send to a friend | print | comment

Day 1 at the Pa. Society: A live blog

NEW YORK—Welcome to the Friday live blog on pa2010.com Central. Here you’ll be able to follow our every move, from Times Square to the Waldorf-Astoria. This thread will be running all the way passed midnight, as we soak in the political gossip scene that is the Pennsylvania Society weekend.

So keep those browsers at pa2010.com. And don’t forget to check out our ultimate insider’s guide, follow our complete coverage and to send us your own dispatches if you’re in New York.

See you on the streets of Manhattan.

1:35—Just getting read to head to ESPNZone for the Buchanan Ingersoll kick-off event. Won’t be updating the live-blog for a bit while en route down there, but over the next few hours, look for dispatches from events held by Lou Barletta, Bryan Lentz, Jim Gerlach, Dan Onorato and more. Stay tuned.

2:40—Been mulling around ESPNZone for about 30 minutes. Good turnout. Saw Rendell, Doug Pike, LOTS of state reps. Bad reception inside so stay tuned.

3:58—Sorry we haven’t posted in so long. Mulled between the main kick-of event downstairs and the Comcast kickoff event upstairs. Faces faces, everywhere.

3:59—People we’ve seen so far: Ed Rendell, Doug Pike, Manan Trivedi, David Urban, Rick Taylor, Brendan Boyle, Kathy Manderino, Jarrett Gibbons, David Cohen… seemingly every member of the state House.

4:01—In a cab heading to Lou Barletta’s event.

4:37–Saw Jim Cawley and Dave Argall at Lou Barletta’s event. Will post more later.

4:46—At waldorf, a mob scene already.

5:02—Stopped by Forum for Better Pa, saw Michael Nutter, Dwight Evans, Brian Grady, Doug Pike and more.

5:10—Stopped by Waste Managemen, saw Joe Hoeffel

5:35—Big turnout for Jack Wagner. Including an opponent’s campaign manager. Wagner tells me “this is not a race about money, it’s a race about the future of Pennsylvania.”

5:45—Stopping back at home base to put on the suit, back out soon.

6:15—More people we’ve seen journalists included: David Glancey, Charlie Gerow, Matt Bradford, Josh Shapiro, Daylin Leach, Scott Hoeflich (Specter’s chief of staff), Alex Roary, John Micek, Pete DeCoursey, Laura Olson, Joe Markosek, Andrew Eldrege-Martin, Corey Platt, Josh Morrow… lots more that we can’t thank of. Seems every state Rep is in the Waldorf.

7:15—Heading back to the Waldorf now for a long night of coverage. Dan Onorato’s at bat right now.

7:33—At Onorato’s event, FULL HOUSE.

7:50—Pat Murphy tells me he has “the hottest wife here”—and wants to be quoted.

8:24—More people we’ve seen. Josh Shapiro, Patrick Murphy, Josh Morrow, Bryan Lentz, Dan Fee, and lots more.

8:36—Saw Doris Smith-Ribner and Bill Kortz, the two Democratic Senate underdogs, sitting together chatting. “We’re good buddies,” Kortz says.

9:15 —Stopped by the Cozen O’Conner party. Bryan Lentz, Pat Murphy & Dan Onorato were there, but it was mostly winding down.

9:35—Back at the Waldorf. Still bumping.

9:40—If I bump into Bryan Lentz and his cadre of handlers 3 or 4 more times they’ll think I’m stalking them.

9:45—If we don’t eat something we’re gonna die. Stay tuned. More coming.

10:14—Back to Waldorf for day one home-stretch.

10:32—IBEW event is packed

11:13—Why is the Governor Mifflin event so dark??

12:17—Hey all, sorry the updates have been so sparse. Things are still jumping at both Governor Mifflin and IBEW.

12:18—More people we’ve seen: Chris Carney, Joe Watkins, Mary Isenhour, Luke Bernstein, Michael Bronstein and Matt Weaver, Salena Zito, John Dougherty, Bill Greenle.

12:19—By the way, when I bumped into Pat Murphy again earlier, he asked me to clarify that his “hottest wife here” just had a baby recently. So, you know, take it easy. I guess he’s saying that to himself?

2:45—Sorry it took me so long to wrap up folks. Spent some time at the Joe Hoeffel event. Decent turnout and Josh Shapiro was there with a Hoeffel for Governor button. We’ll have a few more stories first thing in the morning as well as our special edition of The First Read…and then we’ll do it all over again.

December 11, 2009 at 1:00 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Pennsylvania Society

comments

comments [4] | post a comment