Patrick Meehan a Republican from Pennsylvania’s
7th congressional district is up for reelection. His opponent in
this election is Democrat Mary Ellen Balchunis, a Political Science
professor
at La Salle University. The 7th
district is a very safe Republican area which means that Meehan most likely
will get reelected. However, if he is
not reelected it will show a dramatic political shift in Pennsylvania.
Pat Meehan is a pointedly “Moderate”
Republican, he is part of the Main Street Republicans and has voted
accordingly. As a Republican he votes against most of the Democratic economic
policies, defund NPR and he endorsed and for the Cut, Cap and Balance act.
However, Pat Meehan was one of the few Republicans to fully endorse the
Violence against Women act (VAWA) and took part in the Protest of the House
Republican “watered down” version.
The Cut, Cap and Balance act was a
bill to cut federal spending by $111 trillion and to add a constitutional
amendment with a cap at how much the government can spend. It was a Republican
bill and in the House it was voted upon party lines with only two Republicans
voting against it.
The House Republican Violence
against Women act removed most funding for domestic violence groups as well as
projecting a narrow view of what domestic violence was and who was “protected”.
As a former Attorney General, Patrick Meehan is a strong supporter of the original
VAWA bill and joined the Democrats in contesting it.
Mary Ellen Balchunis is a very
liberal Democrat and endorsed by Bob Brady, Sierra Club, The National
Organization for Women as well as local unions and environmental groups. She is
pro sensible gun control, and supports the Affordable Care Act. This draws a
stark contrast to Pat Meehan’s Republican stance on those issues. Mary Ellen’s
victory in a Republican safe zone would be a radical change of pace for
Pennsylvania.
Congressman Patrick Meehan :
Home." Congressman Patrick Meehan : Home. http://meehan.house.gov/
(accessed September 26, 2014).
Kopp, John. "La Salle
professor to take on Meehan; Brady gains backing." La Salle professor to
take on Meehan; Brady gains backing.
http://www.delcotimes.com/government-and-politics/20140220/la-salle-professor-to-take-on-meehan-brady-gains-backing
(accessed September 26, 2014).
"Mary Ellen Balchunis -
Congress | Home." Mary Ellen Balchunis - Congress | Home.
http://maryellenforcongress.com/ (accessed September 26, 2014).
"The Voter's Self Defense
System." Project Vote Smart. http://votesmart.org/candidate/119474/pat-meehan#.VCVwPBb46Fo
(accessed September 26, 2014).
I found that overall everything stated was very interesting. It would definitely shift the republican dominated area and make Pennsylvania an overall very interesting area to focus on. I wonder what kind of effect a very liberal candidate would have on the state of Pennsylvania
ReplyDeleteI saw that Meehan knew the niche that he had in Pennsylvania's 7th district by obviously voting down any democratic measure to increase spending. However I did find it surprising that he did vote for the Women's Right Act in the sense that most republicans did not reach across party lines to do so. This may be a sign that he is reaching out to potential women voters as he faces the upcoming threat made by Mary Ellen Balchunis campaign.
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