Republican Pat Meehan criticized his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-161, of Swarthmore, for use of a taxpayer-funded vehicle after he reportedly pledged not to do so when he ran for state representative. 

Meehan, a former U.S. attorney and Delaware County district attorney, is running against Lentz, a two-term state representative, in the 7th Congressional District race. 

The Meehan campaign criticized Lentz on Wednesday, saying he flip-flopped on a position he made during his first run for state representative back in 2006.

The Meehan campaign cited past news articles in which Lentz criticized his Republican opponent in that state race, Tom Gannon, for his use of a taxpayer-funded vehicle, and pledged he would not do the same if elected.

“Actions speak louder than words, and Bryan Lentz’s tough rhetoric on the campaign trail in 2006 doesn’t match his actions in Harrisburg in 2009,” said Bryan Kendro, campaign manager for Meehan, in a release. “This is just another instance of Lentz saying one thing when he’s searching for votes, but doing something completely different once he’s safely in office.
“Lentz is a hypocrite. How can we expect him to reform Washington when he refused to do it in Harrisburg?”

The Lentz campaign issued a statement in response to the Meehan campaign’s release.
“If Pat Meehan, who has spent the bulk of his professional life on the public payroll and drastically increased the budget of his office while (district attorney), wants to get into a debate on reform Bryan Lentz is happy to do that and will help find a venue for the discussion,” said Kevin McTigue, campaign manager for Lentz, in an e-mailed statement. “The truth is, in his short time in Harrisburg, Bryan Lentz has voted on numerous measures for reform. Surely Pat Meehan isn’t criticizing Bryan for using his existing budget to pay for necessary travel rather than taking reimbursements that would go in his pocket.”

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As a resident of the 7th Congressional District, what do you think about this issue?