A judge’s decision has knocked Steven Porter out of the 3rd District congressional race — which could be a benefit to Democratic challenger Kathy Dahlkemper.

Porter, an Independent candidate from Wattsburg, learned Tuesday morning that Senior Commonwealth Court Judge James R. Kelley upheld a challenge to Porter’s nominating petitions, ruling about 1,500 of them invalid.

That means Porter — who admitted that he helped some registered voters fill out information included in the petitions — falls short of the 2,171 valid signatures he needed to remain on the ballot for the Nov. 4 general election.  read more »

The director of the new state Office of Open Records is criticizing parts of the law that created her department.

Terry Mutchler, a former Associated Press reporter overseeing the office that will handle appeals under the Right to Know Law, said she does not support sections of the law that set lower standards of openness for the Legislature than for other government agencies.

“Down the road I will advocate for a different procedure there,” said Mutchler, 42.

She called the law’s changes “fundamental,” but said in an interview she realizes that most people do not know what to make of her, because of her transition from being a reporter to becoming a lawyer and now, a government bureaucrat.  read more »

This morning, 96 year old Mrs. John McCain spoke to the PA delegation at breakfast. She told us the story about living in the Walnut Street Hotel in Philadelphia in 1941 at the beginning of World War II. She asked the PA Delegation is she could be considered a Pennsylvania resident. The PA delegation wholeheartedly agreed.

The dueling political party conventions over the past week have coincided with a significant build-up of intensity by the presidential campaigns in Pennsylvania.

Sen. John McCain landed in Philadelphia Monday as a toned-down GOP convention kicked off in Minnesota. He is set to make brief appearances in the Philadelphia area today — without any public events scheduled — and is due back in the state next week, with events tentatively planned in Lancaster and Delaware counties, GOP officials said.  read more »

Around 2 p.m. on Monday, Senator Joseph Biden walked up the steps of the home he lived in until he was about 11 years old. His mother, Jean Finnegan Biden, was sitting on a chair waiting for him as he walked up, trailed by Gov. Ed Rendell, Senator Bob Casey Jr., and a passel of hacks and security guards.

Inside, he was greeted by the current owner of the home, Anne Kearns, and three of her adult sons. Mr. Biden reminisced about life in the house, pointing out where the men gathered after Mass to discuss politics and sports, where the women sat around the dining room table covered with a lace tablecloth to drink tea and talk about their kids.  read more »

Now this is the kind of stop that will win over voters. Picking up the tab for everyone at the ice cream stand won’t be forgotten when these people step into the voting booth. (They should have hit Hank’s in NB for the best custard ice cream, though.)

“There’s no pretense here. This really is just about getting some ice cream,” one Obama campaign staffer said.

Obama — ... — was a free spender at the ice cream shop.  read more »

Rob grabbed this interview last night... and with that, I'm hopping on a plane. See you all soon!