Presidential Election

Pennsylvania Election Results 2012

The Keystone State helped Barack Obama win re-election in what was a good night for Democrats across Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania helped President Barack Obama win re-election as U.S. Sen. Bob Casey fended off a feisty challenge from Republican coal magnate Tom Smith in what turned out to be a big night for Democrats in the Keystone State. Democrats held the lead in three state row office races as of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday with close to 98 percent of the vote in, according to unofficial results. Kathleen Kane, a former assistant district attorney from Lackawanna County, made history by becoming the first Democrat and first woman to be elected as the state's attorney general. The Republican candidate, David Freed, is a two-term district attorney in Cumberland County. Democrat Eugene DePasquale of York leads Republican John Maher of Allegheny in the auditor …

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Smith Pouring Millions Into Battle with Casey as Polls Continue to Tighten

SEN. BOB CASEY, left, is challenged by former coal executive TOM SMITH, right.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent HARRISBURG — Polls show the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania has tightened considerably, and finance reports released Monday from the two campaigns show Republican challenger Tom Smith might be in position for a final advertising push. Incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Bob Casey once held a commanding lead in polls, but that has narrowed considerably as Smith, a former coal executive from Armstrong County, is making gains. A poll from Muhlenberg College and The Morning Call released Monday shows Casey leading with 41 percent, and Smith close behind with 39 percent. The poll was conducted via telephone with 438 likely voters, with a margin of error of 5 percent. The poll shows Smith’s favorability rating has …

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State News

Challenger Tom Smith Slams Sen. Bob Casey on Economic Record

Republican Tom Smith is challenging U.S. Sen. Bob Casey on federal spending and Casey's voting record. Smith opposes abortion even in rape cases.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent HARRISBURG — GOP U.S. Senate hopeful Tom Smith grew up on an Armstrong Countyfarm and spent two decades running a coal mining business, both of which he used to illustrate his political agenda. When business is bad, “you downsize.” And if elected, that’s what he’d do to federal agencies, he said, determining which programs could be cut, if not eliminated. Smith shared a farm analogy of a leaking tractor fuel tank to discuss how he’d treat the federal deficit. “Do you continue to keep putting fuel in it? No. Fix the leaks,” Smith said to the media Monday during a Pennsylvania Press Club event at the Harrisburg Hilton.  But his series of fumbling comments regarding his pro-life stance, in which he appeared…

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Election Preview: U.S. Senate

Democratic incumbent Bob Casey Jr. faces a challenge from coal executive and Tea Party founder Tom Smith for the U.S. Senate seat.

Incumbent Democrat Bob Casey Jr. of Scranton, Lackawanna County, faces a well-funded challenge from Republican Tom Smith of Shelocta, Armstrong County, in the race for one of Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senate seats. After a relatively slow start, the race gained momentum, with competing television ads from the candidates.   Smith also made news in an appearance before the Pennsylvania Press Club with remarks about abortion in which he likened a pregnancy resulting from rape to that of a pregnancy in which a child is born out of wedlock. Casey, one of eight children of the late Gov. Robert Casey, is a former teacher and attorney. He won the seat in 2006 after defeating former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a conservative Republican. Prior to …

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