The Republican Party should not take voters in the 10th Congressional District for granted.

The congressional district -- including all of the Central Susquehanna Valley and portions of northeastern Pennsylvania -- has long been considered safely Republican. Intense interest in the Democratic presidential primary has eroded some of the party's dominance in the district.

Among the 422,883 registered voters in the 10th District, the number of Republicans dropped in every county and the Democratic Party gained members in all but Northumberland County prior to the April primary.

More importantly, the percentage of voters in the district who are registered Republicans has dipped below 50 percent.

GOP leaders suggest the swing is much ado about nothing -- the party maintains an 8 percent lead over Democrats in terms of registered voters.

Come November, party officials say, partisan voters will hit the polls and support Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Chris Hackett who is seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, a Democrat.

But Republican voters in the 10th Congressional District have demonstrated a willingness to support or ignore candidates regardless of party endorsement. Carney was elected in large measure because Republicans stayed home on election day due to disgust over former Congressman Don Sherwood's personal behavior.

If there is a silver lining to this cloud, it could be that Hackett is the party's candidate. He won the Republican nomination by connecting with voters, not party leaders.

A Hackett spokesman said campaign officials will aggressively seek to boost the number of registered Republicans.

Other Republican Party officials should follow Hackett's lead if they want to reverse the trends that cost them the 10th Congressional District seat in the first place.