Thanks to the countless people who helped with this underdog campaign... those who put a yard sign in their yard, or made phone calls to neighbors, who showed up to a rally or event, or contributed $100, $25, even $5.  Change takes hard work, and a lot of time, but whether it's today or two years or four years from now, we'll have representation in Washington that we can be proud of if we keep up the hard work.

Election Day is finally here. Go vote, and remind family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and everyone you see to vote for Tony Barr today.

Thanks to everyone who has given their support over the past years as we've lead this grassroots campaign in central Pennsylvania.  This is a campaign that is not about one person, but is about citizens making sure their voice is heard and they have a choice on Election Day.  It is about real people representing us in Washington DC, instead of career politicians who spend more time with lobbyists than with their own constituents.  It is about electing representatives who are accountable to the voters who put them there, not the biggest contributors to their campaigns.

Tony Barr is not a polished politician.  He does not have designer suits or manicured nails.  He does not have finely crafted speeches with talking points that have been tested in polls before being released to the press.  His campaign can't afford pretty glossy mailers in every voter's mailbox.  He can't blanket the television stations with non-stop campaign commercials.  He can't afford to thank his donors with extravagant dinners in DC or in New York City.  He doesn't get support from partisan PACs from Harrisburg and DC.

All he has is his life experience - helping struggling kids to work hard and earn a diploma, and transition to the adult world of work.  Listening to the concerns and struggles of his students' parents.  Balancing work and family.  Coping with rising costs of gasoline, groceries, and clothing for quickly growing boys.  These experiences are what will inform his decisions in Washington.

Vote today for a representative that is real. 

So you’ve been slimed.  It's okay, you're not alone.  These mailers that Bill Shuster has been sending out are designed to upset people.  It's the same old scare tactic that politicians use when they're afraid they may just lose an election.

But that’s not all Shuster fears, he fears Tony’s low cost loans for energy efficiency because they would be bad for the oil and utility companies that contribute to his campaign.  So he offers up the most extreme possibility, even though common sense, and a little research, reveals that the program would be aimed at middle income homeowners.

Shuster fears the reduction of the Bush tax cuts, and the middle class tax cuts that will replace them, because he and his millionaire friends and the lobbyists he parties with might have to pay a little more while the working people in the 9^th district get a needed and a much deserved break.

Why after seven years in Congress is Bill Shuster not touting his own accomplishments? Because there aren’t any.  He is the least powerful Pennsylvania Republican, and the least independent Pennsylvanian Republican, voting with the Bush administration 94.2% of the time (Washington Post).

It is considered impolite to refer to someone as a liar, but what other word fits what Shuster is saying?  He has lied about his own independence, his own record on energy, and now he distorts Tony Barr's positions on everything from taxes to energy to public disclosure.

It is important to note that his mailers aren't saying that Shuster has done a good job, they are trying to make the voters fear his opponent.  And he repeatedly declined requests from several organizations wishing to host fall debates to help the public make an informed decision.

Ninth district citizens simply deserve better.

So read these mailers if you must, then toss them in the trash where they belong, wash your hands and vote for someone who will go to Washington with one mission: To Work for Working people.