, is endorsed by the Congressman’s widow, Joyce Murtha, and now the local Democrats.
Mr. Critz won the endorsement meeting 47 to 22 over former state Treasurer Barbara Hafer and Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic, Jr., who had 14 votes. Tonight, the 50-member Pennsylvania Democratic Executive Committee meets to formally nominate a candidate for the May 18th special election. With the local Democrats expressing a clear preference for Critz, it appears almost a certainty that the state officials will follow suit and officially award him the Democratic nomination.
Such a decision, however, will apparently not unite the Party. Hafer says she will file to run for the regular term regardless of what action the state Party takes, thus creating a situation where Critz may win the special election, but could theoretically lose the regular primary to the better known Hafer.
Republicans will caucus on Thursday to choose their nominee. Businessman Tim Burns and 2008 GOP nominee William Russell are the two men under consideration before the Republican committee. It is likely that they, too, will face each other in the regular primary since the candidate filing deadline, which is tomorrow, comes before an official nominee is chosen.
The special election will likely be close, but the Democrats enjoy at least a slight advantage to hold the seat.
NY-29: Rep. Eric Massa resigns today, which will lead to a special election to fill the balance of the freshman Democrat’s lone term in office. Corning Mayor Tom Reed, who was cruising unopposed to the regular Republican nomination when Massa was running for re-election, will now have company from fellow GOP office holders.
Reed was viewed to be a serious candidate, but had not met fundraising goals. According to his year-end report, the Mayor had obtained $230,276, but with only $122,564 remaining in the bank. Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks is indicating that she is seriously considering becoming a candidate, now that the seat will be open, and could quickly move to the front of the list of Republican hopefuls. Democrats are looking to state Assemblyman David Koon, who says he will run, and Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan, who may. Elmira Mayor John Tonello is another possible Democratic candidate. Elmira is the 29th district’s largest city.
Gov. David Paterson will be tasked with scheduling the special election. Both political parties will caucus to choose nominees. At that point the Governor will then act, since the election must be conducted between 30 and 40 days once he issues the official call. This is a prime Republican conversion opportunity.
MA-10: As expected, GOP former state Treasurer Joe Malone announced that he will run in the now open 10th congressional district this year. Rep. Bill Delahunt made his decision to retire public last week. Democrats are making moves behind the scenes, but no one has yet made their candidacy official. State Rep. Jeff Perry, who was running even before Delahunt decided to end his congressional career, remains a GOP contender.
GA-9: Rep. Nathan Deal, who last week said he would resign his seat today to concentrate fully on his campaign for Governor, now says he will stay until the end of the month in order to vote against the Democratic healthcare plan. Deal was taking hits from Republicans because his absence in the House would have made Speaker Pelosi’s task one vote easier in cobbling together majority support for the healthcare bill.