10th CD update

The big news in the race today is that Dan Meuser still hasn't moved into his new house in Harveys lake.

Meuser still lives in 11th District, not 10th, petitions show

His explanation: “After doing a little research, we learned that this address needed to reflect where my family spends the predominance of their time,” Meuser said. “Therefore, as my renovations are taking a little longer than expected at Harveys Lake, we decided to use the old address on the petition to fully comply both with the letter and the spirit of the law.”Meuser said he hopes to move “in the near future” and would vote in Harveys Lake in the April 22 primary election.

This has raised a number of questions and Davis Haire’s campaign manager pounced on the news:

“There aren’t too many people in this district who can afford a second house for half a million dollars, especially one purchased for the sole purpose of trying to legitimize a candidacy for Congress,” Whitehead said. “At the end of the day, Davis Haire is the only one who’s actually grown up in this district, the only rural conservative Republican in the race, and the only Republican candidate who can win the general election.”

A local politico had this reaction:

I find the whole situation a little suspicious. While you don't have to live in the district, just in the state, to run, people who circulate petitions for a candidate must reside in the district, just as someone signing. So in Meuser's case he technically could not sign his own petition, nor could he circulate his own petition. There is a place on the bottom for the person who circulates must sign and the signature must be notarized.

I find it odd that someone who is running farmed out his entire petition circulating duties... I wonder if he circulated the petitions himself at all, or is he just paying people off to do it? If he circulated any himself did he sign at the bottom? And what kind of message does it send to those that signed, that the candidate couldn't sign his own petition?

I don't care where he lives because the Constitution says you only have to be a resident of the state that you represent. But you have to wonder how long the renovations of the new house are going to take. Maybe they will be finished sometime in November if he is successful and if not he has a nice remodeled house with a swanky address to put on the market. And who pays $500,000 for a fixer-upper?

Until 2002 all of Luzerne County was part of the 11th CD and you wonder why this good Republican wouldn't run against Kanjorski if he really wanted to make a change. It's not like he gave money to him or anything?

Another question is can he vote in Harveys Lake if he doesn't actually live there? I remember a case from a few years ago when someone was appointed to the Wyoming Valley West School Board but was disqualified because he was using his father's address in Wilkes-Barre to vote. He had to pay a fine for falsifying his voter registration.

Chris Hackett's campaign declined to comment on the residency issue but picked up the support of a former rival:

Congressional Candidate Paul Swiderski Endorses Chris Hackett

DALLAS, PA – Today, Paul Swiderski, former congressional candidate for the 10th district, endorsed Chris Hackett to continue his battle to bring a principled grassroots conservative voice to Washington.

"Throughout my campaign, I was impressed with Chris Hackett and his principled stands on issues. His emphasis on bringing jobs to our region, securing the border, and ending wasteful spending is exactly what we need in Washington," said Swiderski.

"As an accountant, I am acutely aware of the plight of the hard working families of the 10th district. They work overtime, they cut expenses, in an effort to make ends meet, but the government takes such a large portion of their income. I know Chris will be a fighter for lower taxes and lower spending and that's a major reason for my endorsement."
"I am honored to have the endorsement of Paul Swiderski," said Chris Hackett, "He is a proud and principled Republican who I am sure will continue to work hard for our party, our region, and our country."