Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan will run for Congress against Republican incumbent Charlie Dent in 2010, sources say, setting up a political battle the likes of which the Lehigh Valley hasn't seen in 17 years.
The two-term mayor has made his decision clear to Democratic Party leaders in Pennsylvania and Washington and is preparing to put a campaign team in place. An official announcement is expected soon.
This is a pretty huge score for the DCCC, and Callahan is likely the biggest outstanding Democratic House recruit who's yet to make a formal decision on a 2010 run.
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Elected in 2003 at 34, Callahan has long been viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party. He's president of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities. As mayor, he has presided over a period of huge change in Bethlehem, highlighted by the controversial decision to redevelop the former Bethlehem Steel land into a massive retail and entertainment complex anchored by a casino. Dent opposed the casino plan.
"This is a tremendous recruiting success for Democrats in this district, and it is important they capitalize on it," said Mark Nevins, a Philadelphia-based strategist and former staffer at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Dent has had an easy ride against a series of flawed challengers, most recently pasting Sam Bennett by a monstrous 59-41 margin while Barack Obama was carrying the district with 56% of the vote, so there's no question that this is going to be one tough race even with a competent candidate at the helm. Still, with redistricting right around the corner, this at the very least gives Democrats the chance to soften Dent up going into 2012.
