PITTSBURGH, May 11 (UPI) -- The idea that ketchup heir Chris Heinz may someday challenge up-and-coming GOP U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart has some Pennsylvania Democrats buzzing.
Heinz, the son of the late GOP U.S. Sen. John Heinz and stepson of the Democrat's likely presidential nominee, Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., is currently spending much of his time campaigning on behalf of his stepfather and could, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said Tuesday, "emerge as a political star in his own right" by the time the 2004 race is over.
Rumors that Heinz is preparing for an eventual run against Hart, who many GOPers say is a rising star within the party, were fueled by his presence at a recent dinner thrown by Democrats in Beaver County, Pa. A future Heinz congressional bid was, said the paper, much discussed as many think he could be the Democrat "with the resources, name recognition and charisma" to take Hart on.
"I'm not planning on it. I wouldn't rule it out," Heinz said coyly, adding that if he does pursue elective office, it would be in Pennsylvania.
