Charlie Dent and Leonard Lance

Congressmen Charlie Dent, left, and Leonard Lance

(Express-Times File Photos)

Political analysts acknowledge the mantra of some conservative groups that a Republican who votes against them is a Republican who’s invited a primary challenge.

But the pundits were in disagreement today as to whether the votes of U.S. Reps. Charlie Dent and Leonard Lance in favor of reopening the government and raising the debt limit translate into a definite GOP opponent for the two come next spring.

Dent, a Republican whose district covers Lehigh and part of Northampton counties, and Lance, who represents Hunterdon and part of Warren counties, late Wednesday night were among a minority of Republicans who sided with Democrats to get the measure passed in the House. Both are considered moderates, and defended their votes as being in the best interest of the country.

“It is not a perfect solution and I am proud to have worked tirelessly across the aisle with like-minded members from both sides of the Capitol on a broader package,” Lance said in a statement before the vote. “But those efforts failed to bear fruit and my colleagues and I now face an impasse concerning our nation’s finances.”

The short-term measure does include a provision forming a bipartisan committee assigned to come up with a long-term budget. The bill passed the House 285-144, with 87 Republicans in favor and 144 against. It passed the Senate 81-18.

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Democrat whose district includes part of Northampton County, voted in favor of the measure. U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett, a Republican representing Warren County municipalities, voted against it.

It's the votes from Dent and Lance that will bring resentment from many in their party, said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Allentown.

“Clearly the decision by more moderate individuals like Charlie Dent or Leonard Lance places a target on them,” he said, referring to their votes opening up the potential for a primary challenge. “The decision by Dent, in this case, has caused significant resentment among a number of conservatives. The question that remains to be seen is will this manifest in a challenger.”

Borick said Dent may be more vulnerable to a primary challenge now that his district includes more conservative terrain in central Pennsylvania. Redistricting approved by the Republican-led Pennsylvania Legislature in 2011 took Dent’s district out of a significant portion of Northampton County and stretched it out to include portions as far west as Dauphin County near Harrisburg.

Dent defended his vote in a statement after Wednesday night's vote. He noted that the original effort by his colleagues to tie the defunding of the Affordable Care Act, the president's signature health care law, to short-term government funding would not work. Dent was among the first Republicans to publicly speak out against the effort by fellow Republicans opposed to Obamacare.

“Sixteen days after this misguided tactic drove us into a government shutdown, I voted to reopen the government and prevent a devastating roiling of our markets, a likely credit downgrade and an imminent default,” he said.

Even with Dent’s vote riling some in his own party, a primary challenge against him may not be as likely as it appears, according to G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College.

“I don’t think this makes him more vulnerable to a primary challenge,” Madonna said, noting Dent won his last general election by a large margin. “He’s a good fit for the district … he’s a pretty good politician. I just don’t see him being in any political danger as a result of this.”

The same can be said for Lance, according to David P. Redlawsk, a professor of political science at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics.

“Strong conservatives are likely to remember the vote, but it is unclear if they could really muster a significant challenge to Lance,” he wrote in an email. “He is generally well-liked in his district, and while many Republicans supported the shutdown, in the scheme of things, this is too early to really make a difference for 2014.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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HOW THEY VOTED



President Barack Obama signed the measure into law early this morning. It will fund the government only until Jan. 15 and give Treasury the ability to borrow above the $16.7 trillion limit until Feb. 7 or a few weeks longer.

Local members of Congress voted as follows:

House of Representatives

Yea



Charlie Dent, Matt Cartwright and Leonard Lance

Nay



Scott Garrett

Senate