This could wind up being huge news:
This past week a few people have told me that Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien is gearing up for a primary challenge to Kanjo in 2010 for the 10th CD seat. In fact I have found out that Jimmy Siegel, a big Democratic media gun, has been contacted by O’Brien. I’m not still convinced that O’Brien will make the race. I sent an email to him asking for comment. If he answers I will let you know.
Update: Corey got back to me. He neither confirmed or denied my report. We will get together later this week. I asked him if he was running for Congress and he said “I am seriously considering it.”
Everyone here is familiar with Paul Kanjorski, the past-his-prime northeastern PA rep who just barely surived his re-election campaign last year, and only after a barrage of Democratic support. I don’t know a whole lot about Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien, meanwhile, but as an up-and-coming 35-year-old elected official, right off the bat he’s a lot of things Kanjorski isn’t. I do know that he had the courage to come out for Obama last year in an area where Clinton was wildly popular (she took over 70% of the vote in Lackawanna) – and he took his lumps for it. If O’Brien can stand up to the establishment like that, then maybe he really is capable of taking on Kanjorski (or perhaps pushing him into retirement).
In any event, I look forward to learning more about O’Brien’s politics, and getting confirmation of his intentions.
Kanjorski won’t have Obama to save him in 2010; we need someone else. Hopefully Kanjorski will just retire.
The 11th is NOT central PA, it’s northeastern PA.
Any clues pointing to retirement there?
They sure drew one heck of a dummymander. It’s already produced 5 Democratic pickups between 2006/08 in addition to Holden shockingly defeating Gekas in 2002.
And going the other way Kanjorski nearly lost his pro-Dem gerrymandered seat in 2006.
in 2010 I’m happy. O’Brien sounds like an ideal candidate.