David Argall makes it official
Published: January 14, 2010
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David Argall
After 25 years in Harrisburg, state Sen. David Argall announced Monday he’s hoping for a ticket to Washington, D.C.
“I’m in,” Argall said at a Monday afternoon press conference inside Schuylkill County’s GOP headquarters in Pottsville.
After two months of pondering — and a dramatic reversal from his position in November, “Please keep looking for another candidate” — Argall, R-29, confirmed he will seek the seat held by U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-17.
The announcement wasn’t a surprise, as Argall’s intentions were confirmed last week by GOP leaders in The Republican-Herald.
Argall must also fend off primary challenger Josh First, 45, a Harrisburg businessman, who has vowed to stay in the race despite opposition from the better-known Argall.
Both Argall and Holden have benefited in past elections from voters bucking their party.
“There are a fair number of people who have voted for Dave Argall and for Tim Holden,” Argall said.
By late afternoon Monday, however, new battle lines were being drawn.
Holden wasted little time going on the offensive, blasting Argall for his role in the 2005 legislative pay raise, calling Argall part of “cesspool leadership” in Harrisburg.
“If you want to talk about a rubber stamp, let’s talk about Dave Argall,” Holden said, adding Argall has backed GOP leadership in Harrisburg at almost every turn.
Argall plans to use a similar argument against Holden. He said while Holden has always positioned himself as a middle-of-the-road conservative Democrat, his record is more closely aligned with big-spending liberals.
“In Schuylkill County, (Holden) talks” like a conservative, Argall said. “Then he goes to Washington and votes like (Speaker of the House) Nancy Pelosi. We’re going to be talking about that a lot.”
Outside the press conference, Argall’s support for the pay raise again came back to haunt him. Harrisburg activist Gene Stilp brought his inflatable “Payraise Pig” out of retirement.
The 2005 pay raise was eventually repealed, and since then, Argall has consistently apologized for his vote. He called it “a bad vote” at Monday’s press conference. He also maintains that he donated the pay raise money to charity.
Argall also turned the pay raise tables on Holden, claiming the congressman has voted for four pay raises since coming to Washington in 1993.
“That’s just not true,” Holden said of Argall’s allegations. Holden said members of Congress have automatic pay raises built into their salaries, unless a Congress votes to cancel it.
He said legislators in Harrisburg get the same benefit, with annual cost-of-living increases.
“But that wasn’t enough for them,” Holden said.
Holden also cited his recent opposition to Democrat-backed health care reform bills and cap-and-trade legislation.
His opposition to those bills, Holden said, angered many on the left.
“I had the AFL-CIO picketing outside my office in Pottsville,” Holden said, referencing recent health care protests across his district.
The political knives were out Monday morning, even before Argall made his official announcement.
“Dave Argall ... has come to epitomize all that’s wrong with unethical politics in the state legislature in Harrisburg,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a press release.
