Breaking news from Congressional Quarterly:

Pennsylvania’s 6th District (Southeast — parts of Berks and Chester counties, Philadelphia suburbs)

Incumbent: Jim Gerlach , R (retiring to run for governor)

New: Tossup

Was: Leans Democratic

Gerlach’s decision to leave open his seat in this Democratic-trending district — which he had to use all of his political talents to hold in a series of close races — initially prompted CQ Politics to rate the 2010 race as Leans Democratic.

But the Republicans’ chances to keep this seat were boosted when Welch switched over in September from his original plan to run in the neighboring 7th District, where he would have faced a tough GOP primary. The 6th District general election race is now rated a Tossup.

Campaign fundraising is vital in this district because it includes the expensive Philadelphia media market. Welch has already put almost a half-million dollars of his own funds into his bid for the seat, eclipsing the other Republicans in the race. State Rep. Curt Schroder brought in $108,600 during the year’s third fundraising quarter, while Chester County Recorder of Deeds Ryan Costello only raised about $30,000.

The 6th District race remains one of the Democratic Party’s best takeover opportunities, however. Democrats also appear to have a candidate who is willing to self-fund at least part of his bid. Former newspaper writer Doug Pike, son of former New York Rep. Otis G. Pike (1961-79), has already put in $622,000 of the $1 million that Democrats say he is willing to spend on his own bid.

Pike, though, will not get by without a primary contest. Physician Manan Trivedi is mounting a spirited challenge for the Democratic nomination, and brought in $127,000 during his first few weeks in the race. — Shira Toeplitz

In an increasingly complex world, it can become difficult to determine where we as a nation should focus our energies, resources and political capital. Just recently we received another important reminder why Iran deserves our full attention and remains a focus of our foreign policy. Priorities may shift over time, but the safety and security of the United States and its allies are forever paramount.

While Iran continues to threaten our allies in the Middle East, we now know it also concealed the fact that it possesses a second uranium enrichment facility. This alarming information brings to light several important points:

1) Iran is clearly not disclosing all required information to the IAEA and is violating three separate UN Security Council resolutions. This blatant violation of international authority is only surpassed by the concern of what we still do not know. Exactly how far along is Iran’s nuclear weapons program?

2) The size and configuration of this new 3,000 centrifuge facility is inconsistent with what Iran describes as a “peaceful” nuclear program. While the facility does not produce enough nuclear fuel to power a reactor, U.S. officials have said that it could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to make a few nuclear weapons every year.

3) Most importantly, the current sanctions against Iran are an insufficient deterrent. They continue to pursue nuclear weapons capabilities, apparently unaffected by current United Nations’ efforts to stop them.

Let us be clear – a nuclear-armed Iran will not only destabilize the Middle East, but the international community as well, and provide a direct and serious threat to the safety of American citizens. There are a number of different scenarios that can be played out with a nuclear-armed Iran, none of which are acceptable.

The Iranian government is willfully violating international law. It is becoming increasingly clear that the only path to a peaceful solution is to implement strong and far reaching international sanctions immediately which will force Iran and its people to realize that life isolated from the rest of the world is not worth the ability to possess nuclear weapons. These sanctions should include:

1) Prohibiting the exportation of refined petroleum products to Iran. Iran currently imports 40% of its gasoline products. This type of sanction would affect the strength of the Iranian government immediately.

2) A complete and total sanction on the Central Bank of Iran. This would cripple the nation’s ability to conduct business throughout the world and likely bring a troubled economy to a halt.

3) Penalties for any foreign entity that continues to do business with Iran. This would include companies doing business with Iranian shipping companies, which would immobilize their oil exports, consisting of 80% of their national GDP.

Time is of the essence, and strong sanctions must be a part of our diplomacy. As each day passes our bargaining position deteriorates as Iran marches closer to becoming a nuclear power. Swift implementation of strong and direct sanctions will slow Iran’s progress and demonstrate to the Iranian leadership and its people that the world will not tolerate a nation that sponsors terrorism to become a nuclear power. This is the only way to achieve a peaceful outcome.

A nuclear-armed Iran is perhaps the greatest risk to peace throughout the world, and the United States must prioritize the use of its political capital to ensure that the international community is united in its dealings with Iran.