Schweiker endorses Corbett for guv

The last Republican to hold the Governor’s Mansion has decided who he thinks should go there next.

Former Gov. Mark Schweiker on Monday endorsed state Attorney Tom Corbett’s candidacy, calling him the “right choice for our new Governor.”

“We need someone to restore this trust,” Schweiker, who became governor in 2001 when Tom Ridge vacated the office to become Homeland Security Secretary, wrote in an e-mail to Corbett’s supporters. “Tom has an unmatched record of…

Onorato says he has almost $6M on hand

Gubernatorial hopeful Dan Onorato told supporters Monday that his campaign is closing in on the $6-million mark, reaffirming that his financial advantage in next year’s Democratic primary remains formidable.

In an e-mail Monday morning, Onorato, the Allegheny County executive, said a fundraiser last week had brought the campaign “very close to having almost $6 million cash on hand.”

“I am extremely grateful for the support I have received around the state,” he wrote.

No Democrat…

Rendell harsh on Wagner, softer on Knox

In a recent radio interview, Gov. Ed Rendell confirmed what everyone already knows: He doesn’t like Jack Wagner.

The state Auditor General and fellow Democrat has been raising Rendell’s hackles by, among other things, pRendell probably wanted to be more explicit, but he was talking on emWHYY/em‘s emRadio Times/em and held his tounge, going on to defend the contract with Deloitte Consulting as one that had saved the state millions of dollars. But he made sure to note what he thinks is really on Wagner’s mind./p
p“And by the way, what’s the the auditor general doing these days?” Rendell asked host Marty Moss-Coane./p
p“I don’t know,” she replied./p
p“He’s running for governor. … Interesting.”/p
pDuring the wide-ranging interview late last week, Rendell had nicer things to say about Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox, who served under him as deputy mayor in Philadelphia and is also seeking the party’s nomination for governor./p
p“He did a great job as deputy mayor and he did a great job in cutting costs,” Rendell said. “Tom is a businessman and he understands business./p
p“Query whether he could work with the legislature,” Rendell added, before cutting himself off and acknowledging that he hasn’t done such a good job of that himself./p
p“I think Tom brings a lot of assets to the job.”/p
pRendell has a href="http://politickernv.com/pennsylvania/21473/rendell-looks-stay-neutral-democratic-primary-replace-him" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://politickernv.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fpolitickernv.com%2Fpennsylvania%2F21473%2Frendell-looks-stay-neutral-democratic-primary-replace-him','vowed+to+stay+neutral')" target="_blank"vowed to stay neutral/a in next year’s primary, but he is increasingly perceived as backing Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, if only implicitly. Many of his high-profile donors have been lining up behind Onorato./p
pa href="http://www.whyy.org/podcast/102309_100630.mp3" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.whyy.org']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whyy.org%2Fpodcast%2F102309_100630.mp3','Click+here+to+listen+to+the+full+interview.')" target="_blank">Click here to listen to the full interview.

Sestak or Specter: Two sides of the same coin?

Joe Sestak fired another shot at Arlen Specter’s voting record last week, launching a new page on his “The Real Specter” Web site highlighting what he calls “

Inefficiencies in Philadelphia’s election system?

Some are questioning the efficiency of Philadelphia’s election system, as well as to suggest the creation of an organization to oversee it.

The Inquirer

What comes first, ideology or views?

The terms political “ideology” and political “views” generally go hand in hand. However, this distinction has become less clear to me. This stems from a specific incident that transpired over the last week.

I belong to a synagogue in Elkins Park, Montgomery County. Recently, a synagogue member sent out an e-mail urging members to come listen to a pro-Israel speaker. He mentioned how we need to stand up to President Obama and stay steadfast in…

Where is the real GOP leadership?

After a bizarre week of pronouncements and political propaganda by Republicans in Pennsylvania, it’s no small question to ask: Are there any reasonable Republicans left in Pennsylvania or they going the way of the national Republican Party that’s being led around by extremists?

First case in point: Early last week, the state GOP inserted a hammer and sickle inside the “O” in President Obama’s name on an ad for their state Supreme Court candidate.

Second…

THE PRESS ROOM: Kortz wants more coverage

An occasional series of articles exploring how political campaigns are playing out in the media—in print, on the air, online and behind the scenes.

State Representative Bill Kortz (D-Allegheny) has long been getting the short end of the media stick during his super-underdog race for Senate. In a Democratic primary dominated by Senator Arlen Specter and Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7), Kortz has more often than not been an afterthought—in the minds of his opponents, political…

Brady, Singel endorse Pike in PA-6 (Updated)

Doug Pike wouldn’t have any trouble winning Philadelphia—that is, if he were actually running there.

Pike, a Democrat who is running for Congress in the 6th District, was endorsed Monday by Congressman Bob Brady (D-1), the Democratic Party chief in Philadelphia. Pike’s campaign also announced an endorsement from former Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel, who served as acting governor briefly in 1993.

“For 14 years at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Doug Pike was a strong advocate for…

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, Former Acting Gov. Mark Singel Endorse Doug Pike

By PIKE FOR CONGRESS

Ardmore, PA — Today, Pike for Congress announced that U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D-PA), former Acting Governor Mark Singel, and 3 other Democratic leaders from Chester and Berks counties have endorsed Doug Pike in the race for the 6th Congressional District.

“For 14 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Doug Pike was a strong advocate for change in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Brady. “In the face of historic economic challenges, Pennsylvania’s working…