Rival state party titans to face off in pre-debate Oct. 22
Alan Novak, former GOP party chair in Chester County, will serve as half of West Chester University’s “Political Odd Couple.”
Can West Chester University’s Sykes Ballroom contain two diametrically opposed political power-brokers?
That’s a question university official believe will be answered affirmatively on Oct. 22. That’s the scheduled date for a bipartisan election event that will pit two rival Pennsylvania party titans against each other in a public pre-debate that should appeal to both political junkies and neophytes.
Entitled “The Political Odd Couple: Left Right and Everywhere In-Between,” the free event is designed to offer spirited insight into state and national politics. On one side of the aisle, Alan Novak, the the longest-serving chairman of Pennsylvania’s Republican Party (1996-2005), will provide his views. Novak, a longtime attorney, has regularly been recognized as one of the 50 most politically powerful Pennsylvanians.
T.J. Rooney, a longtime state Democratic lawmaker and party operative, will be the second half of WCU’s “Political Odd Couple.”
Espousing a different take on the political landscape will be T.J. Rooney, a seven-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Rooney’s influence has led to frequent national TV commentary as well as leadership posts in the state Democratic Party.
The exchange between the two will be followed by the screening of the presidential debate.
