Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District.

Voters Guide: Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District
Don Sherwood vs. Chris Carney.

-- Jeff Hauser

In the PA-10 congressional race, 4-term Republican incumbent Don Sherwood is seeking re-election. Sherwood's district was favorably redistricted by Pennsylvania Republicans following the 2000 census, and he faced no opposition in his campaigns in 2002 and 2004. However, Sherwood is being strongly tested this year by Democratic challenger Chris Carney. Carney is a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves, a Senior Terrorism and Intelligence Advisor at the Pentagon, and a Penn State Associate Professor of Political Science.

Although both candidates are strong supporters of Israel, they take conflicting stances on other critical issues like abortion--Sherwood is pro-life while Carney is pro-choice--and stem cell research--Sherwood opposes, Carney supports.

Representative Sherwood has also come under fire lately because of a highly publicized extramarital affair and sexual abuse scandal involving a woman named Cynthia Ore. The saga began on September 15, 2004, when Ore dialed 911 from Sherwood's apartment and claimed that the Congressman was "choking her." Ore denied the choking allegation when officers arrived on the scene, but a police report was filed and eventually released to media outlets in 2005 by a former political opponent of Sherwood. Although Sherwood denied claims of sexual abuse, he was forced nonetheless to publicly admit his 5-year affair with Ore. In addition, Ore subsequently filed a $5.5 million lawsuit against Sherwood, claiming that he had repeatedly abused her sexually during their extended affair. The lawsuit was settled out of court on November 8, 2005, to terms that remain undisclosed to the public at this date.  (See Wikipedia's summary of scandal.). For more information, please see links at the bottom of this page.

Here's some more information on how the candidates stand on issues of importance to the Jewish community:

	Chris Carney	Don Sherwood  (R. Incumbent)
Israel	"I fully understand the depth and importance of the United States' relationship with Israel. I am committed to strengthening the relationship between these two democratic nations and working together to end terrorism." "I believe in the promise of a homeland of the Jewish religion and culture --- a place where Jews can live peacefully and govern themselves in freedom."	Strong supporter of Israel. Voted in favor of the Fiscal Year 2007 Foreign Aid Appropriations Bill, which pledged $2.46 Billion in aid to Israel.
Medical Freedom	Pro-choice: "With the advice of their doctors and the counsel of their families and of their faith, Chris believes Americans have the right to make their own medical decisions."	Pro-Life: Rep. Sherwood consistently voted while in office to restrict the reproductive freedom of American women. In fact, Rep. Sherwood has voted with the right-wing National Right to Life Committee on every key piece of abortion legislation since 1999.
Stem Cell Research	Carney supports stem cell research. "As a cancer survivor, Chris understand the hope that stem cell research represents to millions of Americans and their families. He strongly supports federal investment in stem cell research to cure cancers and other debilitating diseases like Parkinson's."	Stands with President Bush in opposition to stem-cell research. Rep. Sherwood voted against H.R. 810 (bill vetoed by Bush), which sought to repeal restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research.
Separation of Church and State	There is no record of Carney's stance on this issue.	Voted against NJDC recommendations on every major piece of legislation dealing with the separation of church and state while in office. In addition, Rep. Sherwood received a 84% rating from the radical Christian Coalition in 2004, a 100% rating in 2002, and a 93% rating in 2000.
Additional Links	Campaign website	House website. Sherwood affair/sexual abuse scandal.