It was billed as “a kitchen table discussion” with U.S. Senate candidate Peg Luksik — although it actually was in the clubhouse of Hytyre Farms, an upscale housing development in West Deer.

No matter: In this statewide campaign, her fourth since 1990, Ms. Luksik is running once again as a self-described housewife from Johnstown, the sensible, frugal, common-sense candidate who, she tells her audience, “has actually read the health care bill,” and who is tapping into voter anger against Washington.

“You can ask me any question you want except how much I weigh,” added the diminutive, white-haired woman clad in gray slacks, heels and a loose plaid blouse — earning chuckles from a group of about 15 senior citizens (most of them men, most of them self-described conservatives).

She then proceeded with her basic stump speech, delivered at warp speed and littered with statistics, conservative theory and arcana about legislative severability clauses and the federal tax code.

Still, if Ms. Luksik is still running as a housewife, it is most certainly the 3.0 version, given that the former teacher and mother of six also happens to have her own management consultant firm; use the Internet to conduct weekly “tele” town hall meetings (by phone, “with 50,000 close friends listening in,” she says), raise funds and organize volunteers; and manage Johnstown Republican Bill Russell’s congressional campaign to succeed the late John Murtha.

This time, Ms. Luksik is challenging Pat Toomey in next month’s Republican primary, instead of running as a third-party candidate, as she did in two previous elections. That independent streak annoyed GOP party leaders in the past and may be one reason why she’s been all but ignored by them this time — even though she got in the Senate race first, back in January 2009.

That was when Arlen Specter was still a Republican — but before he caught GOP flak for providing the crucial vote for the Democrat’s stimulus package, and Mr. Toomey, who had ruled out a Specter challenge, suddenly changed his mind and got in too.

Read more in the Post-Gazette

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