Party leaders are eager to demonstrate that they are not just playing defense this election year, and the Red to Blue program, which largely aims to flip Republican-held seats into the Democratic column, is a key part of that strategy. The DCCC has previously named 15 members of the program, bringing the total so far to 26.

Read the rest in Roll Call

Even in a cycle that is favorable to Republicans, Gerlach’s southeast Pennsylvania seat is expected to be competitive. Gerlach won his previous four House races, but never by much. Last cycle, his unheralded opponent held him to just a 4-point win. Meanwhile President Barack Obama won the district by 17 points in the 2008 presidential election.

Read more at CQ

The ad will run on broadcast and cable in the region, according to a press release from his campaign.

The contest between Pike and Trivedi has been heated and competitive, with neither candidate emerging the clear favorite. Trivedi has picked up the endorsements of most local Democrats, including some who earlier supported Pike. But the former Inquirer editorial writer does enjoy a significant cash advantage over Trivedi and the support of many local labor unions.

Democratic congressional candidate Manan Trivedi’s campaign said Wednesday that it had received endorsements from an array of 6^th District officials, including two who had previously supported Trivedi’s primary opponent, Doug Pike.

Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz, a Reading City Council member, and Felice Wiener, former Lower Merion Commissioner, endorsed Trivedi despite previously committing to Pike. Goodman-Hinnershitz, as of Wednesday afternoon, was still included as a Pike supporter on his campaigns’ Web site. Although Wiener wasn’t listed there, the Pike campaign touted her endorsement in a press release last September.

“We find that as more and more people have one on one conversations with Manan Trivedi, the more support he receives,” said Campaign Manager Ed Niles. “Whether those people are voters just finding out about Manan’s race or supporters from other campaigns, people are discovering that Manan really is the best candidate to take on Jim Gerlach.  In every case Manan is proud to have their support.”

Democratic officials switching their support, although a highly unusual event, has become one of the stories in the 6^th District primary. A handful of Democrats have outright changed their endorsement from Pike to Trivedi, such as Reading Mayor Tom McMahon, while others have simply become neutral, such as state Senator Daylin Leach.

“We respect everyone’s decision and look forward to working with them in the general election,” said Pike Campaign Manager Andrew Eldredge-Martin.

Many of them have attributed their switch to Trivedi’s relatively late arrival in the race compared to Pike. The former Inquirer editorial writer declared in April last year and quickly sewed up the support of many Democrats who thought he would run in an uncontested primary.

Trivedi, a physician, has received a great deal of support from local officials, including the Chester County Democratic Committee, while Pike has racked up endorsement from an array of labor groups, such as the AFL-CIO and SEIU.

Fundraising reports, due Thursday, will be critical for both men. Pike, thanks in party to his own personal wealth, had a $1 million advantage over Trivedi to start the year.

The Iraw war veteran also Wednesday touted endorsements he received from the Liberty City Democrats, a prominent LGBT advocacy group.

Each candidate is seeking the Democratic nomination to take on Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach.

UPDATED: To reflect Trivedi campaign comments.

Monday night, two Democratic Congressional hopefuls hashed out their differences for supporters.

Manan Trivedi and Doug Pike debated at Kutztown University.

The two candidates sounded off about the historic health care vote. They agreed change was needed, but they said if it were up to them, they would have gone further.

Congressman Jim Gerlach represents this 6th Congressional District, which includes parts of Berks, Montgomery, and Chester counties.

He said his no vote represented the views of his constituents of the 6th district. The two Democrats vying for his seat obviously disagree.

Health care reform is about to become law. And these two men said they support it.

Pike and Trivedi said what’s missing from the health care bill is a public option insurance plan run by the government to increase competition among insurance companies and reduce cost.

That’s what they want to see, but Congressman Gerlach would say that goes too far and so does this bill.

And while no one in this audience is a Republican, they admitted their neighbors might be concerned about what just passed the house.

These candidates — a journalist and a doctor — said they want everyone in District 6 to look closely at what they would have voted yes for. And they want to turn this red district blue.

Pike and Trivedi saw eye to eye on many of the issues but disagree on the war on Afghanistan. Pike said he supports Obama’s plan for the war. Trivedi said he would like to see a surge in civilian help not troops.

Democratic congressional candidate Doug Pike received the support of the Pennsylvania SEIU on Monday, an important labor endorsement in his primary battle against Manan Trivedi.

The news gives Pike’s campaign a boost after Trivedi received the backing of the Chester and Montgomery County Democratic Committees in recent weeks. Their endorsements were a sign that Trivedi has much of the local Democratic support in the 6^th District, although Pike appears to have corralled the backing of many local unions.

Both men are vying for the right to take on Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach in the fall.

“We are excited to endorse Doug Pike as the best candidate to finally defeat Jim Gerlach,” said Eileen Connelly, Executive Director of the State Council, in a statement. “Doug is a strong, progressive voice for the working families of Pennsylvania with his focus on creating jobs and reforming our broken health care system.  During his campaign, Doug has frequently stood side-by-side with our members and now we are proud to stand with him. When we endorse, it means something. We don’t do paper endorsements.”

Pike’s campaign touted the fact it has received endorsements or financial contributions from 18 unions so far, 15 of which backed the former Inquirer editorialist after Trivedi entered the race.

The primary between the two men is expected to among the state’s most competitive.

Trivedi, a physician, last month won the endorsement of the Chester County Democratic Committee, the largest in the 6th Congressional District.

“Real people participated in the democratic process tonight and expressed their preference by casting votes,” Trivedi’s campaign manager, Ed Niles, said in a statement. “When those ballots were counted, they overwhelmingly choose Manan Trivedi. “With these results, we are hopeful that Democrats from across the district can unify so that we can be sure to put the strongest candidate forward to beat Jim Gerlach.”

Although Trivedi seems to have an advantage of local support over Pike, the former Inquirer editorialist had about $1 million more on hand to start the year, according to campaign finance reports.

Both men are vying for the right to take on incumbent Republican Jim Gerlach.

A day after his inter-party opponent proposed they agree to not use negative personal attacks, Democratic congressional candidate Manan Trivedi responded that such an deal is unnecessary because his campaign has already committed to running a positive campaign.

Former Philadelphia Inquirer editorialist Doug Pike on Monday suggested he and Trivedi sign an agreement that, among other things, would require the candidates call each other personally to apologize if they or their campaigns made any personal attacks. The agreement stipulated the two men focus exclusively on issues to make sure whoever wins emerges from unscathed by criticism and is well-positioned to defeat incumbent Republican Jim Gerlach.

Trivedi formally responded Tuesday in a letter to Pike by saying “from day one” he has run a campaign based on integrity.

“I will continue to run an honest and truthful campaign focused on the vital issues important to families struggling in this economy,” said Trivedi, a physician. “I will present my ideas and qualifications to Democratic primary voters, and will certainly make the case for why I am the better candidate to defeat Jim Gerlach in November.”

Although he didn‘t explicity reject the agreement, he also didn‘t agree to it all the while implicity making the case such a deal is unnecessary. His campaign manager, Ed Niles, also told PoliticsPA on Monday that the offer made Pike “sound like someone who’s afraid of his own record.”

Trivedi also used his letter to take a thinly veiled jab at Pike’s campaign manager, Andrew Eldredge-Martin. He received criticism last year when the liberal Web site DailyKos revealed the staffer had used fake names to criticize Trivedi anonymously on the site.

It is also important to note that I will take personal responsibility for every message my campaign delivers to voters — on the phones, in the mailbox, through the press, and on the Internet,” Trivedi wrote. “I hope you’ll begin doing the same.”

Pike said he initially offered the agreement to head off what some have speculated will be a heated primary. And, in fact, many Democrat do expect the race to be one of the state’s most competitive primaries, with most unsure who to call the favorite at this stage.

Pike held a roughly $1 million financial edge over Trivedi as of the beginning of this year and could potentially dip further into his personal wealth to maintain and expand his advantage. Trivedi has emerged as the more popular pick among many local 6th District officials, and he received an important boost last month when the Chester County Democratic Committee endorsed him.

On Tuesday, the Pike campaign issued a release showing former 6th District candidate Brian Gordon, a Lower Merion commissioner, supported Trivedi signing the agreement.

“I applaud your approach and pledge for positive campaigning,” he said in an e-mail distributed by the Pike campaign. “If Democrats are going to prevail, we must not engage in the politics of personal destruction in an effort to be the nominee of our party.”

Gordon said he remains neutral in the race.

Democratic congressional candidate Doug Pike on Monday proposed he and his inter-party opponent, Manan Trivedi, run “positive” campaigns free of personal attacks on each other, an agreement he said will help the party win the 6^th District seat in the fall regardless of who the nominee is.

Pike, a former editorial writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, proposed the seven-part agreement to Trivedi in a press release. It included rules that would forbid attacks on Trivedi’s family, motivation and qualifications while focusing exclusively on policy differences between the two candidates. Staffers and volunteers would be held to the same restrictions, according to the agreement.

“Today my campaign is proposing a positive campaign pledge for me and my Democratic primary opponent, Manan Trivedi,” Pike said in a statement. “I believe that either of us would be a welcome alternative to Congressman Jim Gerlach, and the best way to ensure that we finally turn this seat blue is to run a positive Democratic primary campaign.”

If the agreement is broken, Pike proposed the candidates call each other to apologize.

The primary between Pike and Trivedi was widely expected to among the state’s most competitive, and it already has sparked several heated exchanges between the two sides. Pike referenced an article on this Web site that stated the contest is expected to be among the state’s “nastiest,” which the former journalist said benefits only the Republicans.

Pike and Trivedi, a veteran and physician, are each seeking the party’s nomination to face incumbent Jim Gerlach.

*Trivedi’s campaign indicated it would not sign the agreement because it would favor Pike.

“It certainly sounds like someone who’s afraid of his own record,” said Ed Niles, Trivedi’s campaign manager.

*UPDATE: Niles emphasized in an interview after this article’s publication that although he stood by his quote, the campaign hasn’t made any decision about whether it will sign the pledge. He said he and Trivedi will discuss the idea Tuesday and make a decision then.

Jim Gerlach and Manan Trivedi both had some good news in the race for Gerlach’s Chester County seat.  Wealthy Republican Steve Welch is now out of the race, clearing the way for Gerlach.  On the other side, physician and Iraq War vet Trivedi got a crucial endorsement from the Chester County Democratic Committee…instead of Doug Pike. You better believe that’s going to be a nasty primary.

Jack Murtha’s loyal district director Mark Critz received the blessing of Murtha’s widow, Joyce, in his quest for his former boss’s seat.   With former Lt. Gov. Mark Singel officially out of the race, Critz will battle with former state treasurer Barbara Hafer for the party’s support and the chance to take on the successful GOP candidate (either Tim Burns or Bill Russell).  Still, the eventual winner might not be in DC for long - the 12th may disappear after post-census re-districting in 2011.

Who knew Paul Kanjorski was hip enough to make it into Rolling Stone?It’s too bad Kanjo didn’t make the cover, though.  How would Corey O’Brien compete with that?

Apparently, attorneys on both sides off Mike Veon’s trial haven’t been playing nice.  Judge Richard Lewis gave them a stern dressing down for their “combativeness” and for “glaring” and “staring” at jurors.  As this trial drags on, the atmosphere will only get worse.  Good luck, Judge Lewis.

This, apparently, is former Rep. Melissa Hart’s car, parked in the House garage down in DC.  Wow.

Top stories this week:

PoliticsPA: United Way gov forum offers few new wrinkles from candidates

Post Gazette: 2 drop out of race as Mrs. Murtha endorses staffer

PoliticsPA: Democrats to nominate Murtha replacement March 8

PoliticsPA: Hoeffel asks why Corbett, Williams didn’t attend forum

PoliticsPA: Specter explains sudden support of reconciliation