“Victims see me and know I’m familiar with suffering and adversity. It’s easier for people to relate to me,” he said.

Pressed for comment on Mr. Lyons’ accusations that he “dropped the ball” in 1996 when he declined to prosecute alleged child molester Jack Harclerode when convicted murderer Norman Gundrum Jr. came forward with claims that he was abused as child by the retired Bucknell University professor, Mr. Johnson again refused to respond.

Mr. Harclerode, 71, was charged for the first time last spring, accused of molesting a 10-year-old boy at a Columbia County campground in July 2006 and possessing images of child pornography at his Lewisburg home. The cases are pending.

Said Mr. Johnson: “I don’t know why Andy wants to be negative instead of talking about what he would do. My campaign is about talking about my tenure, seeking justice, fighting crime on a case-by-case basis. Voters are mistreated by negative campaigning.”

Mr. Lyons said while Mr. Johnson may not want to comment for a newspaper article, he accused his opponent of slinging some mud of his own on the campaign trail.

Mr. Lyons said he’s frequently been confronted in public, including at a recent Hartley Township supervisors meeting, by Mr. Johnson accusing him of running a campaign underwritten by Bucknell University.

“He’s degraded my supporters and is throwing his own mud,” Mr. Lyons said, adding he was never approached to seek office by university officials and only 10 of the 144 contributors to his campaign are connected to Bucknell.

“No one is going to control me,” he said.

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