Rep. Bill Shuster can sleep a little lighter tonight after Tom Smith announced he will not run for the Republican Party’s nomination for the 9th district next year.
Smith said he would not be starting a campaign for Shuster’s seat “after months of research, meeting with people and deliberating,” citing unexpected health concerns that emerged over that time.
“I’m grateful for all the outpouring of support I received in Pennsylvania and around the country during the past few months as we explored this possible run for Congress,” Smith said in a release. “However, I will not be a candidate for Congress in 2016.”
Smith, a multimillionaire, financed his own campaign in 2012 when he ran against Sen. Bob Casey. Smith lost by a 54-45% margin.
Rumors of Smith’s potential primary campaign against the incumbent began swirling last February, when Smith wrote an Op-Ed announcing he would no longer donate any money to the Congressman.
They intensified when Politico reported that Shuster is dating an airline lobbyist.
For now, though, Congressman Shuster has no primary opponents.
The 9th district consists of all or parts of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland Counties.
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6 Responses
Maybe PA-9 should do something radical, like voting Democratic.
Tom Smith is a nice man, but he is still damaged goods from saying he would put Medicare on the chopping block. All they would have to do is run ads with that video over and over.
Tom Smith isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but Shuster needs to go. Republicans in that 9th district need to realize that 40 years of the same family holding a seat. Now the lobbyist / mistress issue. If could maybe it is better to keep Billy in Congress because if he is ousted, he would probably make millions as a lobbyist himself.
So now Shuster gets to continue trading legislation for sexual favors while the same Republican establishment that impeached Bill Clinton insists that he’s not doing anything wrong.
Reince Priebus should be lecturing Bill Shuster about damaging the Republican brand, not Donald Trump.
Tom Smith lives in PA-03. He should run for Congress there.
Shuster wins again. Sad day for the 9th district.