Unfortunately, Mike Fisher could not overcome the tremendous support received by Ed Rendell in southeast Pennsylvania. But the GOP did much better than expected in the November 5, 2002 elections by retaining virtually every seat and picking up some new ones. The GOP now controls the U.S. House and Senate as well as the Pennsylvania House and Senate. Stunning the pollsters completely, not to mention the democrats, the GOP also won many of the gubernatorial races as well. Some in shocking style. Our President George W. Bush rallied out the troops by a vigorous campaign schedule during the two weeks prior to the election and can now reap the benefits of more support for the republican agenda without the usual interference form the democrats.

Although the Governor’s seat will be controlled by the democrats via Ed Rendell, the GOP will have full control of the legislature and will be able to force the Governor and the democrat minority leadership to listen to what we have to say.

Here in Northampton, we are proud to say that we will enjoy the continued leadership of Jim Greenwood as our congressman, Tommy Tomlinson in the state senate and newcomer Scott Petri replacing Roy Reinard in the 178^th. We are proud to say that once again, substance, knowledge and leadership won over those who would promise anything to anyone without telling you how they are going to do it, just to get elected.

"Communities should have more say in how they develop," Petri said. "New development isn't paying for the cost of infrastructure, so developers must bear a larger portion of these costs."  He said he also would work to change the state municipalities planning code to give local governments more power.

More than one supporter noted that Petri comes across as a straight shooter.   Jason Richards, 21, said he offered to work in Petri's campaign after meeting the candidate early this year. The offer was accepted.  "He's a genuine guy," said Richards, who is entering his senior year at Colgate University in New York. "He tells you exactly what he wants to do."

Former Upper Southampton Supervisor John Held described Petri as "a breath of fresh air. He has dynamic energy and there is nothing artificial about him. I think he is in tune with his constituents."

Dear Fellow Pennsylvanian:
This year brings many challenges and opportunities to our state, as we will elect a new Governor on November 5th. I look forward to sharing with the citizens of this state my vision to continue to protect Pennsylvania families.

As Governor, I will have no higher priority than protecting our families from crime and drugs. But, in the midst of these tough economic times, our next Governor needs to be equally committed to protecting our jobs and improving our economy. Our next Governor also needs to be committed to improving our public education system and fixing our school funding crisis by providing real property tax relief.

These problems are not Republican or Democrat issues, they are Pennsylvania challenges. Over the coming months, I will be traveling our state and discussing my agenda to protect our communities, improve our economy and provide every child with the opportunity to succeed.

I hope you will take some time to look around this website and check back often for updates on how together we can continue to improve our state.