Bethlehem Mayor and 15th CD candidate John Callahan (D) raked in a cool $380,000 during the last fundraising quarter, topping incumbent Charlie Dent (R) for the second consecutive quarter.  Callahan’s haul puts him on even financial footing with Dent, and at this early stage in the campaign, it’s clear that Dent will have a much tougher time with the longtime favorite of Lehigh Valley Dems than he did with Siobhan Bennett in ’08.

 Republicans in DC are thrilled to have Jim Gerlach back in the race for his 6th District seat, but local GOP hopefuls aren’t nearly as happy about it.  State Rep. Curt Schroder made it clear that he didn’t like Gerlach’s re-entry to the race at this stage, and Steve Welch (who hasn’t officially ended his campaign) knows that without support from the national party, he isn’t getting elected.  Something tells us Welch and Schroder aren’t Leno fans, either.  Remember kids, you can do anything you want in life, unless Jim Gerlach wants to do it, too. 

Proponents of a natural gas extraction tax were encouraged this week when news that Gov. Rendell would continue to push for the legislation broke.  Rendell’s office assures us that the Guv is not waddling like a lame duck yet, but he’ll have to hurry if he wants to address the gas tax, legislative re-districting, and campaign finance laws, among other things.

Tom Corbett on Saturday surprised some observers when he didn’t rule out a tax increase if elected govenor, calling it a “last resort.”  Keeping such an increase on the table might be good government, but it isn’t great politics in a Republican primary.  Yes, state Rep. Sam Rohrer remians a long-shot, but expect the longtime lawmaker to emphasize those remarks early and often on the campaign trail. 

 In the blink of an eye, Pennsylvania House Democrats are suddenly without their core leadership.  News of Democratic Speaker of the House Keith McCall’s retirement surprised most around the Capitol this week, and it puts his caucus in a very difficult position.  So far, they’ve lost Majority Whip Bill DeWeese (indicted) and the man who replaced him, state Rep. Frank Dermody, might face another difficult re-election campaign.  Majority Leader Todd Eachus, of course, is an apparent focus of the AG’s “Bonusgate” investigation, and nobody knows how that will turn out. 

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan agreed to participate in the federal Race to the Top program, allowing Philadelphia to apply for millions of new dollars to implement  programs to benefit Philadelphia students and teachers. Jordan’s bold move  gives the district more flexibility in making sweeping staff changes at schools that don’t make the grade.

Tags: Up & Down

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