www.pacleansweep.com

PACleanSweep adds 2 more candidates

Eight months to the day after the now infamous midnight pay raise was passed by the General Assembly, PACleanSweep intends to lead the way in ushering more candidates to the primary ballot for legislative seats than in any year in recent memory. March 7 marks the deadline for Republican and Democratic hopefuls to file their petitions and other qualifying paperwork with the Department of State.

“2006 promises to be an historic year for citizens willing to reclaim ownership of their government,” said Russ Diamond, the group’s founder. “After this week, Pennsylvanians will have a much clearer picture of which positive changes may result from the May primary election. We’re proud of our statewide effort to recruit candidates and the number of dedicated citizens who have stepped up to the plate to run for office.”

PACleanSweep is currently supporting 97 legislative candidates, with more on a waiting list to be interviewed by the organization’s Board of Directors in the coming weeks. Two candidates were added to the group’s internet listing of candidates over the weekend. They are: Ed Gainey, a Democrat in the 24th House district, and Jeff Hammer, a Democrat in the 33rd House district.

“We’ve heard some great petitioning success stories from candidates throughout the Commonwealth, and quite a few of our candidates have already completed their filing with the Department of State,” Diamond added.

Prospective candidates who have already filed their petitions can make supplemental filings until 5:00 p.m., Tuesday to bolster their total number of signatures. Candidates for the House of Representatives need 300 valid signatures, while state Senate candidates need 500. Legislative candidates must pay a $100.00 filing fee and complete a Statement of Financial Interests to be filed with the State Ethics Commission.

Although March 7 is the petitioning deadline for the major parties, Republicans and Democrats are still able to wage write-in campaigns for the primary election.

On March 8, independent and third-party candidates may begin petitioning for placement on November’s general election ballot. Their petitioning deadline is August 1, but they must be registered with the political affiliation they intend to run under by April 17.