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It's no secret that politics is a game of influence. In a system in which no one gets to make unilateral decisions, convicing others to join your side is the only way to achieve anything.
We are fortunate enough to be represented in the Pennsylvania Senate by a man who is one of (if not, the) most powerful Republicans in the state, Sen. Jake Corman, who also serves as the Senate Majority Leader.
It's also a big reason why we're endorsing Corman's candidacy in the 34th Senatorial District, which includes Mifflin and Juniata counties.
Corman has been an advocate for local farmers, a much needed check on a governor who likes to increase taxes and has been a champion for a project that is years in the making and long overdue in this region -- the improvements to U.S. 322 in the area of Potters Mills Gap.
If the so-called "missing link" of four-lane highway between here and State College is to ever come to completion, we'll need Corman's leadership and influence to get it done. Having a freshman senator replace the majority leader would almost certainly lead to this project quickly becoming a bridge to nowhere.
We're counting on Corman to make sure this project gets done -- and believe he will come through.
Corman's opponent, Ezra Nanes, seems like a service-minded person whose heart is in the right place. We don't doubt he sincerely wishes to make this region a better place.
But his proposal to raise taxes on burgeoning energy industries in Pennsylvania seems like a move that will stifle economic opportunity in the commonwealth at a time when most of the state's industries and residents are just now fully recovering from the Great Recession.
We think that the fiscal discipline that Corman and other Senate Republicans have shown is what Pennsylvania and our region need.
We think Jake Corman deserves another four years representing us in the Pennsylvania Senate.