Gov. Tom Corbett to campaign for Larry Medaglia

Republicans are pulling out all the stops in an effort to win a special election for Pennsylvania's 11th Senatorial District.

Gov. Tom Corbett will appear at a fundraising luncheon on Thursday, March, 3, on behalf of Berks County Register of Wills Larry Medaglia Jr., the GOP candidate for the vacant Senate seat.

The event will take place at noon at the Reading Country Club in Exeter.

Corbett, who was sworn in as Pennsylvania's 46th governor on Jan. 18, will be making his first visit to Berks County as governor and this might be his first political event since moving into the governor's mansion.

The 11th Senate District seat became vacant when longtime Democratic state Sen. Mike O'Pake died at the end of last year following open-heart surgery.

O'Pake held the seat for 38 years and still had two more years left in his term.

The March 15 special election will fill O'Pake's seat until the 2012 legislative elections.

Republicans see a great opportunity to pick up the seat, which would give them a 31-19 advantage in the state Senate.

Corbett was elected governor last November over Democrat Dan Onorato. One of the major issues in the campaign was taxes. Corbett issued a "no-tax pledge" to voters.

Medaglia has already signed the Americans for Tax Reform's "Taxpayer Protection Pledge."

"Pennsylvanians are overtaxed," Medaglia said after signing pledge. "Our burdensome tax structure hurts individuals and the businesses, which we rely on to create the kinds of jobs that can sustain families in our community."

Medaglia's opponent, Democrat Judy Schwank, raised property taxes for Berks County homeowners and businesses by 52 percent while serving as a county commissioner.

Medaglia, the Register of Wills of Berks County since 1996, has criticized Schwank's "tax-and-spend" policies and promises to uphold his pledge not to raise taxes when he gets to Harrisburg.

"I will oppose any attempt to increase taxes," Medaglia said. "I will make the tough decisions required to reign in the reckless spending going on in Harrisburg and work to create an atmosphere where long-term economic and job growth can occur in Berks County."

For more information about Medaglia, check out his campaign website.