Laura Vecsey's Blog

Middle Ground

Wagner’s Inky endorsement only makes cash a bigger issue

Oh, to be the money underdog. What a conundrum for Auditor General Jack Wagner and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel.

At a gubernatorial candidates’ forum Sunday night in Harrisburg, Wagner and Hoeffel were forced to take a back seat in war of words between state Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.

Williams, who got $1.5 million alone from school-choice advocates and has continued to rake in cash, was passionate and pointed in putting forth not only his ideas, but criticism of Onorato on issues like no-bid contracts. It seemed to bolster the Philadelphia Democrat’s claim that he has turned the four-way primary into a two-man race. Onorato, who other candidates charge has been running for governor for “years,” had a bucket-load of cash and the end of March, which he promptly began spending on TV ads.

The “two-man-race” perception is largely a function of that campaign cash, which seemed to be a lament for both Hoeffel and Wagner.

Both candidates appeared upbeat. Hoeffel has staked his claim as the party’s true liberal, and with voter registration numbers favoring Democrats from southeastern Pennsylvania, Hoeffel said he likes the way the numbers could break.

Likewise, Wagner continues to proclaim himself the fiscal watchdog who will be a governor of the people, not the lawyers and special interests who have helped bleed state government dry.

Wagner was thrilled with the endorsement he got from The Inquirer, which repudiated Onorato as “more of the same,” an Ed Rendell Jr. at a time when more of the same is not the right answer.

The endorsement seemed to give Wagner a new sense of urgency. His real ambition, he said, was to get on the phones Monday to see if he could drum up some campaign contributions, translating editorial support into money for expensive Philly-area TV ads. Wagner had about $675,000 on hand at the end of March, while Hoeffel had about $100,000.

Of all the candidates, Wagner’s lack of cash seemed to be the most pressing issue. Without it, even Wagner said making inroads in the expensive Philly ad market was going to be close to impossible.