Pennsylvania Democrat Doug Pike, a freelance journalist and a former newspaper editorial writer, said Wednesday that he’s running in 2010 to represent the 6th District in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Pike, who worked for 14 years at The Philadelphia Inquirer and previously was an aide to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Paul Tsongas (1979-85), said that he was running to “bring a renewed focus on the needs of everyday citizens.”

Pike also criticized the voting record of the 6th’s current congressman, four-term Republican Jim Gerlach, who may forego re-election to the House in 2010 and instead pursue a campaign for governor that is presently in the “exploratory” phase.