If Joe can turn things around this year, Scott will be a hot commodity. Another 3-9 season certainly won't help Scott.
In fact another 3-9 season will sour much of PA on ALL things Paterno.
Posted on 04/27/2004 9:29:15 PM PDT by FlJoePa
PHILADELPHIA - The son of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno narrowly defeated a former Nittany Lions linebacker and four other candidates Tuesday in one of the nation's most crowded Republican congressional primaries.
Scott Paterno, an attorney with little political experience but a legend for a last name, battled with five other Republican hopefuls in the 17th Congressional District for the right to tackle the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Tim Holden, in November.
In another hotly contested U.S. House primary, incumbent Republican Rep. Bill Shuster faced a stiff challenge from Michael DelGrosso in the 9th District.
With 79 percent of precincts reporting, Shuster had 28,489 votes, or 50 percent. DelGrosso, whose family owns a well-known Italian food company and an amusement park, led with 28,200 votes, or 50 percent.
In seeking his second full term, Shuster was seeking to keep alive a political dynasty in the district, which stretches across parts of 15 counties in central Pennsylvania. He won a special election in 2001 when his father, former Rep. Bud Shuster, retired after 28 years in office.
DelGrosso, a Naval Academy graduate and former federal government consultant, campaigned on the need for new political blood in the district. The candidates also skirmished over whether Shuster's camp sent a former aide to spy on DelGrosso - a charge the congressman denied.
In other races, 10 candidates battled for a pair of seats being vacated by congressmen who were running against U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.
A pair of Democrats and a trio of Republicans grappled in northeast Philadelphia and suburban Montgomery County for control of the 13th District seat being given up by Democratic Rep. Joe Hoeffel.
In the Lehigh Valley, two more Democrats and three more Republicans fought for control of the 15th District seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Pat Toomey.
All 17 incumbent members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation were on the primary ballot Tuesday, but only three of them, all Republicans, faced opposition. Races in only four House districts were considered highly competitive.
In the 17th District, which experts believe could be won by as few as 20,000 votes, Paterno's lineage was seen as giving him a slight advantage over the five other candidates running for the seat that encompasses Harrisburg, rural farmland and former coal towns in central Pennsylvania.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, Paterno led with 26 percent. Teacher Ron Hostetler had 23 percent. Retired Pennsylvania National Guard Gen. Bill Lynch had 17 percent. Real estate agent Sue Helm had 12 percent. Accountant Frank Ryan had 11 percent. Attorney Mark Stewart had 10 percent.
All six considered themselves conservative Republicans who are pro-gun, anti-abortion and on board with President Bush's agenda.
Paterno, at 31 the youngest of the candidates, briefly worked as a legislative aide. His opponents accused him of trading on the family name, which helped him attract former President George Bush to a Washington fund-raiser on his behalf.
Also, his writings while a columnist at PSU on Bill Clinton are infamous. He basically accused him of conspiring to commit numerous murders.
Check out his site and let's get behind him this Fall!
If Joe can turn things around this year, Scott will be a hot commodity. Another 3-9 season certainly won't help Scott.
In fact another 3-9 season will sour much of PA on ALL things Paterno.
Paterno wins Republican congressional nomination
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
BY BRETT LIEBERMAN
The Paterno name has been linked with victory, and Scott Paterno may have needed that name recognition to score a win last night.
Paterno, a Derry Twp. attorney and the son of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, led a six-person field seeking the Republican nomination for the 17th Congressional District.
He will face U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-Schuylkill County, in November. Holden was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Paterno had 19,227 votes, or 27 percent. In second place was Ron Hostetler, a Milton Hershey School Teacher who played linebacker at Penn State in the 1970s, with 15,339 votes, or 21 percent. The other candidates were well behind.
The GOP primary was one of the region's most contested elections in decades. None of the six had been well known to voters before the contest.
Paterno declared victory around 11:45 p.m. after narrowly leading Hostetler through most of the night. He was joined by his family -- including his father -- on the stage of the Hershey Italian Lodge while the song "Eye of the Tiger" blared.
"Tonight is a great night. We won," Paterno said.
Paterno credited his opponents for a tough campaign, which he described as "an embarrassment of riches."
He said he planned to go to Washington, D.C., in the morning and begin working on what he called a difficult fight against Holden, a seasoned campaigner.
Hostetler conceded at 11:55 p.m. after Paterno was already on television talking about the challenge.
"Tell your dad you're the one calling the plays," said Hostetler.
Party leaders and campaign aides gave Paterno, a Derry Twp. attorney, an edge because of his famous last name. Paterno, 31, practiced law in Harrisburg and worked for state Sen. Majority Leader David R. "Chip" Brightbill, R-Lebanon.
But Hostetler, Lebanon accountant Frank Ryan and Bill Lynch, a retired general who led the Pennsylvania National Guard, were seen as strong contenders.
Harrisburg attorney Mark Stewart and Sue Helm, a Lower Paxton real estate broker, also had significant bases to draw upon.
Paterno's father and his brother Jay interrupted a recruiting trip in Ohio to attend last night's celebration and watch election returns along with Paterno's mother, Sue.
Paterno has been criticized by his opponents about his lack of work and community experience, and for running a campaign based solely on his father's famous last name.
But Jay Paterno said such criticism was unfair.
"Everybody in life has advantages and disadvantages," he said. "The kid's really talented."
Paterno and his family contributed at least $30,000 of the $262,000 his campaign raised. But Paterno lent his campaign another $171,000 using money gifted to him and from a blind family trust established by his parents.
"Ultimately, what people are looking for is potential," said Brightbill.
"More importantly than that, I think Scott Paterno is going to be a great congressman," Brightbill said.
As many as 40 percent of voters remained undecided as they headed to the polls.
Voters said they had difficulty choosing among the candidates because none stood out and their positions overlapped.
"When you have this many candidates on there it's like choosing from a menu where you like a couple things about each candidate, but trying to match them up is difficult," Mark Kozak said.
Kozak declined to say who he voted for but said his decision came down to having met a candidate.
"It's a genuine crap shoot," said G. Terry Madonna, a Millersville University political scientist. "It always comes down to personal contacts, who you visited, who gets a call on behalf of someone."
Paterno's name appeared to win as many votes as it turned off.
"He's a little young and inexperienced," said retired AMP worker Eli Mioff of Lower Paxton Twp., who said he voted for Lynch because of his military experience.
Ray and Dorie Archihofsky of Linglestown said they voted for Paterno, though their support was qualified. "He has the best-known name, even though I have my doubts he can beat Holden in the fall," Ray Archihofsky said.
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