Pro-choice advocate to head up Hoeffel’s outreach to women

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel’s gubernatorial campaign said Friday that the former president of the country’s leading abortion rights advocacy group would be heading up its “Women for Hoeffel” initiative.

Kate Michelman, who led NARAL Pro-Choice America for almost 20 years, was a key figure in building the organization’s political profile. She will be on hand when Hoeffel, a Democrat, formally declares his candidacy in a series of kick-off events this week. Expected to be…

Watkins decries southeast straw poll process

Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate Joe Watkins on Friday voiced dismay over the process by which southeast Republican leaders endorsed a candidate for the race, calling it dangerously undemocratic, especially in the wake of a Massachusetts special election that revealed a deep-seated, anti-establishment feeling among voters.

Watkins, in an interview and in a letter he said had been sent to GOP state committee members and county party chairs, was responding to Full Story

Doherty says he’s raised $1.1M, about two-thirds of it from mayoral race

Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty’s campaign said Friday that it had raised $1.1 million in 2009, a sum including money brought in for his reelection race that can now be used for his gubernatorial bid.

The campaign said it had raised almost $675,000 for his mayoral race, and another $441,000 for his gubernatorial race. The latter total was a bit more than Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel raised at the end of the year, but since…

SCRANTON MAYOR CHRIS DOHERTY RAISED $1.1 MILLION FOR HIS CAMPAIGNS IN 2009

By DOHERTY FOR PA

SCRANTON, PA – The Doherty for Pennsylvania campaign announced today that Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty raised a combined total of $1,116,162 in 2009.  That amount includes resources raised for his successful mayoral re-election primary and general campaigns as well as his campaign for governor.

“I am very pleased at the support we received last year,” said Mayor Doherty.  “As the only candidate in the governor’s race who had to run in…

Hoeffel says Knox’s exit is a ‘big boost for me’

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel said Friday that Tom Knox’s withdrawal from the Democratic gubernatorial primary will allow him to solidify his southeast base, even though he faces the likely prospect of being significantly outspent in the five-county Philadelphia area.

“It’s a big boost for me,” Hoeffel told pa2010.com. It allows me to solidiffty my support in the southeast.

“I already had a 20-point lead over Tom in the southeast, with the other candidates trailing…

Doherty camp: ‘One less person to compete’

Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty’s campaign argued Friday that

Audio from Knox’s conference call

Click here to listen to Tom Knox’s Friday conference call, during which he withdrew from the governor’s race.

Apologies for the sub-par quality. We’ll have to fix our audio in the future.

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…

Lentz to Civera: The Seat Belongs to the People, Not the Politician – Cites Massachusetts Senate Race

By LENTZ FOR CONGRESS

Media, Pa – Today, Representative Bryan Lentz released the following statement regarding Mario Civera’s recent comments claiming ownership over the 164th legislative district. Civera has been quoted as saying, “We are not just going to give it to you” and claiming that people asking him to honor his commitment to step down were “stealing” the election. Rep. Lentz has introduced legislation limiting politicians to one elected office at a time, a…

Rooney’s right: Sestak should pull a Gerlach

My fellow pa2010.com blogger Laura Vecsey reveals that Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairman T.J. Rooney is