Loyal Murtha staffer Mark Critz is set to go in the race the 12th district seat with the blessing of the Democratic Party, but according to rival Barbara Hafer, it might not be all green lights ahead. No telling at this point whether the past will come back to haunt Critz, but we’ll be watching closely.

 

 

Either way, Critz will face GOP businessman Tim Burns in the general election after Thursday’s decision by the state party to support Burns over party rival Bill Russell.  Still, the primary battle isn’t officially over – Russell has vowed to fight on, and promises to be a thorn in Burns’ side at least a little longer.

 

 

Dan Onorato put some points on the board with a big endorsement from PSEA-PACE, the PAC of the state’s largest teachers’ union. The gubernatorial s race has been something of a snoozer so far, so a solid endorsement can go a long way.  Two months until the primary.

 

 

Jason Altmire has become the face of Blue Dog Democrat health care conundrum. He’s been singled out as the poster boy for fiscally-conservative Dems that are suddenly finding themselves in a tight spot.  Many of them, including Altmire, voted against passage last fall, but are on the fence now about changing their votes.  He’s even gotten a lot of attention from the POTUS himself.  Will Altmire alienate some of his constituents in a super-competitive district, or go with his party?  Either way, it’s a gamble…hence all the attention.

 

 

Hoping to secure a guilty verdict in a Bonusgate trial one of these days, Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Tom Corbett got a boost this week from a Daily Kos (really) poll placing him ahead of all challengers.  Though the numbers aren’t great, and the vast majority of voters still haven’t made up their minds, good momentum can’t hurt.

 

 

There was a time when former Inquirer columnist Doug Pike looked like a lock for the Democratic nod in Jim Gerlach’s 6th congressional district.  No longer.  Political neophyte Manan Trivedi, a physician and Iraq war veteran, has taken the primary contest by storm, this week securing the support of the Chester and Montgomery County Democrats.  That’s all well and good, but Pike still has significant support from the party infrastructure and, oh, more than a million bucks in his campaign warchest.