Rich Costello

Democrat Brendan Boyle and state Rep. John Perzel (R-Philadelphia) appear to have the upper-hand in early returns of their closely-watched state House races in northeast Philadelphia.

Boyle, who is running against Republican Matt Taubenberger for the open 170th Legislative District seat, was leading Taubenberger by more than 20 points, with more than two-thirds of districts reporting.

Perzel, the longtime GOP powerhouse running against Democrat Rich Costello, was leading by more than 30 points, with 86 percent of precincts reporting.

There has been a lot of talk lately about who will be the next speaker so I decided to reach out to a Republican and Democratic staffer, both on the staff of current leadership members. Both agreed the most likely outcomes were for John Perzel on the Republican side and Dwight Evans on the Democratic side. Both also agreed the wildcard was a house that faced little change in makeup which could very well lead to a second Dennis O'Brien administration.

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

The murmurs that longtime state Rep. John Perzel (R-Philadelphia) could be vulnerable this year have been coming from increasing numbers of Democrats, and even some Republicans who dislike him.

But state Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny), who is chairing the GOP's state House campaign committee, has a simple message for those doubters: think again.

"I think everybody thinks John Perzel will get re-elected," Turzai told PolitickerPA.com recently.

"John is not going to be beat," Turzai added. "John is just too well liked, [and has done] too much for his district."

Democrat Rich Costello is hoping to unseat Perzel in the 172nd Legislative District.

With state Rep. John Perzel (R-Philadelphia) being sued for his alleged involvement in a robo-call campaign this spring, his opponent is getting in on the political action.

Rich Costello, who is hoping to unseat Perzel in the 172nd Legislative District, said Wednesday that the longtime incumbent and powerful Republican had questions to answer.

"This is just another example of how John Perzel is using his office to accumulate personal wealth and power, not to serve his constituents," Costello said in a statement. "This is only the latest evidence in a long list of Mr. Perzel's abuses of power."

Perzel could not be reached Wednesday. A spokesman has declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The Democratic challenger to longtime state Rep. John Perzel (R-Philadelphia) is criticizing state Attorney General Tom Corbett's decision to hold off on further indictments in his "Bonusgate" investigation until after the election, calling it a "failure to act" that is unfair to voters.

Rich Costello, a former northeast Philadelphia police officer who hopes to unseat the powerful Perzel in the 172nd Legislative District, said Corbett was shirking his duty to voters. Numerous news reports have indicated that Perzel is one of the Republicans under investigation by Corbett's office, specifically for a $1.8 million computer program purchased by House Republicans which was used for political purposes.

"The Attorney General has a responsibility to the citizens of Pennsylvania that does not take a break from October 1 to November 4," Costello said in a statement. "If Mr. Corbett purposely withholds evidence of corruption from voters, then he is himself guilty of misconduct."

Perzel's spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday morning, and Perzel could not be reached on his cell phone.

But a campaign spokesman for Corbett reiterated the attorney general's reasoning for delaying any further indictments.

Republicans in Philadelphia have long been an endangered breed, nudged out of power by an increasingly liberal city and left to fend for themselves by a city GOP that is largely content to let Democrats have City Hall in exchange for some of the few city patronage jobs remaining.

Republican state Rep. John Perzel, however, is a different story.

A 29-year incumbent in Northeast Philadelphia's 172nd Legislative District and a former House speaker and majority leader, he is the most powerful Republican in Philadelphia political circles, with the possible exception of U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter. A reliable fundraiser for his Republican colleagues early and often, rarely has Perzel's his grip on power loosened much, as he has managed to stay in office through years of Republican defeats in Philadelphia.

"He helped so many people get elected to the House, that whenever he wanted to move up the leadership ladder, they looked favorably on him," said Lowman Henry, CEO of the Lincoln Institute, a Harrisburg public opinion organization.

"He had chips he could pull in," added Henry, a frequent critic of Perzel's after working with him as a political director for the state GOP into the early 1980s.

As Perzel, 58, campaigns for a mind-boggling 15th term, his opponent is a different kind of tough guy: Longtime city cop and former police union chief Rich Costello. A city police officer for more than three decades, the 57-year-old Costello was president of the local Fraternal Order of Police for 10 years. And while some political watchers think Perzel could be vulnerable this year, others scoff at the notion that the entrenched and well-funded incumbent could possibly be knocked off.

"[Republicans] certainly can't afford to lose Perzel's seat," said G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.