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April 26, 2008

Mending fences in the 10th District

Republicans, even Dan Meuser supporters, say they’ll stand behind winner Chris Hackett.

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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Prominent Dan Meuser supporters said even though their candidate lost in Tuesday’s 10th Congressional District Republican primary, they believe Republicans will support the man that beat him come November.

Chris Hackett, who beat Meuser by procuring 52 percent of the vote, has already set his sights on uniting the party and unseating first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Carney on Nov. 4. In order to do that, he’ll likely have to convince many of the 48-percent that voted for Meuser to do the same for him. He’s hoping party big-wigs will come on board and campaign for him. So far, some have.

Among those who have pledged their support is Frank Golden, the chairman of the Wayne County GOP Committee and a former Meuser supporter.

Golden, of Honesdale, scoffed at assertions that Meuser supporters would opt to support Carney or just not vote for either candidate Nov. 4.

“You pick a candidate. If he doesn’t win, well you don’t pick up your marbles and go home. Politics is a big boy sport,” Golden said.

Golden and Paul Catalano, the chairman of the Lackawanna County Republican Committee, both said they were “100 percent positive” the party will get behind (Hackett).

“The voters put him on the ticket and as chairman I have to whole-heartedly support him,” Golden said.

Others weren’t as vocal to support Hackett, though they said they believed the party will come together to defeat Carney.

Jack Sordoni, who owns an oil and gas business, said, “There’s many Dan Meuser supporters who have little or no reason not to support Chris Hackett and could very easily see that would be in their best interest.”

Hackett’s spokesman Mark Harris said that’s what Hackett has found in the days since the primary.

Harris said Hackett has made calls reaching out to Republican leaders and voters who supported Meuser in the primary. He said in nearly all instances, those party loyalists have pledged their support for Hackett in the fall.

Meuser’s spokesman, Eric Wallace, on Friday said he believes Republicans will be motivated to come out and vote in high numbers this fall. He did not say whether Meuser would urge supporters to specifically support Hackett or whether Meuser himself would.

Efforts to reach Meuser were unsuccessful.

Harris, Hackett’s spokesman, said Hackett would, without a doubt, ask Meuser for his support.

“That’s something we’re definitely going to do. We want everyone onboard,” Harris said.

Harris added that while feelings might have been hurt, “things will heal themselves in time.”

But some said the negative attacks, bitter words lobbed between the two GOP members and dirt dug up by both men’s campaigns that essentially gave Carney fuel for the fall will hurt Hackett. The rivals bloodied each other over illegal immigration, though both admitted to unknowingly employing illegal workers, and over issues with their opponents’ companies. Meuser owns Pride Mobility in Exeter. Hackett’s supporters have made issues out of settlements paid by Pride for illegal workers and missing work papers, violating federal kickback provisions and not having licenses for computer software. They’ve also run ads linking contributions from Meuser or Pride to liberal Democrats such as Gov. Ed Rendell and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Hackett, who owns One Source Staffing Solutions, has come under fire from Meuser supporters for claiming he convinced C3i, a firm that provides customized support to pharmaceutical companies, to locate in the Wilkes-Barre area. In the final days before the election, a story on Capitolwire.com quoted four Meuser supporters, including Sordoni, as saying they met with Hackett in May and he called himself pro-choice. Hackett denied such a statement was made, and that he was pro-life, but Meuser’s campaign quickly turned the story into a campaign issue.

Messages left for Hal and Rusty Flack, both Meuser supporters who were in on the meeting at Sordoni’s business, were not returned.

Keystone College professor Jeff Brauer said the race “was certainly one of the most contentious primaries I’ve ever seen.”

Sordoni said he’s “never see it get this ugly” in a local primary election.

That negativity was highlighted in a memo sent out this week by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: “In this Central and Northeast Pennsylvania district Republican candidates took negative campaigning to a new level, and consequently took this seat off the table for republicans.”

Sordoni said he certainly thinks “a lot of healing needs to be done here,” but that he “hopes the Republican Party can come together and move its values and agenda forward.”

“You pick a candidate. If he doesn’t win, well you don’t pick up your marbles and go home. Politics is a big boy sport.”

Frank Golden

Chairman of the Wayne County GOP Committee

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.

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