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Stepping up his long-shot campaign against Democrat Larry Farnese, Republican Jack Morley will be airing two TV commercials in the coming weeks.

It's an ambitious effort by Morley--boosted by recently improved fundraising--in an overwhelmingly Democratic district where he is a virtual unknown. The spots could air as soon as this week on the local Fox station in Philadelphia.

Farnese and Morley are running to replace retiring state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia), who is currently on trial for corruption, in the 1st Senatorial District. Farnese won a hotly contested Democratic primary, and is expected to sail to victory.

But Morley will continue his efforts to link Farnese to the indicted Fumo.

For state Sen. Vince Fumo, it's time to play the waiting game.

The Philadelphia Democrat's massive corruption trial has been delayed yet again, this time for a month while the presiding judge recovers from an illness, The Inquirer reports.

U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn Jr. sasid he had not yet recovered from what he has described as a virus. Yohn was noticeably sick lastweek during jury selection, The Inquirer reports.

Fumo is retiring from the First Senatorial District seat he has held for three decades to fight the 139-count federal indictment. Democrat Larry Farnese is running against underdog Republican Jack Morley to replace him.

PHILADELPHIA-With his election virtually assured but his campaign still deeply in debt after a fiercely competitive primary, Democratic state Senate candidate Larry Farnese is preparing an aggressive fundraising push over the next two months.

Farnese has 11 fundraisers scheduled between now and late October, his campaign manager told PolitickerPA.com, and four more could still be arranged before Election Day. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is scheduled to attend a fundraiser Oct. 23, and City Councilmen Jim Kenney and Frank DiCicco will attend an event Sept. 19.

After narrowly winning the April primary to replace retiring state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) in the 1st Senatorial District, Farnese's campaign was almost half-a-million dollars in debt in late May. Much of that debt from was from loans given by colleagues of Fumo.

Farnese campaign manager Renee Gilinger said the campaign had paid off about $60,000-$70,000 of the debt, acknowledging that "a substantial amount" still remains. She said debts to small vendors had been fulfilled, staff members had been paid and the campaign was confident the remaining balance could be taken care of by the election, with money left to spare for voter turnout and other Election Day efforts in November.

"Obviously we want to settle our debt," Gilinger said. "That's very important to us that we make sure all of our debt from the primary is paid off.

PHILADELPHIA - On the basement wall of Vince Fumo's district office in South Philadelphia hangs a painting that could end up telling his story better than he would hope. It's the famous "Sword of Damocles" piece, depicting the GrState Sen. Vince Fumo: Official Photoeek legend who switched places with a king only to discover a sharp sword looming ominously above him.

"There's always a sword hanging just above you," Fumo said to PolitickerPA.com recently, with a smirk. "The more powerful you get, the bigger a target you become."

The irony is hardly lost on Fumo, the 30-year Democratic state senator and Philadelphia political icon. A massive federal corruption trial, "a cloud" in his words, looms above.

This morning, in James A. Bryne Federal Courthouse here, the lawyers will be picking a jury to determine the fate of Fumo, who faces 139 charges of charges of corruption, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. In an indictment that reads like a textbook on political largesse, Fumo is accused of defrauding taxpayers, a charity and a museum out of millions of dollars he used for personal and political gain, and then seeking to cover it up when authorities started poking around. Fumo has denied any wrongdoing, and in local political circles, what begins today is nothing less than the trial of a lifetime.

It also signals a changing of the guard, with Fumo already having said goodbye to the Senate in an emotional speech in July. Soon, the powerful 1st District, which stretches from the airport to the Delaware River waterfront and includes Center City, will have a new man in Harrisburg.
But it is a sign of senator's continuing power that his almost-certain successor, Democratic nominee Larry Farnese, owes much of his ascension to Fumo's support.

DENVER--For months, former Philadelphia City Controller Joe Vignola was planning to run as an independent for the 1st Senatorial District seat long held by retiring and indicted state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia).

But when Fumo dropped out of what became a tightly-contested April primary that was taken by young Center City lawyer Larry Farnese, Vignola, a lifelong Democrat, decided not to run because it would cause trouble for the party's nominee.

With Democrats overwhelmingly outnumbering Republicans in the district, Republican Jack Morley is not expected to fare well in November.

During a cocktail party here Monday evening for the state delegation, Vignola expressed confidence in Farnese, but also some slight doubts.

"It's going to be a hard act to follow," Vignola said of replacing Fumo, who has held the seat for 30 years but faces a federal corruption trial in September. "The important thing is he has the intellectual ability to learn."

Democratic state Senate candidate Larry Farnese on Monday lambasted the state Supreme Court's recent ruling upholding two casinos' rights to contentious waterfront locations in Philadelphia.

In a statement, Farnese, who is running to replace longtime state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) in the 1st Senatorial District,  said the court "has given away the store."

"While I recognize the benefits of properly developed casinos, I have long been a proponent of re-siting," Farnese said. "When I become your State Senator, I will continue to work to ensure that the voice of the neighborhoods most affected will continue to be heard."

Farnese faces Republican Jack Morley in November. 

PHILADELPHIA -- Larry Farnese certainly heard some crickets as he got off to a rough start in his comedy routine at Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky's Candidates Comedy Night.

But Farnese, the Democratic candidate for the 1st Senatorial District, finished strong with some poetry.

Below is a video of his performance: 

Another computer technician from state Sen. Vince Fumo's office pled guilty to obstruction Tuesday, making him the second technician from Fumo's office who will testify against the Philadelphia Democrat when his trial begins next month.

Mark Eister acknowledged in court that he took part in a conspiracy to obstruct FBI and IRS investigations into Fumo, The Inquirer reports. Fumo, accused of misusing taxpayer and chairty money for personal and political reasons, has denied any wrongdoing, but is not seeking reelection because of the looming trial.

Democrat Larry Farnese is running against Republican Jack Morley to replace the 30-year incumbent in the 1st Senatorial District. 

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."

With state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) scheduled to go on trial in less than a month, the Daily News' political gossip page ponders who might take his place as ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Fumo, the 30-year incumbent who dropped his re-election bid in the spring because of the federal indictment he has to fight this fall, is renowned for the billions of dollars he has brought back to Philadelphia from his perch atop Appropriations.

The contenders to take over the Senate cash register? The Daily News says Fumo is backing state Sen. Sean Logan (D-Allegheny) over some local colleagues.  It was Logan who helped raise significant sums of money for Fumo's preferred replacement, and the eventual primary victor, Larry Farnese.

One of the potential replacements the Daily News says Fumo is spurning in favor of Logan, state Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia), supported John Dougherty, Fumo's bitter political foe, in the primary race against Farnese.