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LEFTOVERS: Corbett campaign chimes in, endorsements for Specter, Onorato & Trivedi

Attorney General Tom Corbett’s gubernatorial campaign is clearly sensitive to—and mindful of—charges that the Republican front-runner is using his office for political gain. There was no campaign statement trumpeting the conviction of former state Representative Mike Veon, Corbett’s first big win in the long-running Bonusgate investigation. And in the first couple days after Corbett said he’d join other state attorneys general in suing to block health care reform legislation, his campaign was similarly silent.

But with Democratic criticism of Corbett’s participation in that lawsuit escalating rapidly, the campaign entered the mix Thursday. In an e-mail to supporters, Corbett’s campaign manager Brian Nutt did not allude to the criticism. But he defended the actions his boss has taken—and asked supporters to kick in some cash if they agree.

“Tom Corbett supports common-sense reforms that increase access to health care for Pennsylvanians who need it,” Nutt wrote. “But he does not believe the federal government should do so through a massive, unconstitutional mandate which imposes unfunded liabilities on Pennsylvania and its citizens and small businesses.”

Corbett’s role as Attorney General has long allowed his campaign to keep a relatively low public profile, raising money and keeping big public appearances to a minimum while rivals churn out press releases and policy papers. But for whatever reason, it clearly felt the need to chime in this time.

Meanwhile, there were loads of endorsements on Thursday. Senator Arlen Specter won the recommendation of another regional council of the AFL-CIO. This time it was the Philadelphia Central Labor Council which recommended him for the statewide endorsement, which Specter has been doggedly pursuing. He’s already been recommended the regional council in Allegheny County, as well as the one for Beaver and Lawrence counties. Philadelphia Council president Pat Eiding said Specter was being recommended “because of the many years that Senator Specter has supported difficult votes on behalf of labor.”

And while state Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) was getting an endorsement from the big-city mayor in Philly, gubernatorial rival Dan Onorato won the backing of a smaller-town executive, when McKeesport Mayor James Brewster endorsed Onorato. “If Tom Corbett was governor, millions of dollars of funding would have gone to communities in other states and we would have fewer cops on the street in McKeesport today,” Brewster said in a statement. “It’s that lack of knowledge and experience in running a large government that makes Tom Corbett unfit to take charge of Pennsylvania.”

And lastly, 6th District Democratic hopeful Manan Trivedi won the backing of a prominent group of fellow veterans. VoteVets.org, which has a political action committee that seeks to elect veterans to office, endorsed Trivedi, who served as a Navy physician in Iraq. “Manan is a rare breed,” VoteVets.org chairman Jon Soltz said in a statement. “As a doctor and a veteran, Manan has a unique and first-hand experience on some of the major issues of our time. For veterans, his understanding of the wounds of war and what it takes to treat them will make him an exemplary Congressman for all veterans. For his district, he will prove to be a fighter—like he’s always been.”

March 25, 2010 at 9:23 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Arlen Specter, Dan Onorato, Manan Trivedi, PA-6, Tom Corbett

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