Costello gets primary challenge from the right

Paul J. Linkmeyer to run for GOP nomination in 6th

A Chester County man who said he strongly backs President Donald Trump and who has been active in conservative causes in the area for several years said last week that he plans to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello for the Republican nomination to the 6th Congressional District seat.

“There is a lot of dissatisfaction with Ryan Costello within the party,” said Paul J. Linkmeyer, a semi-retired antique automobile salesman who also owns rental properties in the county, explaining why he plans to seek the Chester County Republican Committee’s endorsement next month at its convention.

“He doesn’t really stand firm on conservative policies,” Linkmeyer said of the two-term congressman from West Goshen. “He tends to vote often against characteristic conservative positions. I am a strong believer in conservative political ideals and a strong supporter of President Trump.

“Ryan has been sort of shaky in his support (of the president), whereas I would be a very strong supporter and would work very closely with him,” Linkmeyer said in a telephone interview Friday.

Costello, asked about the challenge Friday, said he welcomed the attention.

“I believe my record demonstrates that I am an independent, effective voice for the families and communities of (the 6th District),” he said in a statement. “I’m proud to be their voice in Washington, D.C. I sincerely welcome Paul to the race and thank him for his willingness to participate in our democratic process.”

Costello has served in Congress for three years, taking the place of former U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, who retired. He has staked out moderate positions on several issues, and is a member of the centrist Republican “Tuesday Group,” led by fellow Pennsylvania representative Charlie Dent, as well as the bipartisan “Problem Solvers Caucus.”

Costello is already facing possible challenges in the November elections from one of two Chester County Democrats. Bob Dettore, of Berwyn, and Chrissy Houlahan, of Devon, have both announced their candidacies, although Houlahan has raised significantly more money in campaign contributions and has secured endorsements from national political organizations.

Costello’s seat is one of several districts across the country that observers have said are in play in the 2018 elections, since Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won the majority of votes in the district in 2016. The 6th District covers part of Chester, Montgomery, Berks, and Lebanon counties.

Linkmeyer, a GOP committeeman from West Goshen, said that he believes he has enough support among others in the committee to secure at least the 41 percent vote total necessary to secure a “recommended” status in the May primary at the party’s nominating convention. He pointed to a race against Costello in 2016 for delegate to the GOP National Convention in which he garnered 32 percent of the committee’s vote. Costello won that race with 68 percent of the total, but ultimately decided not to attend the convention, a move that was widely seen as a repudiation of Trump’s campaign.

Linkmeyer acknowledged that if he does not receive either a full endorsement or at best a recommendation from the county committee, his candidacy would not be able to go forward. “We run on a system of endorsements,” he said.

Linkmeyer did not say who he has spoken to about dissatisfaction with Costello, except to say they were members of the county GOP. Asked what conservative issues Costellos seemed to oppose, Linkmeyer pointed to his recent vote on the Republican tax reform and tax cut proposal that Trump signed into law last month.

Even though Costello ultimately voted in favor of the legislation, Linkmeyer pointed to critical comments he made afterwards about the inclusion of a reversal of the ban on drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). “Drilling in ANWR has been a conservative position for decades,” Linkmeyer said.

He said he would support tax reduction as a way of spurring business investment and job creation. Linkmeyer, 58, most recently served as West Goshen auditor. He was a vocal supporter of the Chester County Sheepdogs organization which organized rallies in favor of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in downtown West Chester for many years.

Costello, 41, was elected to a second term in 2016, beating Democrat Mike Parrish with 57 percent of the vote.