The Endorsement for the 13th Congressional District Unanimous

Abington Attorney Marina Kats Victorious over Falgoust

It was bound to happen sooner or later. A candidate allied with Jim Matthews and a candidate allied with Bruce Castor faced off for the 13th congressional district endorsement.

Abington attorney Marina Kats, a Castor confidant, defeated Upper Moreland GOP Chair Lee Falgoust, an ally of GOP Chairman Ken Davis and Jim Matthews, by a vote of 181 to 78-winning by more than 2 to 1–to capture the Republican endorsement for PA's 13th Congressional district currently held by Allyson Schwartz.

A second vote made the decision "unanimous" and Falgoust withdrew from the race.

Both candidates spoke for about ten minutes. Falgoust emphasized traditional GOP values and invoked the name of Ronald Reagan several times. He lampooned "Allyson's Wonderland" referring to Schwartz's record in Congress. Kats discussed her upbringing and emigration to the U.S. at the age of sixteen. Both candidates are lifelong Republicans and both speeches were well received.

Kats invoked Castor's name and that of his successor, District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, both of whom were backing the Kats candidacy. Castor served as the official observer of the count on Kats behalf as ballots were tallied. Former Prothonotary Bill Donnelly did the watching for Falgoust. Donnelly and Falgoust are both part of the same GOP "Area" encompassing the Hatboro-Horsham, Lower Moreland and Upper Moreland school districts.

The vote was of particular note because the 13th Congressional portion of Montgomery County was considered a very strong area for Matthews before. His support has slipped considerably since his betrayal of the GOP majority.

This bodes well for the chairman candidacy of Bob Kerns, who is backed by Castor and casts a cloud over Jim Vlahos, the Pottstown GOP leader who is challenging Kerns and enjoys the support of Matthews.

Although I live in the 6th congressional district section of Whitemarsh Township, I have a vested interest in our township as a whole. I would like to congratulate Marina Kats on her victory and offer my most sincere wishes for a great campaign and a victory in November!

Udači, Marina!