By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com
NEW YORK — State Senator Dave Argall publicly acknowledged for the first Saturday that he is considering a run for Congress in the 17h District.
“Talk to me in a couple of weeks,” Argall told reporters during a brief interview when asked about a potential candidacy. He was attending a morning event hosted by the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association at the Metropolitan Club.
The senator said he needed to “check out a few things” before making a decision, although he confirmed he was in Washington earlier this week to discuss a campaign against Democrat Tim Holden.
Rumors about Argall’s candidacy have swirled for the last month, even after the possible candidate publicly denied any interest.
Several Republicans with knowledge of Argall’s thought process have told PoliticsPA they think the senator has already decided to challenge Holden.
Republicans are bullish about Argall’s chances against the longtime incumbent Holden because they think the state lawmaker can cut away the congressman’s base of support in Schuylkill County. Holden usually wins the county with three-fourths of the vote, but Argall is a longtime state legislator from the area.
Charlie Gerow, a Harrisburg-based GOP consultant, called Argall a “very, very strong candidate.”
“I think he has a very decent chance of winning,” he said.
Democrats have said Republicans are underestimating Holden’s popularity in the district. Although it slightly favored Republican Presidential candidate John McCain last year, the “Blue Dog” Holden retains strong ties to many otherwise Republican locals.
The 17th District, located in Pennsylvania’s midstate, includes all of or parts of Dauphin, Schuylkill, Perry, Lebanon and Berks counties.
Tags: Dave Argall, Tim Holden
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Tim Holden has weakened his Democratic base by his failure to support traditional Democratic positions, most importantly of all, the healthcare insurance reform legislation which recently passed the House. It will be difficult for him to muster a great deal of enthusiasm for his re-election campaign.
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