With less than two weeks remaining before the primary, retiring Rep. John Peterson (R) endorsed Centre County Republican Chairman Glenn Thompson last week in the crowded Republican race to replace him.

Calling Thompson “the people’s candidate,” the six-term Congressman said in an interview that he made his decision after thoroughly analyzing the field, including attending debates and meeting with all of the candidates.

Peterson said that while two candidates have spent a lot of money in the race, he’s seen polling data that shows there are still enough undecided voters in the April 22 primary for his late endorsement to make a difference.

“I only regret that I didn’t make [this decision] quicker,” he said. “I should have made it quicker. But the vast majority of voters are undecided.”

Thompson is not considered a frontrunner by local political observers, despite being GOP chairman of the largest county in the district.

Up to this point, three businessmen have dominated the field — and television airtime — leading up to the primary: Matt Shaner, Derek Walker and Jeff Stroehmann, all of whom have supplemented their campaigns with their own funds. There has been no public polling released on the primary in the heavily Republican district.
— Shira Toeplitz