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Knox has message and money

CORRECTION APPENDED (see bottom)

Only one man has declared himself a gubernatorial candidate for the 2010 Democratic primary. Oddly, Tom Knox is the one candidate most often overlooked when it comes to talk about who could be the next governor of Pennsylvania.

Knox, a wealthy businessman who finished second to Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter in the 2007 Democratic primary, was in Harrisburg this week to start spreading the word—not only about the kind of campaign he’s going to run, but the kind of governor he’d be.

“The state of Pennsylvania needs someone who’s hired people and who’s managed a budget,” Knox said “Running things is something I’m good at. Getting results are what I do best.”

Unlike Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham or Auditor General Jack Wagner, Knox said he is not a career politician who climbed the political ladder.

“I’m not answerable to special interest groups,” Knox said.

He was an early supporter of Barack Obama and, in that vein, pledges that his administration would provide jobs, balance the budget, provide money for community colleges and other programs to keep Pennsylvania working.

He is also passionate about creating a public utility authority, charging that the power companies were given time and money to upgrade infrastructure and create new power sources and have failed to live up to that bargain. With rate caps about to come off, the price for electricity across the state will push this issue to the front burner, Knox said.

As more seasoned politicians officially jump into the race, Knox might have to answer to criticism that  as an autocratic businessman he has never had to build consensus in order to rule. But he probably has the cash to fight that battle.

It would be foolish to underestimate the formidable campaign Knox will mount. He has already spent $12 million of his own considerable wealth to create name recognition for himself during the Philly mayoral race. He is a known quantity there—a good start for anyone who wants to win state office in Pennsylvania. But now he’s off and running across the rest of the state, looking to pick up support.

Knox will not be getting that support from Gov. Ed Rendell, for whom Knox served as deputy mayor in Philadelphia. But Rendell has plenty of friends in the race, and has indicated he’ll stay out of it until the general.

But at least Rendell will be making it to the wedding of Knox’s son, who is getting married this weekend in Philadelphia.

CORRECTION: Because of an editing error, this article referred incorrectly to Dan Onorato as the executive of two counties. Onorato is the Allegheny County Executive and Don Cunningham is the Lehigh County Executive.

June 2, 2009 at 11:32 pm

--Laura Vecsey

Tags: Corrections, Tom Knox

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