Posted on 09/20/2010 8:12:23 AM PDT by Kaslin
Just ahead of redistricting, Republicans are in prime position to win the governor’s mansion and both chambers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Additionally, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey appears to be on the verge of boosting GOP gains in the Keystone State.
Political prognosticator Charlie Cook currently rates the governor’s race in which GOP nominee Tom Corbett has mounted a stellar campaign, as “Lean Republican.” Several polls indicate that Corbett has opened a wide lead over his opponent. In the state Senate, Republicans control 30 of the 50 seats, leaving that majority safely in the GOP’s hands. The House is closely split with 104 Democrats and 99 Republicans, meaning a pick-up of three seats will change the balance of power in the lower chamber.
The result of such a change “could bring sweeping policy changes to a state that can't seem to make up its mind whether it wants to be blue or red,” reports The Associated Press. “[T]he outcome of legislative races could largely determine what the state does about its multibillion-dollar budget shortfall, the funding crisis for public-sector pensions and redistricting — not to mention the thousands of bills lawmakers will introduce during the coming two-year session.”
According to political scientist Terry Madonna, “public opinion research shows an enthusiasm gap, with Republican voters more likely to vote this fall, and independents leaning Republican.” This factor clearly favors Republicans, who “are salivating at the chance to parlay a favorable national political climate into a return after four years to majority status.” Further, Rep. Dave Reed, the GOP’s point man on House campaigns said, “‘We've got a menu of seats we can win from.’”
The New York Times recently detailed the impact that a GOP sweep would have on Pennsylvania’s U.S. House seats. “[O]n the eve of redistricting, when the state is likely to lose another Congressional seat, the Democratic hold is looking tenuous.” With less than two months before Election Day, outgoing Democratic Governor Ed Rendell senses that things don’t look good for his party’s chances in November. “‘The Democrats are generally tarred with the brush of incumbency, and when the economy is bad and people are losing their homes, their 401(k)’s, their investments, there is a tendency to lash out at those in power,’” Rendell said, “‘I think that’s advantaged Republicans.’”
One such Republican looking to capitalize on the Keystone State’s political landscape is the GOP nominee for the 161st House District, Joe Hackett. In 2008, Hackett narrowly lost his bid for this seat but with the incumbent Democrat seeking higher office, the 26-year veteran of federal and state law enforcement is poised to win this time around.
Harping on the failed Democratic leadership in Harrisburg, Hackett told the Delaware County Daily Times, “‘When the governor fails to sign into law a state budget on time, it has impacts that go far beyond layoffs of state workers…thousands of local parochial school students went for up to two months without text books due to the lack of state funding. We cannot allow this to happen again.’”
While President Obama and other national Democratic leaders make repeated visits to Pennsylvania in an effort to quell voter angst, Republicans are poised to sweep the state giving future officeholders, such as Joe Hackett, a huge opportunity to enact “meaningful change.”
To learn more about Joe Hackett’s bid in the Keystone State, visit http://www.hackett2010.com.
I live in Pa and we are also hoping to replace Congressman Tim Holden, a blue dog Democrat, with Republican Dave Argall.
Must be them gun toters and bible clingers.....
Not only PA
but I think NY could go republican.
Paladino is riding a wave of tea party support and that means turnout, and turnout means Republican victory.
BOTH SEATS are in play in NY- Chuuckie Schumer AND Hillary Placeholder COULD BE GONE!
That’s a pickup of two no one is even thinking about.
and Andrew Cuomo made his first public speach this last weekend AND HE SOUNDS LIKE A DUNCE!
I hate when people call Pennsylvania a blue state. Purple, perhaps but there’s still a lot of pubbies in elected office here. Just at the start of this decade, we had a Republican governor and two republican senators. One a hardcore conservative (Santorum). Most of the time, the legislature is in Republican hands. Now we have to work on getting rid of that incompetent doofus Bob Casey. Who is riding off the coattails of his Dad...
“I hate when people call Pennsylvania a blue state.”
PA, like NY, MD, DE, MA, MI, and IL are ruled by big blue cities. PA is controlled by Philly and Pittsburgh; NY by NYC; MD by Baltimore, Prince George and Montgomery counties; DE by Wilmington; MA by Boston; MI by Detroit; and IL by Chicago. In all these states as soon as you depart the blue environs you find hard core red states. This is why dems so desparately want to do away with the electoral vote. Then they would do nothing but appeal to city voters.
Pennsylvania has become increasingly "blue" over time mainly because of simple demographics: the population is aging and its population level is stagnant -- with most of its growth seen in the cities and in State College.
I agree with you 100%. Even a heavily urbanized state like New Jersey has one of the most conservative members of Congress (Scott Garrett, who represents a district in the northwest corner of the state).
I've always hated this say, because it disparages the fine people of Pennsylvania AND Kentucky, by saying that they are somehow "backwards" or "yokels".
Of course, I would rather be compared to Kentucky than being the dumping ground for NYC...
say == saying.
If the GOP wins both houses + the governor's office as appears very promising at this time, they would be fools not to enact such legislation.
Voter fraud in Philly, while it will not disappear entirely, becomes very much contained, putting perhaps five electoral votes in play, not 20.
I’d wear “Kentucky” with a badge of honor. The context of the comment as it was made to me was that most of Pennsylvania is rural in nature and sparsely populated.
I've only heard this comment being used in a derogatory fashion, in the same vein with Murtha's comment that PA is too racist to vote for a black man.
I pray that this is true Kas; but, this is PA and they’ve disappointed America before.
I think NY could go republican.
Paladino is riding a wave of tea party support and that means turnout, and turnout means Republican victory.
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Do you think the Tea Party will pull it out for Angle in Nevada and O’Donnell in Delaware; because I’m sure hoping so.
Upstate New York would be a swing state, not hard core red.
Voter ID, Voter ID, Voter ID.
absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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