Montco Democrats endorse Roggio for Congress

Chester County retired businessman Bob Roggio was overwhelmingly endorsed by members of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee tonight in the race for the Democratic nomination for the Sixth Congressional District.

The winner of the April 22 primary will face Republican Jim Gerlach in November.

Roggio, of Charlestown Township, won 59 of the 76 ballots cast, defeating attorney Robert Rovner of Bryn Mawr and Lower Merion developer Mike Leibowitz.

"I'm thrilled to have gotten the Montgomery County vote. It adds to the momentum and it shows that people believe my experience will allow me to do well in Washington," Roggio said.

The banquet hall at the Spring Mill Fire Company in Conshohocken was standing-room-only, and 293 committee people were there to cast ballots. The group also endorsed Montgomery County businessman Rob McCord in his bid in a four-way race for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer. He received 198 votes.

The other candidates are Bucks County Democratic Chairman John Cordisco, Pennsylvania Rep. Jennifer Mann of Allentown, and financial adviser Dennis Morrison-Wesley of Harrisburg.

The committee made no endorsements for the presidential race between Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, and urged the Democratic National Committee to work out a way to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan at the national convention in August in the interests of party unity. The states were stripped of their delegates for holding their primaries too early.

All of the other suburban counties are staying neutral in the presidential race, as is the state Democratic committee.

The Montgomery County committee endorsed Frank Custer for the 61st state House seat now held by Republican Kate Harper. Custer worked as press secretary for former U.S. Rep. and current Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel. Also seeking the Democratic nomination is Elkins Park attorney Todd Eisenberg.

Last month, the Chester County Democratic Committee endorsed favorite son Roggio, giving him 79 percent of the vote.

Roggio is supported by state Sen. Andrew Dinniman, Lt. Gov. Katherine Baker Knoll, former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford, and his son, Dan, the Democratic candidate for the seat six years ago.

Roggio, Rovner and Leibowitz are running for the right to oppose Gerlach, who is seeking a fourth term.

The sprawling Sixth District starts in Lower Merion and wends its way through Montgomery, Chester and Berks Counties plus a single precinct in Lehigh County. Gerlach has held on to his seat by increasingly narrow margins, defeating Lois Murphy the last time out by winning 50.7 percent of the vote.

Tonight was the first time the committee had met since the November election when Democrats won the controller's office and four other county office seats in the traditionally Republican county.

If voter registration numbers are any indication, the string of victories could continue. Since the November election, nearly half of the 6,032 new registrations recorded as of Wednesday have been Democratic, according to figures from the county's voter registration office.