03 November 2008
Presidential Politics Muddle Western Pennsylvania Debate
Voters will be weighing corruption and budget in local races
Washington — The Pennsylvania 4th Congressional District candidates for the U.S House of Representatives were set to debate in New Castle, Pennsylvania, on October 16 until the Keystone State’s position as a crucial battleground between the McCain and Obama presidential campaigns prompted a visit by Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
That visit threw the debate into a scheduling crisis from which it never recovered.
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Jason Altmire and Republican challenger Melissa Hart have been arguing ever since over why they could not reschedule.
Hart, who held the congressional seat before Altmire won it in 2006, accuses the Democrat of refusing to debate her, while Altmire says he had planned his last week of campaigning meticulously and could not attend the rescheduled October 28 debate.
The debate went ahead with only Hart, who answered questions from the New Castle audience for 30 minutes and gave opening and closing statements.
In an October 20 poll of 400 likely voters, Altmire enjoyed an 18 percentage-point lead: 53 percent to Hart’s 35 percent, with another 12 percent undecided or unwilling to say. (See “Political Poll Gives Insight into Western Pennsylvania Voters.”)
“BONUSGATE,” BUDGET CONCERNS AT ISSUE IN STATE RACES
Along with making choices for president and Congress, Pennsylvania voters on November 4 will be selecting officials to serve in the state capital at Harrisburg: state attorney general, auditor general, treasurer and representatives in the Pennsylvania Senate and General Assembly.
The Pennsylvania legislature, particularly its Democratic leadership, has been tainted by a scandal known as “Bonusgate,” in which elected officials are alleged to have paid subordinates to block participation of independent and third-party candidates in the 2004 and 2006 elections. (See “Political Volunteers Fish for Voters at Pennsylvania Fair.”)
Incumbent Attorney General Tom Corbett, a Republican, has led the investigation that so far has resulted in the arrest of 12 people connected to the House Democratic caucus. However, his Democratic challenger, John Morganelli, has criticized the absence of Republicans on similar charges, and has said Corbett should have recused himself from the investigation because he previously had accepted campaign contributions from three Republican state lawmakers who served during the time period under scrutiny.
Corbett maintains he is acting in accordance with state law and is investigating and prosecuting cases regardless of whether he knows the people who are involved.
Even though Democratic state Senate candidate Jason Petrella would be a first-time legislator in Harrisburg, his Republican opponent, Elder Vogel Jr., through a series of mailings and television ads, is trying to tie Petrella to former representative Mike Veon, who was among those indicted in the Bonusgate probe.
Portraying Petrella as a political insider, Vogel, a dairy farmer, says he wants to make changes in the state capital.
“It’s time to bring common sense to Harrisburg,” he said during their October 28 debate. “I’m a regular guy who got involved because we need change.”
Petrella countered, “With all due respect, I don’t see how farming will serve you well in the state legislature.”
In the contest to represent Pennsylvania’s 17th state district, which covers parts of Crawford, Mercer and Lawrence counties, in the General Assembly, incumbent Republican Michele Brooks and Democrat Donald “Duke” Whiting are both promising to keep state spending under tight control.
Whoever wins the district will face tough spending decisions, such as how to fund aging highways and bridges and the public transportation system. In 2006, a state commission estimated an extra $900 million was needed for roadwork and $760 million to keep buses in operation.
Pennsylvania’s voters also will face a direct decision, via a question on the ballot, on whether they want the state to issue a $400 million bond to upgrade water and sewage systems around the state.
The referendum spells out what specific services the bond issue would fund, and state officials have been urging their constituents to vote “Yes,” arguing that the debt is necessary to replace leaking equipment that is anywhere from 50 to 80 years old. They also cite the new jobs to be created by the upgrade.
This article is part of America.gov’s continuing coverage of seven of the 435 U.S. congressional districts during the 2008 campaign. Each offers a different prism through which to view U.S. politics. For more information, see U.S Elections — State and Local.
