PA-8

Continuing its attempt to catch up with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's (D-NY) considerable ground operation in Pennsylvania, the campaign of U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will open an office in Bucks County Wednesday evening.

The office, in Warminster, will officially open at 6 p.m. Republican Tom Manion, who is running against U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Bristol) in the 8th Congressional District, will speak on McCain's behalf, Manion's campaign said today.

Of the critical counties in the Philadelphia suburbs, Bucks County, with large swaths of blue-collar voters, is one that analysts give McCain the best chance of winning. 

Jay Russell was hoping to run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Bristol) and Republican Tom Manion.

But Constitution Candidate hopeful dropped his election bid this week before a hearing was set for a challenge to his candidacy, The Bucks County Courier Times reports.

Tom Lingenfelter, a Doylestown political activist running as an Independent in the 8th Congressional District race, had claimed in court papers that more than 2,500 of the signatures collected for Russell's nominating petitions were invalid.

GOP candidate for state Treasurer Tom Ellis went colonial for his turn at Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky's Comedy NightPHILADELPHIA-There were jokes about John McCain's age. Jokes about Gov. Ed Rendell's robust figure. Jokes about Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's nerdy voice. And, oh, were there ever jokes about Vince Fumo's witness list.

And that was all before Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr made a surprise appearance.

It was one of the local political establishment's favorite nights here Tuesday night, as candidates for statewide races, Congressional races and down-ballot race joined a bevy of political insiders for Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky's annual Candidates Comedy Night. In its 18th year, the fundraiser for a children's charity put more than a dozen political candidates on stage, not to campaign, but to make people laugh.

"The candidates before me tonight are not professional comics," Bykofsky warned his audience before U.S. Rep. Bob Brady opened the show. "They will prove that in a moment."

As a member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Patrick Muphy (D-Bristol) has an automatic ticket to Denver this month as a superdelegate to the Democratic Convetion. He even has been given a special speaking role, with the freshman incumbent and Iraq war veteran expected to give a tribute to veterans the night before U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) accepts the party's nomination for president.

But in an unusual campaign tactic, his opponent in the 8th Congressional District, Tom Manion, says Murphy should be staying home to deal with problems in the district, The Bucks County Courier Times reports.

"Instead of being out there giving speeches on the convention floor, he ought to be back here and working to figure out what we can do with the energy crisis we have,” Manion said.

Manion is not attending the GOP convention next month, but he is not a voting delegate to the convention like Murphy. 

With six U.S. House races in play this fall, Pennsylvania has the largest number of competitive congressional races than any other state in the country, a new Politicker.com report shows.

The Pindell Report, which launched today, aims to provide the country's most dynamic and richly reported ranking and analysis of U.S. Senate, U.S. House and gubernatorial races, plus presidential swing states.

The report, named for Politicker.com Managing Editor James Pindell, shows that of the 435 U.S. House races nationwide six -- the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th and 11th district races -- are among the top 59 the report is tracking. Two of those races, the 11th and 10th, rank in the top 20 of races.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has some words of advice for U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain as they campaign for the White House:

"They'd be well advised if they didn't promise too much."

That's what Specter, the longtime moderate Pennsylvania Republican, said in a wide-ranging interview with the editorial boards of The Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. He had plenty more to say about both candidates' chances in the state, and also offered his thoughts on Bucks Couny's 8th Congressional District race and his own next election run.

With NBC's Chris Matthews rumored to be considering a run against Specter as a Democrat in 2010, the incumbent said he wasn't concerned.

 "Like Satchel Paige said, "I don't look too far behind me because they might be gaining.'" Specter said. "The right wing doesn't like me, so I'm sure I'll have an opponent each way."

One of the more tightly-contested Congressional races in the state got another candidate last week, after a Northampton farmer filed petitions to get on the ballot in the 8th Congressional District.

Jay Russell, 47, is running as a Constitution Party candidate, The Bucks County Courier Times reports. He joins U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Bristol), Republican Tom Manion and Independent Tom Lingenfelter in competing for the seat, which is mostly in Bucks County.

Despite the new competition, it remains largely a two-man race between Murphy and Manion, one national Republican strategists have said they think they can win.

Russell acknowledged his long-shot odds.

"Miracles happen, but the odds are against me," he told The Courier Times. "I want to give people a real choice."

Despite loads of talk about competitive Congressional races in the Philadelphia suburbs, there are growing indications that the real races to watch are elsewhere in the state. Independent political reports have increasingly spotlighted the 3rd, 10th and 11th Congressional Districts as the most competitive, and G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster said that's where his polling resources are likely to be concentrated.

Madonna told PolitickerPA.com that Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta's challenge to U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke) in the 11th district, as well as Kathy Kahlkemper's challenge to U.S. Rep. Phil English in the 3rd district and Chris Hackett campaign against U.S. Rep Chris Carney (D-Dimock) in the 10th district, will be the most competitive.

He did question recent reports that Kanjorski's race against Barletta is close to a toss-up, saying that while the race would be competitive, Kanjorski's long-held ties in the district would see him through the race.

Madonna downplayed assertions that Republicans Craig Williams and Tom Manion are likely to unseat U.S. Reps. Joe Sestak (D-Egdmont) and Patrick Murphy (D-Bristol). Not that those districts will go unwatched, as they are likely to be key swing areas in the state's presidentail race.

Madonna said he will likely poll in the 3rd, 10th and 11th district races instead of the ones in the Philadelphia suburbs.

U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy: Campaign photoU.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Bristol) has more than $2 million in cash on hand for his re-election campaign after raising almost $750,000 in the second quarter, according to campaign finance reports published today.

Murphy's healthy fundraising clip comes as Republicans are targeting his 8th Congressional District, where he faces Republican Tom Manion.

Manion raised $241,000 of his own in the second quarter and has almost half a million dollars on hand himself.

When the clock strikes midnight, donations for the current federal campaign finance quarter end and candidates will have to report whatever cash they have managed to raise. Candidates on all levels made last-ditch pitches for some extra dough in the final hours.

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) kicked off the requests at 9:16 this morning, telling supporters in an email that "right now is the time to step up and own a piece of this campaign."

After the presidential candidate made his appeal, the congressional candidates jumped in.