Local Republicans Competing for Votes in Upcoming Primary

By MARGARET GIBBONS , Times Herald Staff

COURTHOUSE — Lance Rogers. Lisa Paolino.

Who are these people?

While most attention in the upcoming April 22 primary election is focussed on the high-profile Democratic presidential contest, there also are other contests on the ballot.

One of the races flying below the political radar is the Republican battle for the 17th District state Senate seat now held by retiring Democrat Connie Williams.

Rogers turned back a bid by Montgomery County Sheriff John P. Durante in securing the GOP endorsement for his candidacy.

(ed. note: Although flying "below the radar" as Gibbons puts it, there is a spark of controversy surrounding the Rogers/Paolino race):

That endorsement vote came under fire by both Durante and Paolino, who was not even on the ballot, because it only involved votes from Montgomery County GOP committee members in the 17th District.

The district includes the Montgomery County municipalities of Norristown, West Conshohocken, Bridgeport, Conshohocken, Narberth, Upper Merion, Plymouth, East Norriton and Lower Merion. It also includes the Delaware County townships of Haverford and Radnor.

Montgomery County Republican Chairman Ken Davis, a Lower Merion resident who supported Rogers’ candidacy, explained it is traditional for the county that forms the largest part of a district to make the endorsement so that endorsements are not split.

(The real threat of Paolino actually winning continues to be a thorn in the side of soon to be private citizen, Ken Davis, who penned his displeasure concerning her take on the endorsement process, in a recent letter to the editor of the Main Line Times, rebutted by Radnor GOP Committee Chair, Mimi Auchincloss, here)

“It was odd that there was a so-called endorsement process that excluded one (herself) of the three candidates and one-third of the committee people,” said Paolino, whose candidacy has received the unanimous endorsement of the Radnor GOP committee.

(Click here for audio of Ken Davis' phone message concerning the endorsement process)