House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D-Greene County) told PolitickerPA.com in a brief interview Monday that he's more confident about his re-election chances Tuesday than he was two years ago.

The majority leader squeaked by Republican Greg Hopkins in 2006 by little more than 1,000 votes. The two are currently in a 50th Legislative District rematch expected to be just as close as their last race. But the longtime lawmaker said circumstances have changed. The election two years ago was dominated by the legislative pay-raise of 2005 that swept 50 incumbents out of office.

"I think the pay-raise was an incandescent moment in history of the assembly, and we were all perceived as intimately involved," DeWeese said.

This year appeared poised to be dominated by another voter uproar when 12 former and current House Democratic lawmakers and staffers were charged in connection with "Bonusgate." DeWeese was not one of the those initially charged, but he has since been linked to the scandal by his former chief of staff, Mike Manzo.

The majority leader, however, thinks "Bonusgate" is much different than the pay-raise because he said his constituents are aware he worked hand-in-hand with the attorney general's office during its investigation. Manzo was the ringleader, not him, Deweese said.

"This is not the issue the pay-raise was," DeWeese said.

The lawmaker touted his grassroots organization, which he said his him poised for re-election.

I'm "cautiously optimistic," he said.