Judy Hirsh

State Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin) has seemingly held on to victory against Democrat Judy Hirsh in what turned into one of the most competitive races in the state.

The senator won 52 percent to 48 percent, or just about 5,000 votes, according to preliminary results.

The Piccola campaign told PolitickerPA.com just past midnight it thought it had made up an early defecit against Hirsh to defeat her.

It's a testament to the electorate's belief in Piccola's reform agenda and tax policies, said staffer Todd Nyquist, that he will return to Harrisburg despite having an election in a very Democratic year.

His victory locks up an impressive night for the Senate Republicans, who claimed wins in the 47th and 39th senatorial districts to push their edge in the Senate up one, 30-20.

The state Democratic Party sent an early morning e-mail to supporters Tuesday reminding them not to "stop at the top" when they vote.

"Be sure to vote for every Democrat on the ballot," wrote Mary Isenhour, the state party's executive director.

In recent weeks, Democrats, in particular Gov. Ed Rendell, have focused on urging voters to make selection for each office on the ballot. The governor has said people who vote for a Democrat at the top of the ticket but not ones farther down have been a problem in the past.

For Democratic office seekers like state Senate candidate Judy Hirsh in the 15th Senatorial District, it could make the difference between victory and defeat.

The first serious challenge to state Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin County) in years has led to the largest campaign spending influx the 15th Senatorial District has ever seen, The Patriot-News reports.

"I would be shocked if this wasn't the largest amount spent on television ads in that district's history. I would be shocked if it wasn't," said Franklin & Marshall pollster Terry Madonna. "This is the first time I think Piccola is seriously threatened, and this is massive spending in that district's history."

Each candidate has aired several negative TV ads that have left their opponent bristling. The latest ad has Hirsh even threatening legal action.

The paper reports Friends for Judy Hirsh have spent nearly $200,000 toward television production. Friends of Jeff Piccola spent $75,000 on consulting fees and media buys -- many of his ads have been funded by the state Republican Party.

LOWER PAXTON -- Democratic state Senate candidate Judy Hirsh said Thursday that she will sue the state Republican Party and Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin County) for libel if they do not immediately remove their latest TV ad and apologize for what she calls its inaccuracies.

The ad, airing on local TV stations, accuses the "wealthy" Hirsh of not repaying a nearly $200,000 loan until a court ordered her to do so. The accusation is an outright lie, Hirsh said at a press conference outsider her campaign office.

She and the state Democratic Party have asked the TV stations to remove the ad. They have replied they won't.

Josh Wilson, Piccola's campaign manager, said the ads were funded entirely by the Republican Party. He declined to comment, saying the senator had nothing to do with them.

Calls from the state Republican Party were not immediately returned.

Sen. Jeff Piccola, left, moderator Scott Gilbert and Democrat Judy Hirsh, right before Monday night's debate: Politicker Photo

DERRY TOWNSHIP -- Monday night's debate between Democrat Judy Hirsh and State Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin County) featured attack ad show-and-tell.

While talking about a proposal to police campaign advertisements with a new ethics commission, Hirsh held up a recent Piccola mailer that made what she said were several "unconscionable" attacks.

"How can somebody touting reform send this?" Hirsh asked while holding up the mailer to the roughly 100-person crowd

But Piccola was not to be outdone. The senator, amid raucous applause from his supporters, held up a similar mailer sent by Hirsh, which he said was untrue.

"I submit I'm not running (a negative campaign) now," Piccola said.

His comment was greeted by sarcastic laughter from Hirsh supporters, who seemed as numerous as the Piccola backers.

"Stop with your negative campaigning, and maybe we'll get somewhere," Piccola said.

It was a tense moment in what has become an increasingly heated campaign between the two candidates in the 15th Senatorial District, seen as one of the state's most competitive.

Judy Hirsh and Ed Rendell touted their shared commitment to expanding health care access: Politicker Photo

HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell (D) has been been particularly frustrated at what he calls Senate Republicans' "mean-spirited" efforts to block his health care proposals.

He's started taking it out on them on the campaign trail.

The governor Thursday campaigned for Democratic state Senate candidate Judy Hirsh, formally endorsing her despite what he says is his reluctance to campaign against incumbents. The two appeared together at a health clinic in midtown Harrisburg to tout their commitment to expanding health care access to Pennsylvanians, which Rendell said might happen only if Democrats make gains in the Senate.

Hirsh faces Republican Jeff Piccola in the 15th Senatorial District, which comprises much of Dauphin County, including the City of Harrisburg, and northern York County.

Campaigning against lawmakers he might need to work with later is carries risk, Rendell said, but Senate opposition to his health care programs forced him to cross the line.

The campaign for state Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin County) has launched a TV ad defending his record of reform in the face of recent criticisms by his Democratic opponent.

It's the first TV ad this campaign from the longtime senator and airs about a week after Democrat Judy Hirsh began running her first advertisement. Hirsh's ad accused the senator of stymieing reform while lining his own pockets.

That brought a sharp response from Piccola, who used his 30-second spot to call Hirsh a "political opportunist" and said "she is letting the Harrisburg insiders who brought you the legislative pay-raise run her sleazy campaign."

Hirsh's campaign, through a statement, has denied Piccola's accusations.

A person close to Piccola's campaign told PolitickerPA.com Hirsh's ad surprised the campaign and forced it to "defend Piccola's record" with the TV spot, which costs about $20,000 a week to run. But the source said the campaign did plan to run its first ad about this time.

State Senate candidate Judy Hirsh will begin airing her first TV ad Thursday, a 30-second spot that seeks to tout her credentials as a mother and small business owner while ripping her opponent, state Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin County) as a status quo incumbent.

The ad is split into two halves -- the first focuses on Hirsh as a mother and business owner who "knows business as usual won't work anymore." The second half, which features a different narrator, accuses Piccola of increasing his pension while electric utility rates are set to skyrocket. 

Hirsh's campaign manager declined to say how much the ad buy was worth or what stations it will run on. 

See also on PolitickerPA.com:

• Hirsh, Piccola tussle over reform, ties to district

Democrat candidate Judy Hirsh faces longtime state Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin County) this fall.: Politicker Photo

Longtime state Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin County) coasted to re-election in 2004 by 22 percentage points and by 35 percentage points in 2000.

Piccola's opponent this year thinks 2008 will be different -- she said she just needs to get the 15th Senatorial District to examine his record.

"Jeff Piccola has never had a serious challenger," said Democrat Judy Hirsh, who talked to PolitickerPA.com as she sat in the office of her real estate consulting business about a 10-minute drive from Harrisburg. "His record has never been put before his district."

Hirsh, a former Susquehanna Township commissioner candidate, said she will try to paint his record as entrenched in the status quo and out of touch with the district as she tries to overcome her underdog status in a district that has shifted leftward in recent years.

But Piccola countered he has been one of the legislature's leading reformer's whose independence has consistently appealed to independents and Democrats. He tackled the status quo long before it became in vogue, he said.

Winners based on the vote count from the PA Secretary of State website.

Democratic Presidential: Hillary Clinton
Democratic State Treasurer: Robert McCord

Congress
PA-03 Democratic: Kathy Daulkemper
PA-05 Democratic: Mark McCracken
PA-05 Republican: Glenn Thompson
PA-10 Republican: Chris Hackett
PA-18 Democratic: Steve O'Donnell

State Senate
SD1 Democratic: Lawrence Farnese
SD13 Republican: Lloyd Smucker
SD15 Democratic: Judy Hirsh
SD17 Republican: Lance Rogers
SD23 Republican: Gene Yaw
SD33 Republican: Richard Alloway
SD39 Democratic: Tony Bompiani
SD47 Democratic: Sean Michael Ramaley
SD47 Republican: Elder Vogel