Santorum's Dem Challenger

[TeePee4Prez]

If Holden were to win the Democratic nomination against Santorum he would have my vote. I would hate to lose him as my Representative, however.

Losing Holden in the geographic position he is would be tough.  I think it would be best for him to stay in PA-17.  He woudl not win Seante because his pro-life views come in conflict with Southeastern PA liberal Democrats.

[Keystone Phil]

Add a new name to the list of possible Democratic primary candidates:

Kathleen McGinty - Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection

From PoliticsPA.com:

It's unofficial: DEP Secretary to run for Senate in 2006.  Multiple sources tell PoliticsPA that DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty is considering a run for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2006.  McGinty has strong ties to the Clinton administration, and served as a policy advisor to the Democratic National Committee and Al Gore.

McGinty's resume can be found at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/mcginty/resume.htm

[Keystone Phil]

If Holden were to win the Democratic nomination against Santorum he would have my vote. I would hate to lose him as my Representative, however.

Losing Holden in the geographic position he is would be tough.  I think it would be best for him to stay in PA-17.  He woudl not win Seante because his pro-life views come in conflict with Southeastern PA liberal Democrats.

If Holden ever hinted at running, state Dems would plead with him to decide against it. Once he leaves that seat, it's going GOP. And like IrishDem said, his chances at winning the nomination aren't good because of his pro life views.

[12th Doctor]

Add a new name to the list of possible Democratic primary candidates:

Kathleen McGinty - Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection

From PoliticsPA.com:

It's unofficial: DEP Secretary to run for Senate in 2006.  Multiple sources tell PoliticsPA that DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty is considering a run for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2006.  McGinty has strong ties to the Clinton administration, and served as a policy advisor to the Democratic National Committee and Al Gore.

McGinty's resume can be found at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/mcginty/resume.htm

HA!  An Environmental Protection Secretary.  She would be crushed in the "T" and Pittsburgh.

[Keystone Phil]

Add a new name to the list of possible Democratic primary candidates:

Kathleen McGinty - Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection

From PoliticsPA.com:

It's unofficial: DEP Secretary to run for Senate in 2006.  Multiple sources tell PoliticsPA that DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty is considering a run for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2006.  McGinty has strong ties to the Clinton administration, and served as a policy advisor to the Democratic National Committee and Al Gore.

McGinty's resume can be found at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/mcginty/resume.htm

HA!  An Environmental Protection Secretary.  She would be crushed in the "T" and Pittsburgh.

And how about the rumors about Street in '06? I mean...are the Dems trying to lose? Do they want to see Santorum re-elected? Most of their rumored candidates are jokes.

[danwxman]

How would an environmental secretary hurt her in Central PA and Pittsburgh...the environment is one of the biggest issues in the state. It would actually help her, of course among Democrats and probably among Republicans too.

[Keystone Phil]

How would an environmental secretary hurt her in Central PA and Pittsburgh...the environment is one of the biggest issues in the state. It would actually help her, of course among Democrats and probably among Republicans too.

Since when was the environment one of the biggest issues here?

[danwxman]

How would an environmental secretary hurt her in Central PA and Pittsburgh...the environment is one of the biggest issues in the state. It would actually help her, of course among Democrats and probably among Republicans too.

Since when was the environment one of the biggest issues here?

Where the hell are you from? The environment has always been one of the biggest issues in PA.

[12th Doctor]

How would an environmental secretary hurt her in Central PA and Pittsburgh...the environment is one of the biggest issues in the state. It would actually help her, of course among Democrats and probably among Republicans too.

Maybe among your circles, but I haven't met many PAers who even would list the environment among the top 5 issues.

Since when was the environment one of the biggest issues here?

Where the hell are you from? The environment has always been one of the biggest issues in PA.

[J. J.]

And how about the rumors about Street in '06? I mean...are the Dems trying to lose? Do they want to see Santorum re-elected? Most of their rumored candidates are jokes.

I wouldn't sell Street short; he has had a long record as a social conservative and fiscal conservative as well.

The problem in '06 is georgraphy.

[TeePee4Prez]

And how about the rumors about Street in '06? I mean...are the Dems trying to lose? Do they want to see Santorum re-elected? Most of their rumored candidates are jokes.

I wouldn't sell Street short; he has had a long record as a social conservative and fiscal conservative as well.

The problem in '06 is georgraphy.

Street??? Are you kidding??  Let me bring my pen to the polls.

[Keystone Phil]

And how about the rumors about Street in '06? I mean...are the Dems trying to lose? Do they want to see Santorum re-elected? Most of their rumored candidates are jokes.

I wouldn't sell Street short; he has had a long record as a social conservative and fiscal conservative as well.

The problem in '06 is georgraphy.

Street??? Are you kidding??  Let me bring my pen to the polls.

Yeah...come on J.J. Being from Philadelphia you should know how big of a joke Street is. Santorum would come close to 60% if Street was his opponent.

And to address Dan's point about the environment, I'd like to ask him this: If the environment has been such a huge issue in PA, why haven't I heard this discussed in the Senate debates this year? Why didn't the PA Dems sponsor an ad for Kerry based on his stances on the environment? I don't think you know what you're talking about. I honestly couldn't tell you when I last heard the environment talked about in a state race.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

If Casey is indeed not running,
I'm really hope Rodin will run.  How unrealistic is this?

[ATFFL]

If Casey is indeed not running,
I'm really hope Rodin will run.  How unrealistic is this?

I dunno, seems pretty unrealistic to me.  After all the drubbings he took from Godzilla I would think he is done.

[Keystone Phil]

If Casey is indeed not running,
I'm really hope Rodin will run.  How unrealistic is this?

Casey isn't running. Rodin is a possibility but only another candidate Santorum will be able to easily defeat.

[No more McShame]

The PA Republican Party is in danger of becoming impotent, but I think that Santorum will defeat almost any challenger that the Dems bring up, unless 2006 is a really bad year for the GOP.

P.S. For those of you Democrats who think that Santorum is dead meat.  You would do well to remember that he currently has the highest approval rating, in his state, of any U.S. Senator.

His approval rating is no higher than Rendell's.  2006 may be a washout for the GOP and Santorum and Coleman (MN) will be prime targets for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.  Neither party should get cocky.  I hate Santorum with a passion, but I know how big PA is and how different it is.  However, the Southeast portion generally agrees with me and will turn out almost the same numebrs they did for Kerry in 2006.  If that's the case, Santorum may have trouble.  Remember, Bush is far less brash.       

Too bad Coleman isn't up for reelection until 2008!

Dayton is up for MN in 2006 and will be the prime target of the RSCC.

[danwxman]

Actually Phil, the environment has been brought up...take a look at this snippet from the Patriot-News today:

"CLEAN ENERGY

The proposal: Requires utilities to move toward generating at least 18 percent of electricity from alternative energy sources. Some clean energy advocates opposed the addition of waste-coal re-use technologies included in the bill.

Status: Passed the House and the Senate. Rendell was expected to sign it into law."

And as you can see it has passed easily.

Anyway, a lot of the sportsmen in Central PA are actually very pro-environment....my old bio teacher in high school was a staunch Republican but a member of the Sierra Club and very liberal on environmental issues. The Sierra Club has some very active chapters across much of Central PA, which is of course very Republican. Pennsylvania also has some of the highest membership in the country for the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

BTW, check this out all you PA people -- great roundup of what has been going on in the Statehouse lately: http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1101032521156290.xml

[Keystone Phil]

Actually Phil, the environment has been brought up...take a look at this snippet from the Patriot-News today:

"CLEAN ENERGY

The proposal: Requires utilities to move toward generating at least 18 percent of electricity from alternative energy sources. Some clean energy advocates opposed the addition of waste-coal re-use technologies included in the bill.

Status: Passed the House and the Senate. Rendell was expected to sign it into law."

And as you can see it has passed easily.

Anyway, a lot of the sportsmen in Central PA are actually very pro-environment....my old bio teacher in high school was a staunch Republican but a member of the Sierra Club and very liberal on environmental issues. The Sierra Club has some very active chapters across much of Central PA, which is of course very Republican. Pennsylvania also has some of the highest membership in the country for the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

BTW, check this out all you PA people -- great roundup of what has been going on in the Statehouse lately: http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1101032521156290.xml

Please tell me the last time you heard the environment brought up as a big topic in a Gubernatorial or Senate race in this state. You keep telling me it's a top issue here.

[danwxman]

Actually Phil, the environment has been brought up...take a look at this snippet from the Patriot-News today:

"CLEAN ENERGY

The proposal: Requires utilities to move toward generating at least 18 percent of electricity from alternative energy sources. Some clean energy advocates opposed the addition of waste-coal re-use technologies included in the bill.

Status: Passed the House and the Senate. Rendell was expected to sign it into law."

And as you can see it has passed easily.

Anyway, a lot of the sportsmen in Central PA are actually very pro-environment....my old bio teacher in high school was a staunch Republican but a member of the Sierra Club and very liberal on environmental issues. The Sierra Club has some very active chapters across much of Central PA, which is of course very Republican. Pennsylvania also has some of the highest membership in the country for the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

BTW, check this out all you PA people -- great roundup of what has been going on in the Statehouse lately: http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1101032521156290.xml

Please tell me the last time you heard the environment brought up as a big topic in a Gubernatorial or Senate race in this state. You keep telling me it's a top issue here.

Well, in the last gubernatorial race both candidates were pro-environment. I'm not going to argue this anymore...the environment has always been a big issue in PA. Just ask Terry Madonna.

[Keystone Phil]

Actually Phil, the environment has been brought up...take a look at this snippet from the Patriot-News today:

"CLEAN ENERGY

The proposal: Requires utilities to move toward generating at least 18 percent of electricity from alternative energy sources. Some clean energy advocates opposed the addition of waste-coal re-use technologies included in the bill.

Status: Passed the House and the Senate. Rendell was expected to sign it into law."

And as you can see it has passed easily.

Anyway, a lot of the sportsmen in Central PA are actually very pro-environment....my old bio teacher in high school was a staunch Republican but a member of the Sierra Club and very liberal on environmental issues. The Sierra Club has some very active chapters across much of Central PA, which is of course very Republican. Pennsylvania also has some of the highest membership in the country for the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

BTW, check this out all you PA people -- great roundup of what has been going on in the Statehouse lately: http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1101032521156290.xml

Please tell me the last time you heard the environment brought up as a big topic in a Gubernatorial or Senate race in this state. You keep telling me it's a top issue here.

Well, in the last gubernatorial race both candidates were pro-environment. I'm not going to argue this anymore...the environment has always been a big issue in PA. Just ask Terry Madonna.

Pro Environment. I love that title. Anyway, I asked when the last time you heard the environment discussed as a big issue in Gubernatorial/Senate race. I know you're avoiding the point. As for Terry Modonna, I watched a few of his lectures on PCN after this election. Times I heard him bring up the enviroment issue: 0.

Now I understand that in certain areas of the state, the enviroment is a big issue. However, I honestly don't believe it's made out to be as big of an issue as you'd like me to believe.

[danwxman]

Actually Phil, the environment has been brought up...take a look at this snippet from the Patriot-News today:

"CLEAN ENERGY

The proposal: Requires utilities to move toward generating at least 18 percent of electricity from alternative energy sources. Some clean energy advocates opposed the addition of waste-coal re-use technologies included in the bill.

Status: Passed the House and the Senate. Rendell was expected to sign it into law."

And as you can see it has passed easily.

Anyway, a lot of the sportsmen in Central PA are actually very pro-environment....my old bio teacher in high school was a staunch Republican but a member of the Sierra Club and very liberal on environmental issues. The Sierra Club has some very active chapters across much of Central PA, which is of course very Republican. Pennsylvania also has some of the highest membership in the country for the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

BTW, check this out all you PA people -- great roundup of what has been going on in the Statehouse lately: http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1101032521156290.xml

Please tell me the last time you heard the environment brought up as a big topic in a Gubernatorial or Senate race in this state. You keep telling me it's a top issue here.

Well, in the last gubernatorial race both candidates were pro-environment. I'm not going to argue this anymore...the environment has always been a big issue in PA. Just ask Terry Madonna.

Pro Environment. I love that title. Anyway, I asked when the last time you heard the environment discussed as a big issue in Gubernatorial/Senate race. I know you're avoiding the point. As for Terry Modonna, I watched a few of his lectures on PCN after this election. Times I heard him bring up the enviroment issue: 0.

Now I understand that in certain areas of the state, the enviroment is a big issue. However, I honestly don't believe it's made out to be as big of an issue as you'd like me to believe.

I don't think I'm making it out to be a bigger issue then it really is...The reason there is not much discussion on it is because the crappy economy and gambling have been taking the forfront in PA politics recently. It was a bigger issue during the 90's, but PA is still very big on the environment and much more then other states.

[Keystone Phil]

Actually Phil, the environment has been brought up...take a look at this snippet from the Patriot-News today:

"CLEAN ENERGY

The proposal: Requires utilities to move toward generating at least 18 percent of electricity from alternative energy sources. Some clean energy advocates opposed the addition of waste-coal re-use technologies included in the bill.

Status: Passed the House and the Senate. Rendell was expected to sign it into law."

And as you can see it has passed easily.

Anyway, a lot of the sportsmen in Central PA are actually very pro-environment....my old bio teacher in high school was a staunch Republican but a member of the Sierra Club and very liberal on environmental issues. The Sierra Club has some very active chapters across much of Central PA, which is of course very Republican. Pennsylvania also has some of the highest membership in the country for the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

BTW, check this out all you PA people -- great roundup of what has been going on in the Statehouse lately: http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1101032521156290.xml

Please tell me the last time you heard the environment brought up as a big topic in a Gubernatorial or Senate race in this state. You keep telling me it's a top issue here.

Well, in the last gubernatorial race both candidates were pro-environment. I'm not going to argue this anymore...the environment has always been a big issue in PA. Just ask Terry Madonna.

Pro Environment. I love that title. Anyway, I asked when the last time you heard the environment discussed as a big issue in Gubernatorial/Senate race. I know you're avoiding the point. As for Terry Modonna, I watched a few of his lectures on PCN after this election. Times I heard him bring up the enviroment issue: 0.

Now I understand that in certain areas of the state, the enviroment is a big issue. However, I honestly don't believe it's made out to be as big of an issue as you'd like me to believe.

I don't think I'm making it out to be a bigger issue then it really is...The reason there is not much discussion on it is because the crappy economy and gambling have been taking the forfront in PA politics recently. It was a bigger issue during the 90's, but PA is still very big on the environment and much more then other states.

Well wouldn't it be fair to say that it's not that big of an issue if it hasn't been discussed for awhile? Don't get me wrong...there are parts of this state where the environment is one of the topic issues. I'm not disputing that. However, on the statewide level, if it hasn't been discussed in awhile, it's not exactly one of the biggest issues.