Tom Marino is short on cash

Marino has $11K on hand for campaign

What a big disappointment this has to be for not only the Marino campaign but for the Republicans hopes for retaking the House. He only raised about $80K this reporting period compared with the six digit numbers being reported by other GOP challengers. In contrast, Congressman Chris Carney has brought in $173K during the reporting period and has $792K in the bank.

You can read Marino's 2nd Q report here. Some of his donors are familiar Don Ely, Harold Flack, Davis Haire, Dan Meuser and the Tunkhannock Strangler himself former Congressman Don Sherwood.

What I find interesting is who is missing. None of the GOP House leadership PACS or the NRCC has pitched in to help him.

Marino had a competitive primary that he had to spend money to win but it's been a month and a half since then. From what I know a candidate in either party has to show some fundraising ability before the national committees will commit to helping them. He has failed that test.

There a few bright spots in his CFR. He attracted the support of the lunatic fringe such as the Eagle Forum and Sarah Palin sent $3500.

NCFE reports:

Sarah Palin wants you to contribute to SarahPAC so that she can support conservative candidates. Funny, but her recent campaign disclosure notes that for while $87,500 was distributed to candidates, almost three times as much money, $210,000 was spent on consultants.

Last year Sarah Palin pulled in $2.13 million but spent only about $57,000 on candidates and causes.

I don't think that Sarah Palin is as stupid as many people think. Anyone who could parley a VP gig into $12 million in endorsements, book deals,etc. is on the ball. I do think that she is willfully ignorant about issues.

Sarah Palin campaign was a 'train wreck', insiders say



"Palin couldn't explain why North Korea and South Korea were separate nations. She didn't know what the Fed [the Federal Reserve] did. Asked who attacked America on 9/11, she suggested several times that it was Saddam Hussein. Asked to identify the enemy that her son would be fighting in Iraq, she drew a blank. Later, on the p
lane, Palin said to her team: 'I wish I'd paid more attention to this stuff'."

Ely drops out, backs Meuser

Don Ely Endorses Dan Meuser For Congress

Former Candidate for Republican Nomination and Republican State Committee Member Withdraws and Endorses Dan Meuser

Conservative activist and Republican State Committee Member Don Ely today announced that he was withdrawing from the race for the Republican Nomination for Congress and endorsed Dan Meuser.

“I believe Dan Meuser is the candidate who can unite conservatives and defeat liberal Chris Carney in the fall and that is why I am joining Dan’s team,” Ely said at a news conference arranged by WKOK radio station and in a letter to supporters.

Don Ely, a former school teacher, praised Dan Meuser’s experience in the private sector as President of Pride Mobility.

“Dan Meuser is the only candidate who has business experience running an international corporation, managing a large payroll, investing in our area, and creating a large number of jobs,” Ely said. “This unique experience will prepare Dan well to lead not only in Washington, but locally as well. Dan has an exceptionally organized campaign.”

Ely also cited Dan Meuser’s conservative values as a reason he was supporting his campaign.
“Dan Meuser has the right conservative values,” Ely said. “Dan opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants, supports securing our borders, and will defend America against the liberals who seek to weaken America’s sovereignty. He will fight for lower taxes and will oppose liberals who want to increase the power of the federal government at the expense of the freedom of the individual. As our Congressman, Dan will stand up for traditional marriage, the rights of the unborn, and the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution.”

“Don’s endorsement means a lot to our campaign,” Meuser said. “Don has shown himself to be a stalwart conservative, working for conservative causes across this district and across the country. I am honored to know that Don looked at all the candidates running for Congress and decided that I was the candidate to best represent our district.”

Don Ely will serve as a Senior Advisor to the Meuser campaign.

10th CD update

Candidates are dropping in and out of the race for the Republican nomination in Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District. The big news today is that former New Jersey state senator John Scott has withdrawn from the contest.

That leaves 4 announced candidates, Chris Hackett, Shavertown, owner of One Source Staffing; Dan Meuser, Harveys Lake, president of Pride Mobility Products; Donald Ely, Sunbury, a retired schoolteacher and minister; and Paul R. Swiderski, Harding, self-employed. Previously Joe Peters and Tom Marino ruled out a bid and Vince Sweeney is still thinking about it.

There is still time for someone else to jump into this thing and a commenter gives us a heads up to another prospective candidate; I heard that Amber from Club 10 will enter the race. She is raising funds Thursday night in the VIP room.

The announced candidates have websites in various stages of development.

Incumbent Democrat Chris Carney's site has just been given a makeover.

Paul Swiderski was the first of the challengers to pop up on the web. The best feature of it is his campaign blog.

Dan Meuser has his bio and sketches out some policy positions with a promise of more content to come.

This one is my favorite so far. Don Ely has bullet points saying what he is for and against without any explanation of his positions. I'm sure he will expand on them later. Some of what he OPPOSES caught my eye; Law of the Sea U. N. Treaty, U. N. Taxing of Americans, North American Union and the ever popular The Whole Liberal “Hate America” Agenda.


Chris Hackett is a slacker in this category with only a Coming Soon. But he got some press this week with the Pocono News and The Wayne Independent covering his announcement tour. And the DC publication The Hill has this blurb:

Republican candidates hoping to unseat vulnerable House Democrats by and large are sticking by their party’s line in opposition to the children’s healthcare bill President Bush vetoed earlier this month....if GOP congressional hopefuls are fearful that backing Bush and the House Republican leadership against the SCHIP bill will hurt their campaigns, they aren’t showing it in their public statements.

In Pennsylvania, businessman Chris Hackett, one of two top Republican contenders running against Rep. Chris Carney (D), cited Carney’s vote for SCHIP as one of several that “don’t reflect the values of the district in any way, shape or form.”

Asked if the president was right to veto the bill, Hackett said, “Absolutely, yes.”

Ace TL political reporter Bill O'Boyle has the spin from the NRCC and Carney's office on the race.

Ken Spain, press secretary at the National Republican Congressional Committee, said he’s not surprised by the large field.


“Chris Carney’s record of voting for tax hikes and runaway spending has made him an easy target so it should come as no surprise that he has attracted stiff Republican opposition in this race,” Spain said. “Every day that he allows himself to serve as a rubber stamp for this wildly unpopular Democrat-led Congress, he provides more incentive for Republican challengers to line up against him and send a message to Washington.”

That drew a response from Rebecca Gale, spokesperson for Carney in Washington.

“Congressman Carney is proud of his record as a fiscal conservative,” Gale said. “The NRCC is just grasping at straws since their first-tier candidates have already backed away from challenging Congressman Carney.”

It's good to see Hackett address the issues in the news. I've asked the other candidates to tell us what they think of the SCHIP bill but for some reason they are being shy. I disagree with Hackett on this issue but he his willing to take a position and defend it.

Paul Swiderski for Congress

We have another Republican candidate in the Pennsylvania 10th Congressional District. At rate this is going we could have a primary with so many candidates that 25% of the vote could win the nomination.


That makes 4 declared candidates, the others are John Scott, Don Ely and Chris Hackett. A few others are thinking about a run including Dan Meuser, who made news this week by buying a new house that is actually in the district. He is moving from his $2 million digs in Jackson Twp that is just outside the district into a more modest $500,000 adobe in Harveys Lake.


Here is Paul Swiderski's email announcement via a few friends:

Dear Sir/Madam:

I am writing to introduce myself as a GOP candidate for U.S.Representative for Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District and to request your support.

Among the candidates competing for the opportunity to take back the seat lost to Chris Carney last election, only I can relate to, in all respects, the people, values and issues impacting the people of the 10th Congressional District. I am a small business owner who has the same concerns as most of the people in the district. The need for affordable quality health insurance, lower gas prices and home heating costs, lower taxes, and accountability in government top the list of concerns. I truly care about the people and future of northeastern Pennsylvania(NEPA).

There is a lack of good paying professional jobs in the region,which is causing our young talent who were born in, grew up in, and went to school in NEPA to leave the area, and in most cases, the commonwealth of PA altogether. There is also a growing elderly population in NEPA, and if people are leaving because of a lack of professional jobs, there will be a lack of tax revenue needed to effectively sustain the economy and our parents and grandparents.

The Wilkes-Barre and other local Chambers of Business and Industry (AKA, Chamber of Commerce), together with area democrats, have stood in the way of economic growth. If this trend continues, our area's economy will continue to move on a downward spiral.

In short, I am running for Congress because I want a better, stronger, healthier United States of America and a better NEPA. I am respectfully requesting your consideration to endorse my candidacy and support this campaign. Feel free to contact me to inquire about my position on the issues and/or to arrange for a meeting.

Sincerely,

Paul R. Swiderski, MBA

Candidate for U.S. Representative10th Congressional District (Pennsylvania)

He is also the first Republican candidate with a website: www.abetternepa.org

The site has a campaign blog that throws the first punch in the race:

Dan Meuser doesn't represent the people of PA 10th District

Dan Meuser is a very wealthy man who is willing to spend over $1.2 million of his own money to run for U.S. Representative in Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District. The majority of the people living in the district do not have anywhere near that amount of money to use as discretionary funds. I don't think he can relate to the average voter when he brags about how much money he has to spend on a campaign out of pocket.

Dan Meuser does not live in the 10th District, but he did casually mention that would just buy another home in the district to run. I'm certain that the average voter in the 10th District can't just buy a second home at free will. Many of the voters whom I spoke to occasionally have problems keeping up with their mortgage and monthly bills. Meuser sounds like a man who doesn't know what it's like to be in a tight money situation when it comes to personal finance.

Dan Meuser contributes money to democrats like Hillary Clinton, Charlie Rangel, Paul Kanjorski and many more, but he's considering running on the republican ticket. Dan Meuser isn't interested in representing the people of the 10th District. He just wants to buy his way into office. Is this the man you want representing you in Congress?

John Scott for Congress

I don't know much about this guy. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think he was state senator in New Jersey then moved to our neck of the woods.


Friends,

After thoughtful discussion with my family and local and national Republican leaders, I filed the necessary papers with the Federal Election Commission to become a candidate Congress in the 10th Congressional District. I believe we must have representation in Washington that will stand up to the bureaucrats and be willing to withstand the pressures of entrenched special interests. Democrats will be nasty and ready to spend whatever it takes to keep this seat. That is why I am asking for your support today.

Working families deserve better than liberal Chris Carney. He and his Democrat cronies mock the values that our brave soldiers fight to protect, and will destroy our economy if given the chance. This is a Republican district and we must take it back now.


In recent weeks, I have met with Republican leaders in Washington and around our district. As a former State Senator, I have withstood attack after attack and won in a heavily Democratic district.


I am running for Congress because we need a representative dedicated to protecting our shared conservative values. My proven record as a former State Senator shows that I have not compromised my principles to be an effective legislator. Based on my proven record of protecting our Constitutional rights, I will be the highest rated candidate by the NRA in this race.

Thank you,


Hon. John P. Scott

That makes 3 declared Republican candidates in the 10th CD in PA. The other 2 are Don Ely and Chris Hackett.

Still no websites.

PA 10th CD update

After a flurry of activity things have been kind of quiet. Only Don Ely and Chris Hackett have officially announced that they are running for the Republican nomination. Dan Meuser's legal troubles over exploding wheelchairs and a sexual harassment lawsuit along with his donations to Democrats provided some fun that I'm sure will be revisited as the campaign heats up. Joe Peters' "poll" gave everybody a nice chuckle. We've had a nice discussion in the comments about these and other pressing issues such as who is pro-life and when they got there, who actually lives in the district and a few swipes about marital status. Meanwhile incumbent Chris Carney is serving on active duty and is busy blowing up things in Iraq by remote control.

In an attempt to elevate the discussion I will be meeting with Chris Hackett on Thursday to discuss boring stuff like issues. I hope to talk with all the candidates before the primary. If anyone has any questions they would like me to ask Chris please leave them in the comments or send me an email. Be nice folks and please keep it clean.