Carney's chances improve

It's good to see one of the local papers catching up with what this and every other blog has been reporting for over a week. The combination of people waking up to the incompetence of the Bush administration, Sherwood's outrageous behavior and the throw the bums out mood of the people of Pennsylvania has made this a competitive race.

TL: Democrat Chris Carney's chances of upsetting U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood have improved, according to two nonpartisan sources that analyze congressional campaigns.

The Cook Political Report and Congressional Quarterly report the 10th Congressional District race is now competitive, but still give the Republican from Tunkhannock an edge.....The Cook Report changed its assessment of the race from Likely Republican to Leaning Republican. CQ changed its assessment from Republican Favored to Leans Republican, noting Sherwood's tepid primary showing against political neophyte Kathy Scott in last week's election.

The four-term congressman reported spending more than $350,000 in the seven months on a primary campaign against Scott, a little-known challenger from Williamsport.
Scott didn't file a campaign finance report before the May 16 election because she raised and spent less than $5,000 in campaign money. Yet she captured 44 percent of the Republican vote.

"This mediocre performance underscored the political damage done to the congressman by a sex scandal and emboldened Democrats who think they can pull off a big upset in a conservative-leaning district that usually is a Republican stronghold," Congressional Quarterly reported May 17.