More On Almire: An Update on Jack Shea

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Irate at Rep. Jason Altmire’s vote against the health care legislation, Jack Shea, the president of the Allegheny County Labor Council, said he is considering a challenge the McCandless Democrat in either the primary or general elections.

Well that's not going to be the case. From Politico.com:

Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire is the latest Democrat to dodge a challenge from the left after casting a vote against health care reform legislation last month.

Labor leader Jack Shea, who had been publicly mulling a third-party or write-in campaign against Altmire, told the website pa2010.com that he's decided not to challenge the second-term congressman.

“I’ve tried to be a little bit loose on this race to see what developed, but I am not planning to make a serious push,” Shea told the publication. “One thing is for certain, we can’t let [Republican Mary Beth] Buchanan win the seat. We need a candidate who will be truthful and support the middle class.”

Pennsylvania's filing deadline had already passed, and it would have been difficult for Shea to challenge Altmire as a write-in primary candidate. But he could have done serious damage to the congressman's reelection chances by siphoning votes from Democrats as Altmire competes against Buchanan, a former U.S. attorney.

From pa2010.com:

Shea said he had been in contact with a host of potential supporters since rumors of a campaign surfaced weeks ago—many expressing anger with Altmire’s vote against health care reform and Republican candidate Mary Beth Buchanan’s stance on the issue.

Despite the encouragement, Shea saw the task of getting on the ballot as an independent or launching a successful write-in campaign as too steep a hill to climb.

“I was flattered that so many hard-working people would support me, but I have too many obligations between now and November to mount an effective campaign,” Shea said. “The last thing we need is to do is build another mountain for labor to climb, and that’s exactly what my campaign would be.”

Updated.