In Pennsylvania, a September State Senate Showdown

[ccharles000]

No one seems to be quite sure why Pennsylvania is holding an election today, just weeks before November, but, regardless, voters -- or at least a few of them -- will pick a new state senator in a district North of Philadelphia. The seat was previously held by a Republican, who left to take a Chamber of Commerce position. Republicans, from the looks of it, should be favored in the special election.

The 24th District includes parts of four counties. Two of these are Bucks County and Montgomery County -- two of Philadelphia's big suburban counties. The two others are Lehigh County and Northampton County, further North in the Lehigh Valley.

All four of those counties went for President Obama last fall, but don't let that fool you. The parts of these counties in the 24th District are more Republican than the counties as a whole. While Pennsylvania has a sizable Democratic registration edge, the 24th has slightly more Republicans than Democrats, as the Allentown Morning Call reports.

http://ballotbox.governing.com/2009/09/in-pennsylvania-a-september-state-senate-showdown.html