Chris King

This article is by Dan Hirschhorn in Philadelphia and Alex Roarty in Harrisburg.

With control of the state House hanging in the balance this November, Republicans are hoping that their challengers in southeastern Pennsylvania can help return control of the chamber to the GOP. It's an ambitious expectation considering the Democratic trends throughout the Philadelphia suburbs, but one the party says is justified by a strong slate of candidates.

"We have challenger races in southeast that we are convinced we can win," state Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny), chair of the state House Republican Campaign Committee, told PolitickerPA.com.

The GOP's hopes, party officials say, are further buoyed by the grassroots enthusiasm generated by vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

"All of that excitement is filtering down to our local races, too," said Tracey Specter, chair of the Lower Merion and Narberth Republican Committee.

The incumbents being most heavily targeted by the GOP, Turzai said, include state Reps. Rick Taylor (D-Ambler) and Chris King (D-Middletown). Taylor is being challenged by Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Todd Stephens in the 151st Legislative District, while King faces Frank Farry in the 142nd district.

Frank Farry is the Fire Company chief for Langhorne-Middletown. But Wednesday evening, Farry was campaigning door-to-door for his bid to unseat state Rep. Chris King (D-Middletown) when his day job got in the way. 

Campaigning in Lower Southampton, a resident pointed out smoke that turned out to be coming from a backyard grill fire, The Bucks County Courier Times reports.

Farry, a Republican running in the 142nd Legislative District. alerted the residents of the house. Lower  Southampton Fire Company Chief Steven Krippel told the Courier Times that Farry contained the fire.

Rosemarie Schaffner, who got out quickly with her two daughters and her mother thanks to Farry's warning, said she was sold.

“I told him, I don’t know what he’s running for, but he’s got my vote," Schnaffer said.

A Republican fire chief running for state House in Bucks County got a little help Wednesday from the state's most prominent Republican, as U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter endorsed Frank Farry in his race against state Rep. Chris King (D-Middletown), The Bucks County Courier Times reports.

"He's a very unusual fellow to be competing for a state representative seat," Specter told a crowd of about 70 at Langhorne Borough Hall.

"When you have that kind of ability and background, you have the potential to get a lot done in government," he added, according to The Courier Times. "Frank has the potential to really climb the ladder, maybe become governor one day. The sky is the limit for a man of his background."

State Rep. Jaret GibbonsWhile most people are focusing on tomorrow’s primary, Pennsylvania lawmakers have set their sights on next year and beyond, with representatives authoring competing bills that could change the degree of access that independent voters have to future party primaries.

State Rep. Jaret Gibbons introduced a bill last Friday that would give registered Independents a vote in primary elections, according to a press release from her office.

Rep. Chris King also introduced a bill last week, which calls for a "semi-open primary," a type held in New Hampshire and nine other states, according to King.