Delaware County: GOP facing new challenges.

With the Republican hold over Delaware County showing cracks, Democrats hope to win two more seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and hold on to one they grabbed two years ago.

In 2006, Bryan Lentz beat Republican incumbent Tom Gannon in the 161st District by 841 votes.

Back then, with the help of the House Democratic Campaign Committee, Lentz had a campaign bankroll of $700,0000. This year, Lentz, 44, an Iraq war veteran who reached the rank of Army major, raised about $150,000 to compete against Republican challenger Joe Hackett, a Ridley Township police corporal.

Lentz, of Swarthmore, said incumbency was a nice advantage; people generally know who he is and he can spend more time talking about their concerns. In his last election, Lentz knocked on 20,000 doors in the district. This year, he's done about half that.

"I'm getting a good reaction at the doors," said Lentz, a former Philadelphia prosecutor who appears to be a rising Democratic star. "It's obviously a good year to be a Democrat."

Hackett, 48, hails from Ridley Township, where 56 percent of registered voters are Republicans and 36 percent are Democrats. He pitches himself as a regular guy.

"I can better represent the people of this district," Hackett said. "I'm different. I'm not the Republican guy, I'm not the Democrat guy, I'm the people guy."

Hackett said he wanted to ease the tax burden by shrinking government and expanding property-tax relief. The state House has 203 members, but Hackett says it could get by with 101. "I believe we can trim that real slim and still get good representation," he said.

Lentz thinks promoting renewable energy and moderating electricity rate increases after rate caps expire in 2010 will help residents get through a difficult economic time. He supports Gov. Rendell's energy plan to invest in the creation of green energy jobs in the state.

In the 162d District, east of Chester along the Delaware River, the race has been acrimonious almost from the start.

Democrat John DeFrancisco was president of United Auto Workers Local 1069 at Boeing for seven years, but the union leadership endorsed his Republican rival, 26-year-old Nick Miccarelli.

DeFrancisco, who spent 17 years as a Norwood Borough councilman, said the union's new president, Tony Forte Jr., had a personal problem with him. He also has drawn attention to a 62-count indictment pending against Forte for an alleged kickback scheme.

Miccarelli is the former chief of staff to the incumbent, Rep. Ron Raymond, who has held the 162d seat for 24 years. He said he never took money from Forte. Miccarelli said the union supported him because, according to statements from Forte and another union representative, DeFrancisco cut pay and benefits for retirees when he was union president.

The House Democratic Campaign Committee has banked on DeFrancisco, spending $50,000 of in-kind donations for media purchases in October alone, according to the most recent campaign finance filings with the state.

Miccarelli, who was elected to Ridley Park Borough Council last year, said DeFrancisco couldn't debate the issues and had resorted to personal attacks.

Though DeFrancisco has used his opponent's age to paint him as inexperienced, Miccarelli, who served a combat tour in Iraq in 2006 with the National Guard, says it is an advantage.

"I'm experienced enough to lead troops in Iraq," he said. "We need young leadership in Harrisburg."

After 30 years of representing the 163d District, it may seem that Republican Nick Micozzie knows just about everybody. His district includes a Democratic stronghold, Lansdowne, that never has been able to swing the vote for the whole district.

But this year, with Democratic voter registration increasing, wards in towns like Ridley and Darby that Micozzie has had in his pocket are looking more blue. A big turnout in Lansdowne, where Democratic challenger Kevin Lee is on Borough Council, could make the difference.

Lee, 38, hopes to capitalize on the public's desire for change. He criticized Micozzie for accepting pay raises and 6 percent cost-of-living increases.

Lee has promised to turn down cost-of-living increases, pay raises, and the free health care offered to state representatives who serve more than one term.

Health care is a big issue for the candidates.

Lee, a nurse, supports a single-payer system, a plan that critics call socialized medicine.

"We have socialized medicine now," Lee said. "We're paying for people who have heart attacks and car accidents. What we need to focus on is preventative care."

Micozzie, of Upper Darby, is minority chairman of the House Insurance Committee. He teamed with another legislator in 2006 to propose a universal health-care plan for Pennsylvania modeled after the one in Massachusetts. Micozzie favors a multipayer rather than single-payer system.

Heading into a tough economy, Micozzie said he had seen the state pull through rough times before, although it has had to raise fees to balance the budget. But it is vital to protect small businesses during the recession, he said.

"We have to go line by line on the budget and make sure there's nothing we can cut," Micozzie said.

Asked about Lee's criticisms of him, Micozzie said he had never resorted to negative campaigning and wouldn't start now.

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