Free Republic

  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Rep. George W. Gekas said he wasn't worried about his chances Tuesday, when voters in one central Pennsylvania district decided which incumbent congressman they wanted to keep. "I expect the numbers will be favorable," Gekas, stumping in his hometown, said Monday in predicting the results of his race against Democratic Rep. Tim Holden -- one of four campaigns nationwide in which incumbents were pitted against each other as a result of redistricting. "I'm judging from where I go and how I'm received," Gekas said, "and I have a feeling of confidence." But ranking Republicans in...

Liberal label dogs conservative Democrat in key House race By LARA JAKES JORDAN The Associated Press 10/24/02 10:30 AM ST. CLAIR, Pa. (AP) -- Among the baseball-capped beer drinkers at the St. Clair Fish and Game Club, U.S. Rep. Tim Holden takes his place at the bar. The target shooters have hung up their rifles for the night, and the locals -- Holden included -- are watching the Philadelphia Eagles game on TV. "Oh yeah -- all sorts of liberals hang out here," Holden, a Democrat, says sarcastically as he looks around the wood-paneled room. An ad for Holden's Republican...

Gekas On the Ropes? By Lauren W. Whittington At a closed-door meeting Tuesday, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis (Va.) told party leaders that Rep. George Gekas is the only GOP incumbent currently trailing in tracking polls, sparking efforts to aid the endangered Pennsylvanian in his race against Rep. Tim Holden (D). The 72-year-old Gekas, facing his first serious re-election challenge in two decades, is battling Holden, 45, in a race set up by redistricting. Davis' assessment was backed up by a recently conducted Democratic poll that showed Gekas trailing Holden by 10 points. The survey, conducted Sept. 19-21...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans are spending heavily on television advertising for veteran Rep. George Gekas's re-election bid, reflecting concern that the 72-year-old Pennsylvanian is the most vulnerable GOP incumbent at this stage of the campaign.</p> <p>Gekas faces a challenge from Democratic Rep. Tim Holden, 45, in the Harrisburg area, one of four congressional races where redistricting has pitted current lawmakers against each other for the fall campaign.</p>