Taking on Benninghoff no easy task

by Aaron Troisi

After allowing Republican state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff to stroll unopposed through the last election, Democrats are ready for another try in the 171st District. But it won’t be easy.

Benninghoff has pummeled contenders in the past, including well-known Centre County Democrats Rich Rogers, recently elected to the Centre County Board of Commissioners, and Keith Bierly, now secretary of the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board.

Benninghoff has received no less than 61 percent of the vote in any general election since taking office in 1996, thanks in large part to a Republican majority in the district, which includes parts of Centre and Mifflin counties. Republican registration is 17,658, compared to 13,627 for Democrats.

Such numbers leave Democrats wondering what they can do to beat Benninghoff. Some years, they have forgone defeat by not even bothering to field a candidate. As an incumbent, Benninghoff faced Democratic opposition in only two out of five races.

"Any time you run against an incumbent for the House, the numbers are against you," said Rogers, who lost to Benninghoff in 2004. Incumbents enjoy a 98.5 percent retention rate, he said.

"Once you have your first election and are re-elected, you fall into that percentage," Rogers said. "With every election from there on out, you become that much more solidified in the House seat."

"I’ve never considered myself as unbeatable," Benninghoff said. "Getting re-elected, I hope and pray, is an affirmation of the work I do."

Benninghoff benefits from the rural, relatively conservative character of the district, as well as his ability to outspend opponents.

In 2004, he spent more than $51,000 on his re-election campaign. Rogers spent less than $5,000. Even running unopposed, Benninghoff spent more than $27,000 in the last election.

Over the years, Benninghoff has amassed such a war chest that he can afford to run his campaigns at a deficit. He spent about $12,000 more than he raised in 2004 and almost $3,000 more than he raised 2006. He heads into this year’s race with approximately $28,000 in the bank.

"It’s going to take a lot of money—at least $50,000—to run a viable campaign," said Tim Wilson, one of the candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the 171st District.

One way to raise a lot of money is to convince Harrisburg that taking the district is a possibility.

In 2006, after targeting the 77th state House District as a "takeover" seat, the state Democratic Party injected Scott Conklin’s campaign with $180,000 about a month before Election Day, all but ensuring his victory.

The Democratic nominee will also need to appeal to Republican voters. Assuming full voter turnout, a Democratic win would require more than 2,000 Republican defections.

"I think I’m the candidate who can probably appeal to Republicans," said Wilson, who worked as an engineer for the Department of Defense. "I grew up on a farm. I have some qualities that would appeal to those people."

Also seeking the Democratic nomination is Joanne Tosti-Vasey, president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Organization for Women. Like Wilson, Tosti-Vasey is pro-choice and supports gay marriage and single-payer health care.

When asked if conservative voters will be receptive to her message, Tosti-Vasey responded, "I hope so. Some people will. Some people won’t."

"It’s an uphill battle, but I’m willing to take it on," she added. "It’s a more Republican district, but we also have people who are interested in the issues."

Benninghoff, who hopes to head the Health and Human Services Committee one day, opposes single-payer health care.

"A single-payer system is a simplistic way of saying that the government pays for everyone, and that takes people’s choices," he said, adding that single-payer would not be economical.

Wilson said he would vote for single-payer in Pennsylvania if such a bill ever made it to the floor. But since that’s unlikely, Wilson said, he has developed his own proposal, which would have a better chance of passing.

Both Wilson and Tosti-Vasey want touch-screen voting machines to have a paper trail.

"Having served as a poll watcher and having seen these machines flip votes," Tosti-Vasey said, "I believe that what we currently have is not trustworthy."

The Democratic candidates share Benninghoff’s opposition to Penn State

ownership of Spring Creek Canyon.

"That’s one instance where Benninghoff and I agree," Tosti-Vasey said. "I do not want to see Penn State University taking control of that land, because they have a history of saying one thing and doing another."

Aside from the Spring Creek Canyon issue, there’s very little Benninghoff and the Democratic candidates agree on. Benninghoff voted for an amendment to the state constitution that would ban gay marriage, and he opposes abortion, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk. He also voted against a clean energy bill and initially opposed raising the minimum wage.

Wilson acknowledged that the majority of voters in the 171st District probably agree with Benninghoff on abortion, but he said he intends to engage voters by focusing the discussion on other issues, chiefly governmental accountability and economic development.

"It takes a lot of work," Wilson said. "It’s going to take a lot of meeting people and a lot of explaining."