Looks like Pat Meehan will survive the great petition flap, not that there was ever really any question that he wouldn’t.
Still, the battle between Republican Meehan and Democratic state Rep.
Bryan Lentz for the 7th District Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Joe Sestak is looking more and more like a barn-burner that will draw national attention.
You might remember that after word starting getting around that some of the signatures on Meehan’s nominating petitions were not exactly kosher, the Republican made a pre-emptive strike by going to Delco D.A. Mike Green and asking him to probe the problem.
Meehan believed there were four signatures that might have been a problem.
The Lentz camp had apparently gotten word about the petition problems, and were about to blow the whistle on it. A former aide’s wife actually had her name forged on one of the petitions. In reviewing the Meehan petitions, the Lentz folks say the problem was much more widespread than that. In fact, they believed that if their argument held, Meehan might not be left with the required 1,000 signatures to stay on the ballot.
That’s not going to happen. A Commonwealth Court judge upheld some of the challenges to the Meehan petitions, but tossed out a lot of them
There will now be a hearing April 22.
The matter also is being reviewed by state attorney general Tom Corbett, who was handed the hot potato by Green to avoid any appearance of a conflict. Green succeeded Meehan as Delco D.A., is a Drexel Hill neighbor, and contributed to the Meehan campaign.
Lentz doesn’t necessarily think Corbett, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, is the right guy to handle the probe either, since he accepted $1,000 political donatin from the Meehan PAC.
Lentz is calling for a federal investigation of the Meehan petitions.
Don’t look for that to happen either.
But also don’t look for this issue to go away anytime soon.
This red-hot is only going to warm up as fall arrives. And the petition question will be at the center of the conversation.
Still, the battle between Republican Meehan and Democratic state Rep.
Bryan Lentz for the 7th District Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Joe Sestak is looking more and more like a barn-burner that will draw national attention.
You might remember that after word starting getting around that some of the signatures on Meehan’s nominating petitions were not exactly kosher, the Republican made a pre-emptive strike by going to Delco D.A. Mike Green and asking him to probe the problem.
Meehan believed there were four signatures that might have been a problem.
The Lentz camp had apparently gotten word about the petition problems, and were about to blow the whistle on it. A former aide’s wife actually had her name forged on one of the petitions. In reviewing the Meehan petitions, the Lentz folks say the problem was much more widespread than that. In fact, they believed that if their argument held, Meehan might not be left with the required 1,000 signatures to stay on the ballot.
That’s not going to happen. A Commonwealth Court judge upheld some of the challenges to the Meehan petitions, but tossed out a lot of them
There will now be a hearing April 22.
The matter also is being reviewed by state attorney general Tom Corbett, who was handed the hot potato by Green to avoid any appearance of a conflict. Green succeeded Meehan as Delco D.A., is a Drexel Hill neighbor, and contributed to the Meehan campaign.
Lentz doesn’t necessarily think Corbett, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, is the right guy to handle the probe either, since he accepted $1,000 political donatin from the Meehan PAC.
Lentz is calling for a federal investigation of the Meehan petitions.
Don’t look for that to happen either.
But also don’t look for this issue to go away anytime soon.
This red-hot is only going to warm up as fall arrives. And the petition question will be at the center of the conversation.
Comments