In Pa., 7 House races to watch

Democrat John Callahan, the mayor of Bethlehem, had about $989,000 on hand at the end of June, to Dent's $1.04 million. The district lies mostly in the Lehigh Valley but includes parts of Montgomery and Berks Counties. The most recent public poll, by Muhlenberg College in April, showed Dent leading, 38 percent to 27 percent. Political analysts say Dent still leads in private campaign polls and note that Democrats could not beat him two years ago with the Obama-inspired turnout surge.

Third District

Democratic Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper was elected two years ago in this northwest Pennsylvania district that trends Republican and was carried, though barely, by 2008 Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.

She went on the air first, with an ad in which she declares that "Washington, D.C., is broken" and that "the solutions to the problems we face are found here," in Erie. Dahlkemper emphasized her votes against the "cap-and-trade" bill to limit carbon emissions and the second Wall Street bailout. But she voted for the stimulus and health-care bills.

Mike Kelly, the Republican nominee, is an auto dealer from Butler and a former Notre Dame University football player. Some recent polls show him leading. Dahlkemper has $1 million to Kelly's $103,000, but Republican strategists say he can pay for his own campaign, and the NRCC has its eye on him; if it looks as though he has a shot, the NRCC will pour in money.

10th District

Democratic Rep. Chris Carney, a lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve whose duties include piloting drone attacks against terrorist targets in Afghanistan, is in his second term. He faces a challenge from Republican Tom Marino, a former U.S. attorney for central Pennsylvania.

The district, in northeast Pennsylvania, was carried by McCain in 2008 with 54 percent of the vote.

The biggest campaign issue has been Marino's serving as a reference for businessman Louis DeNaples' 2006 casino license application at a time his office was investigating DeNaples. When he left the Justice Department, Marino went to work as a $250,000-a-year, in-house counsel for DeNaples businesses.

As of late June, Carney had just under $800,000 to Marino's $11,000. Marino's fund-raising has since picked up, GOP officials said. The Republican did not help his campaign when he was videotaped yelling at protesters on the street, asking them if they had jobs or were on welfare.

But Carney is under fire for some of his votes, including for the health-care overhaul. A national antiabortion group is running radio ads against Carney for that vote, arguing that the new law will not prohibit federal money for abortions. Carney is an abortion opponent.

11th District

Veteran Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski won his 13th term in 2008 by only about 3,000 votes, and the man who challenged him then and in 2006 is back for more: Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta.

Barletta became a hero to some for his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration in his city, but Kanjorski has blasted him in TV commercials for Hazleton's fiscal problems.

And for all the voter angst, more than 95 percent of congressional incumbents who seek reelection typically win, said Wilkes University political scientist Thomas Baldino.

"At this point," Baldino said, "it's still Kanjorski's race to lose."

Contact staff writer Thomas Fitzgerald at 215-854-2718 or tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.