Phil Avillo is smart, talented and passionate. He's a Vietnam Veteran and a member of the
Fighting Dems. He's taking on three-term incumbent Todd Platts in a heavily Republican district.
Yet there's a dissatisfaction in the air about Platts. He just doesn't inspire people--even Republicans.
Platts is the George McFly of Congress who consistently gets bullied and buffetted and bopped around by the Big Bad Bifs in DC--Tom DeLay, Karl Rove, Roy Blunt, etc.
Platts has been getting slammed in the local papers on almost daily basis in the letters sections. And there even have been several editorials critical of his positions in the York papers. After five years in office, Platts has an undistinguished record. He hasn't authored a significant piece of legislation.
Basically, he's been an errand boy for the radical republican agenda that has resulted in record gas prices, record deficits, record corruption and record incompetence.
There are other things afoot, too. In Pennsylvania, it's not a good time to be an incumbent. In the recent primary, 17 incumbent state legislators got the boot. This year, voters are eyeing any incumbent with a lot more skepticism. And Platts is a career politician who, before coming to DC, spent seven years in Harrisburg as state legislator.
That being said, Avillo is facing an uphill battle. Platts has the name recognition after 12 years in office. He can get instant media attention by showing up at a local event. He has the natural (or should that be unnatural?) advantage of being an incumbent with a $1.3 million operating budget (paid staff, franking priveleges, etc.)He's got $100,000+ on hand--not a giant war chest--but bigger than Avillo's.
But here's where you can help...if you can toss a few coins to Phil Avillo's campaign, you'll make the House's George McFly a bit more nervous this summer.