Stollsteimer Won’t Challenge Meehan; Eyes Auditor General Bid

By Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor

Delaware County Democrat Jack Stollsteimer won’t challenge freshman Rep. Pat Meehan in 2012, PoliticsPA has learned.

One of the Democratic Congressional Committee’s primary recruits in Pennsylvania, Stollsteimer was an assistant District Attorney (under Meehan) in Delaware County, and recently served as Philadelphia’s Safe Schools Advocate. He currently works in the Pa. Department of the Treasury.

Instead, he’s eyeing the office of Auditor General.

“I can confirm that I’m exploring running for Auditor General. It’s an office that appeals to me. I think I can do good public service as a tough, independent auditor of the Corbett administration,” he said. “From my experience in state government I know how important this job is, and i think at this time in my life it’s something I want to do.”

He would join York lawmaker Eugene DePasquale in the Democratic primary. DePasquale has been on the trail for several months, and has acquired up numerous endorsements including Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.

On the Republican side, Chester County Treasurer Ann Duke is in the running. Pa Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny) is also in the mix, and MSNBC pundit and school choice advocate Joe Watkins has also been mentioned as a possible contender.

As for who Democrats recruit to run in Pa-7, observers are watching Joe Sestak. Stollsteimer had repeatedly said that he would not get in the race if Sestak decided to run. A source close to Stollsteimer said that wasn’t the direct cause of his Auditor General decision, but said that he did anticipate a Sestak congressional candidacy. A few local Democrats say that the former Congressman and 2010 Senate candidate has popped back on the radar in recent weeks.

Sestak said there had been no change in his status from before.

“I’m just trying to make up my mind what to do,” Sestak said. “It will be public service. Whether it’s elected office or not, I have to decide. If so, what level, and if not, what issues to I want to pursue. It’s been absolutely no change in the past year.”

5 Responses

  1. It’s actually a nice and helpful piece of info. I’m happy that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.

  2. Who can even speculate what Sestak will do? As for jack s, he may be too late to this dance. Only one of the dem ag candidates can move over to that row. And Meehan is always vulnerable

  3. I didn’t hear anything about Sestak showing up at the Pennsylvania Society events in NYC (where one would expect to see candidates).

    If you track Sestak’s statements as to when he’ll announce his decision, the time frame is March (which is a month after petitions). I suspect that Sestak is working on a book and will be releasing it around then to combine a book tour with a run for office.

    Rob- Excellent points (especially long trip because Sestak’s home is in Virginia). I agree that Sestak appears to be setting himself up for Gov race, which is a shame because he’d be a terrible Governor who would drive talented people out of government service. He was a disaster as a boss when he was in Congress.

  4. I know Delco Democrats want to believe it, but Joe Sestak will not run for Congress from the 7th District this year. He has been traveling around the state, and his recent trips to places like Armstrong County would be a waste of time if he wanted to run for Congress again (and it is a very long trip from his home). Instead, Sestak is preparing to run for Governor in 2014.

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