send to a friend | print | comment

GOP tries to hang Rendell around Onorato’s neck

If there were any doubts about how Republicans want to define the race for governor, they were recently laid to rest: The GOP wants to make the contest a referendum on Gov. Ed Rendell, and to tie Democratic nominee to the unpopular, term-limited governor at every turn.

That strategy, already an obvious choice for months, burst into clear view during the state party’s summer dinner in Hershey last month. Speakers at the dinner excoriated the eight years of a Rendell administration. Attorney General Tom Corbett, the party’s nominee, said simply that voters have had “enough.”

“If you liked Rendell, you’re going to love Dan Onorato,” declared Jim Cawley, the party’s candidate for lieutenant governor. “Because he is just an extension of Ed Rendell.”

The message is simple, and the potential political potency of it obvious: Rendell’s approval ratings have sunk in recent years, and any success at pegging the stench of incumbency to Onorato is good news for Republicans. How similar the two Democrats actually are is a different story. Stylistically, they could hardly be more different, and Onorato is more conservative on social issues than the man currently in Governor’s Mansion.

Pressed by reporters last month, Corbett conceded that there is less ideological daylight between him and Onorato than between him and Rendell. But he reiterated the point.

“He likes to spend money,” Corbett said of Onorato. “He likes to raise taxes. Much of his support come from Ed Rendell’s camp. Much of his money comes from Ed Rendell’s camp.”

Whether the strategy will ultimately prove effective remains to be seen. Onorato campaign spokesman Brian Herman said it’s nothing more than a sign of desperation.

“Gov. Rendell can’t run for reelection,” Herman said. “I guess they’re just afraid of running against Dan Onorato.

“The fact is Dan Onorato has a record of creating jobs and reforming government,” he added, “and I’m sure they’re not interested in talking about that.”

In a Franklin & Marshall College poll in May, 47 percent of respondents said they view Rendell either somewhat or very unfavorably, compared to 41 percent who view him somewhat or very favorably. The former Philadelphia mayor remains more popular in that region. And the suburbs, where Corbett is hoping to make inroads with moderate voters, may be the only place his strategy could risk any kind of backfire.

“Rendell is tremendously unpopular outside of the southeast, and he’s certainly less popular in the southeast than he used to be,” said Ray Zaborney, the GOP operative who ran Lynn Swann’s 2006 gubernatorial bid. “I don’t think it’s any different from Rendell’s campaign in 2002, which ran against the last eight years. It’s what happens in most open-seat [gubernatorial] races.

“I don’t think there’s much [risk],” Zaborney added. “If you look at the last eight years, I think it’s hard to find any races that Rendell has affected because of his popularity, other than his own races.”

Democratic strategist Mark Nevins, who worked on Anthony Williams’ primary campaign for governor earlier this year, said Corbett could be taking on a risky strategy.

“Ed Rendell’s not on the ballot,” Nevins said. “So if you can successfully brand Dan Onorato as the third term of Rendell, than it’s a good strategy. But it’s first contingent upon convincing voters that Onorato is an extension of Rendell, and then convincing them that’s bad. So it’s a two-step strategy, not a one-step.

“The Corbett people may think that’s their best move,” he added.

Onorato, for his part, has not surprisingly courted the governor’s base of support while also taking pains not to embrace his administration’s legacy. “We have our own governing styles,” Onorato said before the primary. “I do things my way, he does things his way.”

Corbett campaign spokesman Kevin Harley says the argument is simple: “Both of them advocate a liberal role for government, and have a hostile approach to business.”

July 1, 2010 at 1:37 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Dan Onorato, Ed Rendell, Tom Corbett

comments

comments [4] | post a comment