Dear Friend,

Thank you so much for your support of my recent campaign. In running for Congress, I realized how much help and support is needed in so many ways. Your generous donation by way of time and/or money is most appreciated and will not be forgotten.

So many of you helped either by monetary donations, getting petition signatures, setting up signs, attending my fundraiser events, mailing fliers and/or working the phone polls. There was an unbelievable amount of work to do in a very short period of time. Although my campaign did not end in a victory this time, I am truly grateful for the faith you had in me.

To all those who voted for me I appreciate the faith you had me.

Again, please accept my thanks and gratitude for your friendship and support.

Sincerely,

John R. Stroup

Tri-County Sunday Editorial

We are impressed with Republican candidate: Glenn Thompson (Peterson’s choice) and John Stroup (Rep. Fred McIlhattan and Sen. Mary Jo White’s choice). Derek Walker (current state Sen. Joe Scarnati’s and former Rep. Bill Clinger’s choice) and Matt Shaner last week launched ad attacks against each other that were offensive as well as negative. That’s unseemly, and beneath the dignity of what we want in Congress. As for charges filed Thursday against Walker over a 2007 incident with a former girlfriend … at this writing, they are just that: Charges.

For Immediate Release
April 13, 2008

Senator Mary Jo White Endorses Clarion Mayor John Stroup for 5th Congressional District

Franklin, PA - Senator Mary Jo White (R 21st) today announced that she is supporting Clarion mayor, John Stroup, for the Congressional vacancy created by the retirement of Congressman John Peterson.

White said “While I do not normally endorse candidates in a primary, the large field of candidates and the short time available for them to get out their message makes this a difficult primary for candidates and voters.”  She noted that it is particularly difficult for candidates without private resources.

“John Stroup has the maturity, the background and the passion to be an excellent congressman,” said White.  “He has an MBA and his experience in defense contracting, and in health care policy through his position on the Clarion Hospital Foundation, means that he will have a short learning curve on issues important to the district.”  White noted that Stroup organized a multi-county coalition to defeat the plan to toll I-80 long before there was any indication that there would be a congressional vacancy.

“John Stroup is running for all the right reasons”, she said, “and I hope the voters will give him a close look.”

Contact:
Senator Mary Jo White
814-676-6208

Click HERE to listen to my new Radio Advertisement.

I wanted to make sure everyone saw the videos my friends at “Repeal Act 44″ recently uploaded to You Tube. You can view the videos here: Repeal Act 44 Videos

Without the leadership of Congressman John Peterson and those who stood up at the local level, the tolling of I-80 may have already been a done deal.

We need to make sure that our next Congressman fights this disastrous proposal in Washington DC as strongly as Congressman Peterson has, because this fight is not over and rural Pennsylvania needs an ally committed to its survival in Washington to lead that fight. Harrisburg has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to push through tolling on I-80. Our communities do not have those resources, so we must have committed leadership. Unlike the other candidates, I have been fighting Act 44 and the toll plan long before it was a popular thing to do and long before I was a candidate for Congress.

It’s about commitment - commitment to our rural communities, our rural economies and our rural citizens. Rural Pennsylvania deserves someone in Congress who has that commitment - one that goes beyond polling data and the advice of high-priced political consultants. I oppose tolling on I-80 and support rural Pennsylvania communities because it is the right thing to do, because I have personally seen the challenges facing our communities, and I have been on the front lines fighting hand-in-hand with Congressman Peterson.

I can only hope that you, the voters and constituents of this district, vote for a mature, experienced voice for Congress, someone that has taken on and dealt with important issues facing our area - from fighting for access to rural health care; exploring new ways of increasing the penetration of high speed fiber broadband for our business and homes; and fighting the economic devastation that tolling I-80 would bring to our region.

I was very excited to receive the key endorsement of long time State Representative Fred McIlhattan today. Rep. McIlhattan has served this area exceptionally over the past 12 years and like many others, I was sad to hear that he will also be retiring at the end of this term. I have enjoyed working with him on a wide range of issues over the years but especially in our joint opposition of the proposal to toll I-80 over the past eight months and appreciate his support in my candidacy for Congress.

For Immediate Release
March 25, 2008

March 25, 2008

State Representative Fred McIlhattan Endorses Mayor John Stroup for Congress

CLARION – Pennsylvania State Representative Fred McIlhattan (R-63rd) has endorsed John Stroup, candidate for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District in Congress.

The seat currently is held by John E. Peterson, who announced in January he would not seek re-election to another term in office.

“I am proud to support Clarion Mayor John Stroup in his bid to become our next Congressman,” said McIlhattan. “He has continued to show the leadership it takes to serve rural Pennsylvania in our nation’s capital, whether fighting tolling Interstate 80 and the economic devastation tolling it would bring, protecting access to our rural healthcare system or ensuring that rural Pennsylvania is not left behind.”

Stroup said he was pleased to have earned McIlhattan’s endorsement.

“I am extremely proud to have the support and endorsement of Representative McIlhattan,” said Stroup. “He is highly respected, not just in Clarion County, but across northwestern Pennsylvania, where his hard work and achievements are well-known.”

“I worked for John Peterson and I know him well,” said McIlhattan, who served as Peterson’s aide during his tenure in the Pennsylvania Senate. “I am convinced that John Stroup will continue the same strong, effective, courageous and independent leadership for the 5th District that we have enjoyed from John Peterson.

“Among the nine candidates in the Republican primary, there are not a lot of different opinions on the core conservative issues,” concluded McIlhattan. “However, having known John Stroup personally and professionally for many years, I can tell you he has been a strong, consistent voice for our rural values. He is a mature, respected, experienced leader who needs no on the job training to represent the 5th District in Congress.”

Stroup is continuing his 17 county tour of the 5th Congressional district to meet with voters and discuss his plans to continue strengthening our rural communities and protecting our conservative values.

Authorized by Friends of John Stroup

Here is the latest Press Release my campaign put out this evening regarding the required Financial Disclosures that all candidates must file -

Stroup Shares Financial Disclosure

Under Federal Law, all candidates for Congress who raise or spend more than $5000 must file an official Financial Disclosure Statement with the Clerk of the House of Representatives within thirty days of becoming a candidate.

“I believe in this law implicitly,” John Stroup said. Stroup is currently Mayor of Clarion and a candidate for the open seat in Pennsylvania’s Fifth Congressional District. “That’s why I complied quickly, and that is why I am posting a complete scan of my Financial Disclosure documents on my website, (http://www.friendsofjohnstroup.com). I believe filing this disclosure is so important that people should not have to drive to Washington in order to see it.”

The Ethics in Government Act requires Members of Congress, candidates, officers, and certain employees of the House of Representatives to file annual Financial Disclosure Statements, and also makes these available for public review. Generally, candidates must file these Statements within thirty days of becoming a candidate.

“I am disappointed that so many of my opponents in this race have chosen to ignore this Law,” Stroup said. “When I first declared my candidacy, I made sure that I was fully informed of the laws that would require my compliance. The citizens of the Fifth District deserve nothing less.”

“Any ‘plan for the future’ or ‘revival of the Fifth District’ should certainly require, at the barest minimum, respect for the law and compliance with it.”

“If a candidate can afford to spend more every two days on his campaign than the median family in the Fifth District makes in a full year, surely twenty minutes of respect for the law is not too much to ask.”

John Stroup lives and works in Clarion, PA. Citizens can follow his campaign on his website or through his comments posted at http://johnstroup.wordpress.com

John Stroup’s Financial Disclosure

The other night, I had the opportunity to attend a great event in my hometown of Clarion. It was a wonderful opportunity to say hello to old friends, and to make a few new ones along the way. Plus, I had the chance to see several of my fellow candidates in the race for the Fifth District, and it’s always great to have the chance to exchange stories and learn how others are doing in this very large district.

I have to admit to being upset, though, by one or two of the comments made. For example, one candidate really called into question the commitment we Clarion people have to the anti-tolling movement, basically saying that if we don’t want tolls, we should come up with a “solution” to the highway funding crisis in PA.

Well, I think this shows a very shallow understanding of the I-80 issue. First, our opposition has nothing to do with highway funding. The economic damage tolls will do across Pennsylvania is massive, and probably will cost more in public money than the tolls will raise. We have literally hundreds of millions of public dollars invested in industrial parks, improvements, utilities and the like to support industry using I-80. Most of that goes away if tolls are imposed.

We have secondary roads that will be destroyed by diversion. We have tourism initiatives – on Route 6, for example – representing millions in investment, all ruined if trucks divert to 6 instead of paying tolls on 80. Economically, it’s a nightmare, and I haven’t even talked about the job loss and the private investment loss, and the further declines in population all across northwestern PA. Highway funding has nothing to do with this, and someone who wants to represent the Fifth District should know that.

Further, as the State continues to divert hundreds of millions of dollars from the highway fund to spend on State Police crime investigations and on mass transit in Philadelphia, and on weights and measures, you have to wonder how much of this crisis is generated by Harrisburg’s own misguided decisions. So if these candidates for Congress want to deal with solutions for highway funding, they should consider running for the state house, not the Fifth District Seat.

But you know, even more upsetting (and you can probably tell this annoys me!) were a few of the comments made about our outgoing Congressman, John Peterson. One candidate and the representative of a second both made reference to the need for “better leadership” and a “new age” and the need for the Fifth District to “rise from the ashes” of past leadership.

I have to say, I disagree completely. I personally believe that John Peterson has done an outstanding job, and I truly wish he were running again, and not me. I recognize that the Fifth District has challenges, especially given the way Harrisburg and Washington both look at rural areas – but I think Mr. Peterson has accomplished as much as any single man could to help his District. He certainly has done wonders for rural health care. And, when we talk about I-80, without John Peterson, I suspect we would be paying tolls right now. So I hope the other candidates will excuse me, but I will not be bashing Mr. Peterson on my way to Congress.

Authorized by Friends of John Stroup

From the beginning, I have hoped that this campaign would not be about money. It’s too important to be about money.

Apparently, though, this is not to be my decision.

When one candidate spends $720,000 and at least one or two others show signs of being able to match that, I do start to wonder how someone like me – the common man – can ever hope to serve in Congress. And in these times, I believe we need men and women in Congress who work every day, trying to pay their bills on time, trying to raise their families and fill their gas tanks, trying just to make ends meet.

That’s the perspective we need and I’m afraid that gets lost when numbers as large as that start getting thrown around.

I can only hope that the quality of ideas in this race outweighs in the minds of the voters the quantity of dollars.

 Authorized by Friends of John Stroup

It seems to me that anyone running for Congress should be able to tell you, in a paragraph or two, why they want to hold that position, and why you should vote for them.

First, I would like to thank Congressman John Peterson for his 40 years of public service, the last 12 of which were as our Congressman in Washington DC. I have had the opportunity to work with John on numerous occasions, most recently in opposition to the plan to toll I-80, and as many of you here can attest, he may be the hardest working member of Congress down there. We are all thankful for his dedication to the people of the 5th district and all of rural America.

With that said, I am running to be your next Congressman because I have the most drive and the most experience to step into those shoes and lead the fight to improve our communities here in Rural Pennsylvania.

As we all know, rural Pennsylvania is about the communities. Every day in the small towns and cities that make up the 5th District, men and women wake up and spend their days making their communities better. And just like all of you, I spend every day working to make my community better. As a father and husband, as a leader in a number of community organizations, as a health care executive, and as mayor of one of 5th District’s most vibrant communities, my life is defined by my commitment to making our communities better.

I understand the challenges that our families, cities and towns face because I have faced them myself. As a husband and father, I know what it is like to pay a mortgage and the heating bill…to have to fill up the tank with $3 gasoline and pay child’s college tuition bill. As Mayor, I have faced the challenges of maintaining the roads and sidewalks of a small town or finding new innovative ways to keep crime out of our communities and fight illicit drug use.

It’s from these real life experiences as well as the ones I have gained from working to better a small community hospital or helping run a small family owned business that make me the most qualified to serve you as your next Congressman.

From the way that the state has treated rural Pennsylvania in its efforts to toll I-80 to the efforts by federal government bureaucrats to cut off programs that are the economic lifelines for rural areas, rural Pennsylvania needs not only a voice, but an experienced fighter to stand up to the federal bureaucracy in Washington DC .

I am running to be your Congressman because I have the experience to lead that fight to improve our communities, here in Rural Pennsylvania and across Rural America. As your Congressman, I will focus on fighting for jobs, improving health care, and developing new opportunities for rural communities like innovative energy sources. I will be just like you, someone who wakes up every morning and spends their day working to make their community better.

Authorized by Friends of John Stroup