By SANDRA K. REABUCK
JOHNSTOWN — Robert A. Gleason Jr. and Christopher Gleason, brothers prominent in Cambria County and state GOP politics, have been named by Politics magazine to its top 10 list of influential Pennsylvania Republicans.
Another local Republican, Peg Luksik of Westmont, is named among the next 40 Republican influencers in the Keystone State. An anti-abortion activist, she is running for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.
Although no local political leaders made it to the list of influential Democrats, businessman Al Boscov did. He is president of Boscov’s department stores, including one at The Galleria in Richland Township.
Boscov is described in the magazine as having “a civic and political sensibility.”
The magazine said the list is made up of the state’s “top business, legal and civic leaders whose opinions are respected by peers and elected officials alike.”
The Republican list was complied by Alex Roarty, who has covered Pennsylvania politics for a variety of media outlets and is an editor and writer with PoliticsPA, an online publication.
The list of Democrats was put together by by Sean Coit, an assistant editor and writer for PoliticsPA.
Robert “Rob” Gleason is chairman of the county and state Republican parties.
He is described in the magazine as having “done a good job trying to fill leadership void in a party without a sitting governor or U.S. senator” while his brother “raises the money” as the party’s finance director. The brothers are volunteers in the party positions.
Rob Gleason said Monday, “I was surprised. I’m pleased and proud to be named by the magazine. I’ve worked hard at politics. My No. 1 responsibility is to get good candidates, and second, we must have the money for campaigns. You can’t have one without the other.”
The GOP top 10 list also includes former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, often seen on Fox News, and Richard Mellon Scaife, the western Pennsylvania millionaire who own the conservative Tribune-Review newspaper.
The next 40 Republicans include former Gov. Tom Ridge and former state Attorney General Leroy Zimmerman.
The top 10 Democrats list includes T.J. Rooney, state Democratic chairman, identified as “a guy who knows everyone” in a state with a Democratic governor and state House, two U.S. senators and 12 U.S. House members.
