GOP: rebirth of revolution

Timothy McNulty | November 4, 2009

Statements below from state Republican leaders following last night's statewide wins. First up, GOP chairman Rob Gleason:

"Tonight's victories are a testament to the great candidates we ran in these critical races and speaks to the strength of the Republican Party," Gleason said.  "Joan Orie Melvin is an incredible addition to the Supreme Court, and I could not be prouder of her for running such a great campaign.  Our victory in this critical race is a clear sign that our Party has captured the momentum heading into the 2010 elections.

"I want to applaud Superior Court candidates Judy Olson, Sallie Mundy and Paula Ott and Commonwealth court candidates Patricia McCullough and Kevin Brobson for their impressive victories.  These wins would have not been possible without great candidates and a strong team effort.  Our candidates worked incredibly hard travelling the state, meeting voters and spreading their message of judicial reform.

"A great deal of the credit for the successes our candidates enjoyed tonight goes to our committed volunteers who worked so hard helping our Party turn out the vote.  Our Party has certainly faced some adversity the last few election cycles, but tonight's victories signal the rebirth of another Republican revolution in Pennsylvania.

"The future of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania is bright and I am confident that tonight's wins will serve as the building blocks for our 2010 victories."

And the Pat Toomey camp:

Last night, election results around the country and in Pennsylvania demonstrate that the tide is turning against big-government, big-spending policies.  In Pennsylvania, six out of seven Republican judicial candidates were victorious in their state-wide bids.

"Congratulations to all of our great Republican candidates who won yesterday in Pennsylvania," U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey said.  "That tells us there is real energy in our state party, which will only continue to grow into next year."

Toomey also applauded the results from our neighboring state of New Jersey.  In that state, as well as in Virginia, President Obama won by wide margins in 2009; yet yesterday, Republicans were victorious by impressive margins.  "For nearly a year, the one-party monopoly in Washington has been pushing extreme policies on the American people, including government-run health care, unprecedented spending increases, and record deficit and debt levels.  Yesterday, voters made their voices heard.  It's time we stopped the parade of bailouts, government takeovers, and record-breaking spending, and replaced it with commonsense reforms that do not bankrupt our country."