Candidate Rothfus and family
Very good news! This week polling showed that 10 of the 11 races in PA with Democrat incumbents are “in play”, this is up from 8 races just three weeks ago.
Pennsylvania has the opportunity to elect more new limited government candidates to the US House of Representatives than any other state in the Nation on November 2nd. The Eagle Forum and the Pa Coalition for Responsible Government provide this District Focus for your information.
The 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania is home to one of the most competitive races in the nation.
The district includes the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh as well as the counties of Beaver, Lawrence and Mercer. While it has a slight Democratic registration edge, it leans conservative and has voted for Republicans in federal elections over the last decade. In 2008, the district supported incumbent Democrat Jason Altmire with 56% of the vote, while showing 55% support for Presidential candidate John McCain.
Jason Altmire rode the Democratic wave in 2006 when he defeated Republican Melissa Hart with 56% of the vote as part of a backlash against George W. Bush. Republicans immediately targeted this seat after the election, believing that Altmire’s win was a fluke. Melissa Hart announced within months that she would challenge him in 2008.
Aware that Altmire was vulnerable, the Democratic leadership allowed him to vote independently on some issues so that he could portray himself as more moderate than party leaders and hold onto the seat in 2008.
Rep. Altmire claims to be a conservative, yet has voted with Nancy Pelosi 88% of the time. He is clearly a believer in government solutions to problems as seen in his vote for Obama’s stimulus bill. While his no votes on Cap and Trade and Healthcare Reform may appear to be in step with limited government principals, he objects that Cap and Trade did not go far enough, and that the Healthcare Reform Bill did not have an adequate delivery system.
Rep. Altmire’s failure to take clear positions on controversial issues until he has to vote indicates that he is most concerned with keeping the Democratic leadership happy while not upsetting his generally conservative constituents. In addition, recent FEC filings show that while his challenger, Republican Keith Rothfus, outraised Altmire among Pennsylvania residents, Rep. Altmire maintains the lead in special interest money, further indebting him to parties other than his own constituents.
The Republican candidate, Keith Rothfus, on the other hand, is consistently and unapologetically a pro-life, pro-second amendment, limited-government conservative across the board. He has spent most of his professional life in private life; however, he worked from 2005-2007 in the Department of Homeland Security where he created and headed an office to work with faith-based organizations providing disaster relief.
In order to win this election, Mr. Rothfus must overcome a public perception that Congressman Altmire is a conservative. As candidate Rothfus stated in a recent town hall: “If you vote for a $787 million stimulus, you are not a conservative… if you voted for two consecutive 1.5 trillion dollar deficits, you are not a conservative … if the first vote you take after being elected is to make Nancy Pelosi the Speaker of the House, you are not a conservative”.
If you want to donate or learn more about Keith Rothfus please visit his website at: http://www.keithpa4.com.
“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds” – Sam Adams
[From the PA Coalition for Responsive Government - www.parespgov.org]
