Free Republic

They are suburbanites and religious people, employers and retirees, millionaires such as John M. Templeton Jr. of Bryn Mawr and homemakers such as Loretta Hill of Devon. What they have in common is an admiration for Rick Santorum. "No matter what you think about his social views, he's willing to hold his ground," Hill, 58, said. "I think that's one of the things people respect about him." Pennsylvania's Republican primary may still be two months away, but the presidential campaign of the state's former senator is already raising the excitement level of his supporters back home. And a new poll...

During a drive between the Mon Valley towns of McKeesport and Elizabeth, a man named Ray was overheard calling into a local radio station to talk about the subject of the hour: November's presidential election. The first thing he said is that he is a Democrat who voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Pressed by the talk-show host, he said he would not vote for Obama this time. The rest of Ray's answer was not unique or remarkable: Yes, he is a union member. Yes, he wanted Obama to succeed. And, yes, he is very disappointed after giving the president...

Former Democratic congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper, a Catholic from Erie, Pennsylvania, cast a crucial vote in favor of Obamacare in 2010. She lost her seat that November in part because of her controversial support of Obamacare. But Dahlkemper said recently that she would have never voted for the health care bill had she known that the Department of Health and Human Services would require all private insurers, including Catholic charities and hospitals, to provide free coverage of contraception, sterilization procedures, and the "week-after" pill "ella" that can induce early abortions.

U.S. Senate hopeful Tim Burns of North Strabane Township exited the U.S. Senate race on Thursday. “Those leaders spoke on Saturday,” Burns said of the GOP endorsement, where committee members confirmed Gov. Tom Corbett’s choice. “ And while it may not have been the outcome I hoped for, I have always known it would be difficult to carry on without their support.”

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - The state capitol was the scene of two events promoting distinctly different ways of changing the way Pennsylvania’s presidential electoral votes are awarded. Actor and former Senator and former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is part of a bi-partisan effort to create a compact agreement among states to award all of their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, no matter who wins the state vote for president.

There have been a lot of good candidates for the "gerrymander of the decade" award this cycle. North Carolina, Illinois and Texas have all dreamed up district lines that have gone... --snip-- Republicans in Pennsylvania, however, took a state that is two or three points more Democratic than the country as a whole, and created 12 districts (out of 18) that are more Republican than the country as a whole. They did so by creating what can only be called a group of Rorschach-inkblot districts in southeastern Pennsylvania. The net result is a map that shores up their vulnerable incumbents,...

HARRISBURG -- A generic or "nameless" Republican would beat President Obama in Pennsylvania, according to a statewide poll out today. The poll by Susquehanna Polling and Research shows that a Republican would defeat Obama 45 percent to 38 percent with 15 percent undecided and 3 percent saying they didn't know. The poll didn't further define "nameless Republican," nor did it match up the current GOP presidential candidates against Obama. Obama's job approval rating -- 41 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving -- shows little change from a June poll, said Jim Lee, president of the Harrisburg-based polling firm. What changed...

Rumors continued to circulate Friday about the prospect of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visiting Gettysburg National Military Park this weekend. The website POLITICO reported Palin will stop at the battlefield as part of a Memorial Day-weekend bus tour to sites of historical and national significance. Walt Tuchalski, communications coordinator for the Adams County Republican Committee, said he's heard speculation of a Sunday visit. "The rumor from reliable sources on the street is that Sarah Palin's campaign has made some inquiries into what's going on in Gettysburg this Sunday," he said. (snip) Still, Tuchalski said he's hopeful for a visit....

You would think that with Pennsylvania’s Republican roots, which have run especially deep over the last several decades, freshman Democratic senator Bob Casey would be vulnerable in 2012. You would be wrong, and the reason is simple civics. Incumbents don’t lose unless they’re challenged by viable, first-tier candidates, as the Senate elections in Nevada and Alaska proved. And, as of now, there are none to challenge Casey. Whether that changes in the next year is anyone’s guess, but the mere fact that the GOP finds itself in this position speaks volumes about how it builds its “bench.” Translation: it doesn’t....

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...

Sen. Arlen Specter’s recent switch to the Democratic Party has not done much to bolster his standing with Keystone State residents, according to the latest polling from Franklin and Marshall College. Just 28% of those polled said Specter deserves to be re-elected next year, while a majority, 57%, said a change was needed. In March, prior to Specter’s party switch, 40% said he deserved re-election. Further, just 31% have a favorable view of the Pennsylvania lawmaker—down from 42% in February–and 37% who have an unfavorable opinion, up from 29% in February.