Arlen Specter News

AMID THE HUBBUB that surrounded yesterday's races for district attorney and city controller, the clear pop of the political starter's gun could be heard, signaling the start of the mad dash to the May 2010 primary election.

The Harrisburg mayoral race offered a rare political opportunity, but some Republican loyalists charge that not only did the GOP whiff, it never got up to bat.

The three-way race in New York's 23rd congressional district ended Tuesday night with a surprise Democratic win - the first for the party in the reliably-Republican district since the 19th century.

Democratic senators in the Environment and Public Works Committee faced a row of empty seats across from them this morning, as Republicans are boycotting hearings on climate change legislation.

Two former high-level managers at IBM and Microsoft are playing key roles in the Obama administration's patent reform efforts, leading critics to question whether their involvement constitutes a breach of the administration's ethics policy.

By Brad Knickerbocker Staff writer, CSMonitor - "As Maine goes, so goes the nation" is a political cliche long since out of use.

On Saturday, when Republican Dede Scozzafava dropped out of New York's 23rd District Congressional race after falling behind third-party candidate Doug Hoffman in polls and fundraising, it turned a few heads.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer said late Thursday that she wants to hold drafting sessions as early as Tuesday on the climate change bill pending before her committee, but that the meetings could be delayed by Republican stalling tactics.

The Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to regulate greenhouse gases, even though the issue remains far from settled in Congress, where a key Senate committee is debating a major climate change bill.

Never have the stars lined up for Republicans as profoundly as has been the case this year, with the arrogance and ugliness of the Obama, Reid, and Pelosi political juggernaut, and the threat it poses to the future of this country, on full display.

Mary Beth Buchanan says her eight years as the chief federal prosecutor for Western Pennsylvania have been marked by successful efforts battling crimes including the sexual abuse of children, drug and gun violence, and public corruption.

As Pennsylvania's economy continues to struggle and recovery efforts sputter along, the state's voters appear to be taking their anger out on Sen.

An initial hearing Tuesday on revamped cap-and-trade legislation from Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry, D-MA, and Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-CA, gave moderates a public mouthpiece that might spur concessions from party leaders down the road.

Pennsylvanians are pessimistic about their future, impatient with President Obama, and out of love with U.S. Sen.

Announcement cheers progressives; AFL-CIO may compromise on tax Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may have jumped the gun.

With the blessing today of Mayor Nutter and members of the city's Washington delegation, a proposed trolley line for east Market Street and the Delaware River waterfront moved a step closer to reality.

Democrat Les Ford, right, announced today that he has endorsed Republican candidate Nevin Mindlin for Harrisburg mayor.

The national debate among Republicans over their party's future is nowhere sharper than in South Carolina, where Sens.

A groundbreaking, $30 million study into cell phones has found a link between long term use and brain tumors.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter , a regular at the negotiation table during his 29-year career, has settled into a bit role in the debate over a health care overhaul, allying himself with a hard-driving, liberal core of lawmakers pushing for a ''robust'' public option.