Stepping up campaign efforts, Roggio starts 50-town tour

Hoping to gain traction in his uphill race against U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-West Pikeland), Democrat Bob Roggio is embarking on a 50-town tour in the 6th Congressional District, one that will run from now until Election Day.

The tour kicked off this weekend in Norristown, and will include everything from door-to-door canvassing to impromptu meetings with voters at coffee shops, campaign manager Liz Conroy said. The tour continued today in Narberth, and will take Roggio everywhere from Lower Merion to Reading in the coming weeks.

The ambitious effort to visit a majority of townships in the district reflects the campaign reality that voters in the district know little, if anything, about Roggio, a political newcomer. With Gerlach well-funded and having survived two close races in the last two election cycles, many analysts see the incumbent as finally having a safe seat.

"The goal of this is really for Bob to get out and talk to people across the district about the issues that are on their mind," Conroy said.