WARREN – Two legislators called a press conference Friday
morning here to call media attention to two concerns – attack ads
and alleged attempts to influence the upcoming primary race in the
65th District for the state House of Representatives.
“There’s still a preponderance of activity in Harrisburg where
leadership want to run the members,” said U.S. Congressman John
Peterson, R-Pa. “They’re trying to pick members they can coerce,
members that will go along with them.”
Peterson and state Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, called together
area media to discuss Rapp’s opponent in the primary, Kerry Gern,
and his endorsement from Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati,
R-Brockway.
Rapp began the conference by passing out packets of information
detailing Gern’s campaign allegations, including saying Rapp
circulated a petition to “prevent new business and jobs from coming
to Warren Commons,” and that she has been inactive while in office.
The conference was held in front of the Warren Times Observer, Rapp
said, because that’s where Gern has been running his “negative
advertising.”
“I have run my campaign in a positive manner,” Rapp said. “My
opponent twists my record. I am asking the media to ask him for
proof.
“I am very disappointed today to see the endorsement of the
Senator Pro Tem,” she said. “I hope that after this primary the
Senator and I can both work together for the sake of this district
in a positive way.”
She then yielded the microphones to Peterson, who first endorsed
Rapp, and then focused on Scarnati. In 2004, Scarnati’s chief of
staff Todd Nyquist ran against Rapp for the Republican nomination
for the legislative seat. Peterson says Scarnati’s endorsement of
Rapp’s opponent now is sour grapes from the 2004 race.
“He is still pouting because Todd Nyquist isn’t the
representative,” Peterson alleged. “He just hasn’t learned how to
lose. We judge people more by how they lose than how they win.
“It’s unprecedented that the number one Republican in the Senate
gets involved in House races,” he said. “His job is to deal with
the governor and the upcoming budgets. For him to be getting
involved in House races, I think he has his eye off the ball.
“I would urge the senator to run the Senate and run it well. We
don’t need to be undermining House members who have a mind of their
own in representing their districts and don’t want to always cower
under.”
Peterson said the Senate majority leader controls a “huge slush
fund they can pass out if people vote right,” and added, “It needs
to stop. Let me share with you what happened in Harrisburg.”
He said the capital had a “revolution” when the top leaders in
both the House and Senate were ousted by voters.
“I think that was good, but I don’t think the revolution should
be over,” Peterson said. “I think in Harrisburg, they haven’t
learned their lesson yet. When the pay raise issue happened, our
senator (Scarnati) voted yes and was a leader for it. Kathy Rapp
voted no and she was right.
“Kathy Rapp voted against the last budget, which seemed to have
annoyed Senator Scarnati. That’s her prerogative. Seventy-seven
Republicans voted against the budget. She wasn’t an army of two or
three. It was almost a majority of Republicans that voted against
it.”
Peterson said he didn’t want a candidate that “the Harrisburg
people can dominate,” but wanted someone with a “strong and
independent voice.”
Referring to a lack of a working relationship between Scarnati
and Rapp, Peterson said he believes he knows who is to blame – “I
think it’s Senator Scarnati.”
Contacted later in the day for a response, the senator seemed
puzzled by Peterson’s attitude toward him.
“Certainly I’m troubled by the congressman’s attacks on me,”
Scarnati said. “I haven’t attacked him.”
He said the reason he got involved in endorsing an candidate in
the legislative race is that his constituents have been asking him
to do so.
“People don’t know the candidates. People can agree or disagree
with my opinion, but man, this isn’t something you attack someone
on,” Scarnati said. “I don’t understand the congressman’s personal
affront to this. I’m troubled by the congressman’s stepping in on
the issue.
“Why is he running to Kathy Rapp’s rescue?” He said his
endorsement is based on knowing the candidates.
“Removing endorsements from political races would be like
removing salt from the ocean,” Scarnati said. “I must have missed
that memo that I have to support the incumbent.
“I stand by my endorsement,” he said.
“I’m going to be the statesman I was elected to be. I’m not
going to resort to attacks.”
Regarding Gern’s ads, Scarnati said, “I don’t think that Kerry
Gern has put out any media that is untruthful. They are running a
race. This is a campaign. What we’re seeing here is that if you
don’t support the incumbent, you have to be quiet . . . and that
bothers me.”
