First, thanks you all again for your kind words and encouragement on my last diary on Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/...).  We were all thrilled that we made the "recommended" list.

As I'm sure you all were, I've been happy to see the DCCC, DNC and Members stepping up.  Here in Pennsylvania, the DCCC just committed over $5 million to Lois Murphy, Joe Sestak and Patrick Murphy's races.

But it also got me thinking about my own race, so an hour ago I faxed the following letter to DCCC Chair Rahm Emanuel:

Friends:

Our community here in Lancaster has been in grief and mourning since Monday's tragedy, and for that reason I have been reluctant to speak about politics in general, and the Foley scandal in particular.

But yesterday my opponent, Rep. Joseph Pitts, issued a joint statement with Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) which called Speaker Dennis Hastert "a man of integrity," and said Hastert should not resign.

With that, I must speak out.

My name is Lois Herr, and I am a Democrat running for Congress in Pennsylvania's 16th District. Born and raised in Lancaster County, PA., I am a 10th generation descendent of Hans Herr, who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1711 for religious freedom (see our website for more background). When we win I will become the first woman ever elected to Congress from this district, and the first Democrat. I will also have succeeded in ridding the Congress of Representative Joe Pitts, a 5-term GOP incumbent (who is breaking an old vow not to serve more than five terms) and blind supporter of President Bush and his policies. Pitts votes with President Bush 91% of the time, and he votes the GOP party line 97% of the time. Pitts has rubber-stamped the Patriot Act, illegal wiretapping of American citizens, and the President's use of signing statements to evade his responsibility to enforce laws passed by Congress. He has offered unflinching support for the war in Iraq, and has consistently voted for a ballooning federal deficit. As head of the GOP Values Action Team and Congressional point man in the war against contraception, Pitts' mission is to write into law a particular brand of morality, displacing conscience and the Church with the State as arbiter of religious belief in this country.

Pennsylvania's 16th District is changing. Five Democrats swept five Republicans out of office in Lancaster City elections last November, decisively defeating a two-term incumbent Mayor in the process. And this past May, Democrat Andy Dinniman easily won a State Senate special election in the 19th Senate District, which had never before elected a Democrat, and where registered Republicans out-number registerd Democrats by a nearly two-to-one margin (the 19th Senate District lies within the sixteenth Congressional District). The desire for change will make this the year for a Democrat to represent the sixteenth district in Congress.