The Democratic National Committee is running radio ads against Republican Reps. Jim Gerlach and Charles Dent of Pennsylvania, who represent districts carried last year by Barack Obama yet voted "no" on health-care reform legislation earlier this month.

The ad says that each congressman "stood with the insurance industry, not the people he was elected to represent."

Per the DNC, the anti-Gerlach spot will begin running as early as tomorrow on WBEB-FM in Philadelphia, and the Dent-dinging spot will run on WCTO-FM in the Lehigh Valley. The ads will air at least through the week, and other stations may be bought.

Gerlach, of Chester County, and Dent, of Lehigh County, are among 32 GOP members in Obama-carried districts across the nation who are being targeted for opposing the legislation.

Listen to the Gerlach ad here. Listen to the Dent ad here.

Blaming the tough economy and deep budget cuts, the Rendell administration today announced it would lay off 319 employees across 10 state agencies, bringing to 769 the total number of government jobs cut over the past year.

Administration Secretary Naomi Wyatt said the Department of Environmental Protection will see the greatest reductions, losing 138 positions, about five percent of workforce - while the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will lay off 85 workers, or more than 25 percent of its workforce.

The cuts - effective Nov. 20 - are expected to save the Commonwealth $17 million over the next 12 months. The staff reductions were negotiated as part of the budget agreement approved last month after a 101-day delay.

The reductions come on top of two other rounds of layoffs earlier this year, including 250 cuts announced in August. About 50 of those workers found jobs elsewhere in state government, Wyatt said.

Wyatt said the cuts, the result of the state's $3.2 billion budget shortfall, could have been much worse (as many as 1,000 jobs) under some budget proposals that were under consideration by the legislature.

Wyatt also said cost-cutting measures such as elimination of travel budgets, deferral of new equipment purchases and not filling job vacancies helped reduce the number of layoffs.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will suffer the greatest percentage loss in its workforce, resulting in the suspension of services at six historic sites, closure of the state museum two days a week and eliminate all new exhibit spending. The State Archives also will close Mondays and Tuesdays. Educational programs and other services at historic sites, including Graeme Park and Hope Lodge in Montgomery County and Washington Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County, will be discontinued and buildings' "mothballed," Wyatt said.

Kirk Wilson, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, said the agency is hoping local "friends" groups will step up to keep activities going. The agency has nearly completed agreement with the Friends of Brandywine Battlefield Park in Delaware County to help keep that site open.

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The mayor of Scranton is set to officially kick off his campaign for Pennsylvania governor today.

Chris Doherty plans to officially launch the campaign at noon in Scranton. Doherty told the Times-Tribune that he wants to bring "the blueprint" of economic rebirth that has turned around Scranton and apply it to the rest of the state.

The Democrat is joining four other contenders in the spring primary for the open seat. (Under Pennsylvania law, Gov. Rendell cannot run for a third term.)

The other Democratic candidates are Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and state Auditor General Jack Wagner.

At least two other candidates are vying for the Republican nomination: Attorney General Tom Corbett and U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach.
 

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The ballots haven't even been tallied and the state Supreme Court race has broken the campaign fundraising record for judicial races.

Democrat Jack Panella has raised more than $2.35 million, breaking the record set by Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery in 2007, according to the group Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts.

The group - which advocates judicial appointment rather than election -  tallied campaign contributions reported to the Department of State as of the end of the most recent reporting cycle on Oct. 19.

In a press release the group said that "the results are of concern to court watchers, especially in light of public opinion polls that show the public is concerned that justice is for sale to the biggest campaign contributor."

By contrast, Republican Jane Orie Melvin has raised just $733,948.

McCaffrey set the previous record by raising $2.34 million (including $25,000 leftover from a 2005 campaign) in a four way race for two seats on the Supreme Court, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts said.

The group said it expect final fundraising numbers to rise significantly when the campaigns' final reports will be due February 1, 2010.

Executive director Lynn Marks said the amount of campaign contributions is "troubling" because it comes from law firms, unions and businesses which frequently litigate in state courts.

 "These are not the types of records Pennsylvania should be proud of," Marks said. "But when you elect judges in partisan contests, the elections become more expensive, not less so."

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