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Knox drops out of governor’s race, backs Onorato

Wealthy Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox withdrew from the Democratic primary for governor and threw his support behind Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato Friday afternoon, ending a candidacy that had never really gotten off the ground in mind of party insiders and giving a significant boost to Onorato’s hopes of winning the Governor’s Mansion.

Knox’s announcement, made in a conference call with reporters, was somewhat anti-climactic, coming after days of flurried speculation and press reports that his exit was near. By the time he got on the phone from his downtown office, numerous news reports had already pegged his withdrawal as definite.

“I initially joined the race because I hold a genuine conviction that public service is about helping people solve problems in their lives,” Knox said, in a monotone that was reserved even by his standards. “I was running for governor because I believe passionately in the power of government to bring positive change. I believe I would have served Pennsylvania’s families well. … However, after talking to Dan Onorato, I’m confident that he and I share the same motivation and vision for our state.

“The best way to continue my fight and accomplish these goals is to do what we can to help Dan Onorato become the next governor of Pennsylvania,” he added. “Stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been.”

Knox said he would help Onorato’s campaign in any way he could, from making his own financial contributions to sharing an e-mail list of of one million likely primary voters his campaign had compiled. He also said he would reach out to the other Democrats that remain in the race—Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty and Auditor General Jack Wagner—and encourage them to step aside for Onorato as well.

Just over three years after he spent $11 million of his own money in a failed bid to win the mayor’s office in Philadelphia, Knox’s exit on Friday amounted to an admission that he could not buy the governorship, even with twice that amount on the table. While he first insisted his exit was not a financial decision, he later seemed to acknowledged rumors that his wife Linda had been adamantly opposed to burning through millions of dollars on another campaign.

“My wife doesn’t want me to do this, and I love my wife dearly,” he said. Asked why she felt that way, Knox quipped: “You can call her and ask her. Every time I put words in my wife’s mouth she gets mad at me.”

His decision could be the coda to an attempted political career that struggled to gain traction. He was near to winning the mayoral primary in 2007 before his poll numbers dropped, and even with $25 million of his own money supposedly on the table, Democratic insiders never seemed to take him seriously.

At the same time, it was a major boost for Onorato, the Democratic front-runner who was anticipating a huge spending war with Knox that could have created political room for candidates like Hoeffel and Doherty to rise up as alternatives. Knox alluded to this dynamic himself.

“I was going spend $10 million, Dan was going to spend $10 million, and we were gonna beat each other up,” he said. “And that’s not appropriate in a Democratic primary.”

Knox also confirmed reports that he and Onorato had met twice over the last week to discuss his exit, but denied that he had sought a government position if Onorato wins.

“I never asked and he never offered,” Knox insisted. “And I didn’t ask because I don’t need a job. If I’m going to do something I’d want to make sure it’s meaningful.”

He said he had mostly made up his mind last weekend after consulting with his wife. Amid rumors that the relatively long delay between word leaking of his decision and the formal announcement was because campaign manager Josh Morrow had tried to talk him out of it, Knox acknowledged Morrow’s surprise but said his longtime political aide stood by him.

“When I told Josh, I think he almost fell off his chair,” he said. “Josh wanted to make sure I had thought this through, but he supports this decision.

“Josh is more than a campaign mananger to me,” Knox added, “he’s a friend. We’ll always remain good friends. Josh supports anything I do. He’s just a very loyal guy.”

He conceded some personal disappointment at how things had shook out, more than 16 months after he became the first Democrat to say he was definitely running.

“I’ll always think I could have been governor and served Pennsylvania well,” Knox said.

And while he implied it was unlikely he’ll seek elected office again, he didn’t close the door to another mayoral run in 2011.

“I’ve been asked by no less than 50 people to run for mayor again, and from all walks of life,” Knox said. “I don’t want to run for mayor. That’s not on my mind right now. Maybe I’ll rethink that.”

January 22, 2010 at 12:58 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Dan Onorato, Tom Knox

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