There have been some more overnight developments in the race to replace retiring Rep. John Peterson.
Yesterday, I excitedly announced that Iraq war vet Bill Cahir was entering the race. Cahir is a journalist, who also has Capitol Hill experience. He served 2 tours in Iraq. He is moving back to his hometown of Bellefonte, where his family still lives, to run for the seat.
Now, another Democrat and another Republican have entered the field as well. Lock Haven Mayor, Democrat Richard Vilello, announced his candidacy yesterday. And Clearfield County financial consultant Derek Walker joined Matt Shaner and Chris Exarchos in the race for the Republican nomination.
The Centre Daily Times asked Cahir about Iraq:
He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003 and Iraq duty followed. He served in Ramadi and Fallujah from August 2004 to March 2005 and in Fallujah from September 2006 to April 2007. He was the lead turret gunner in a Humvee for a civil affairs team working with Iraqis to engage tribal sheiks. He was recently honored by the 4th Civil Affairs Group as the non-commissioned officer of the year.
"I wanted to serve in the war on terror," Cahir said Monday. "I wanted to serve in the war in Iraq, and I wanted to find and destroy al-Qaida."
Still a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve, Cahir said the Congress that will be elected this year will make crucial decisions about the Iraq war. He said the surge is doing a lot of positive things right now, such as gaining support from sheiks, neutralizing cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Shiite militia and stemming the flow of materials from Iran.
"As a two-tour Iraq veteran, I believe I will have some insights in January of 2009 once the surge is complete and the new president takes office," he said. "I want to be the most aggressive advocate for public education in the entire Congress, and I want to stop the tolling of Interstate 80."
I'm not sure just how positive he is on "The Surge." The quote is a bit ambivalent.
More about Cahir:
Besides his military experience, Cahir enters the race with the most knowledge and experience on Capitol Hill of any of the candidates who have announced or who are considering the seat.
Before his career in journalism, which included writing for the Lebanon Daily News, Hanover Evening Sun, York Dispatch and newspapers in New Jersey and New York, Cahir worked as a staff assistant to Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee from 1990 to 1993, and as a staff assistant on health care issues for former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford, D-Pa., from August 1993 until he left office in January 1995.
He was part of Sen. Edward Kennedy's, D-Mass., labor and economic policy team that helped pass the Family and Medical Leave Act and other laws.
More about Vilello (this article was from before he officially announced):
LOCK HAVEN — City Mayor Rick P. Vilello Jr. is considering running for Congress.
Vilello, a Democrat who was just re-elected to a third term as Lock Haven’s mayor, told The Express on Tuesday, "I am seriously considering running" for U.S. Rep. John Peterson’s seat.
. . .
Vilello said he considered running for Congress in the most recent election but chose not to do so, partly because of his belief that "Peterson was on the right side of the I-80 fight."
Peterson has been a strong opponent of charging tolls on the interstate, which runs through the district, reported as one of the largest, Congressional geographical districts east of the Mississippi.
The I-80 tolling thing doesn't really fly, because it was not an issue in the 2006 elections (the last time Vilello could have run for the seat against Peterson). But I look forward to learning more about both of the promising Democratic candidates in this race!