So John McClure is running for U.S. Congress. He’s going up against Lois Herr for the Democratic nomination to run against Joe Pitts in November. (Or should those Facebook links be Lois Herr, Lois Herr, and/or Joe Pitts?)

The race is in the 16th Congressional District, most of which is here in Lancaster County, PA.

The quotes from local Democratic Party officials in Tom Murse’s insightful article on the race in the Intelligencer Journal make it sound like McClure’s bid is a case study in how not to get the party’s nomination.

I have a number of open questions. Do you have insights or information?

• What is McClure up to? He is angling for the Democratic nomination but so far appears to be doing little to win the favor of party officials. At least he sat down face-to-face with Herr to talk and to tell her of his plans.
• How does McClure intend to frame his race against Herr? The only key issue to surface so far is abortion. Granted, that’s a biggie, but what other issues will be central?
• Why is McClure going straight for Congress, instead of for a lower elected office?
• On what basis is McClure estimating he can raise $1.5 million for his campaign?
• Does McClure stand a chance against Herr? Do either of them stand any chance at all against Pitts?
• Will the county Democratic party see this as an opportunity to encourage more “newbies” to run for elected office in the way that works best for the party? Or will the etiquette remain insider knowledge that keeps the pool of candidates small?
• And then there’s the lingering question… Why did Pitts go back on his pledge to only serve two terms? And, why are voters supporting him as he runs for his eighth term?