Rendell to Corbett: Run against your opponent, not me

Gov. Ed Rendell on Monday lashed out at Republican Tom Corbett for trying the make the gubernatorial race a referendum on the lame-duck incumbent instead of just focusing on his opponent.

During a Harrisburg news conference, Rendell said that Corbett should “should start running against [Democratic nominee] Dan Onorato—not me.” In remarks reported by pRendell’s comments came after a href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/10/corbett-brings-the-rendell-argument-to-tv/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fcorbett-brings-the-rendell-argument-to-tv%2F','Corbett%22s+campaign+hit+the+airwaves+with+its+first+ad+directly+trying+Onorato+to+Rendell')" target="_blank">Corbett’s campaign hit the airwaves with its first ad directly trying Onorato to Rendell.

He said Onorato “has held the line…

October 5, 2010 at 7:00 am | Comments (5)

Corbett brings the Rendell argument to TV

For months, Republicans have been arguing that electing Democrat Dan Onorato to the Governor’s Mansion will amount to a third term for Ed Rendell. Four weeks before Election Day, Republican Tom Corbett’s campaign is taking that message to TV.

Corbett’s campaign is up with a new commercial, a 30-second spot that amounts to the strongest effort to date to tie Onorato and Rendell at the hip.

“You want four more years of Rendell’s higher taxes…

October 4, 2010 at 2:17 pm | Comments (11)

Rasmussen: Corbett up 12 points

Republican Tom Corbett continues to enjoy a comfortable, double-digit lead in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, according to a new poll.

Full Story

October 3, 2010 at 2:23 pm | Comments (5)

Onorato starts TV effort to bring opponent down

Weeks away from Election Day and seemingly needing a game-changer, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato has taken to the airwaves with the first two negative ads of the general election.

Onorato’s newest spots, which started airing late last week, reiterates the campaign’s long-running critiques of Republican rival Tom Corbett, seeking a contrast between Onorato’s record of balancing budgets in Allegheny County with the fact that Corbett has requested budget increases as state attorney general. One…

October 3, 2010 at 2:00 pm | Comments (1)

F&M: Toomey up 9, Corbett up 4 among likely voters

The latest public poll adds to the growing body of data indicating a tightening governor’s race, but shows a Senate race with Republicans still firmly in the lead.

The Franklin & Marshall College survey released Wednesday found Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett beating Democrat Onorato by just four points among likely voters, 36 percent to 32 percent. That margin represents one of the closest snapshots taken by a pollster to date, and a seven-point improvement…

September 30, 2010 at 11:05 am | Comments (4)

Poll: Corbett up 7, Toomey up 5

Republicans continue to hold the edge in Pennsylvania’s competitive statewide races, but a new poll indicates that their leads might be narrowing as Election Day approaches.

The Suffolk University survey released Tuesday found GOP gubernatorial nominee leading Democrat Dan Onorato by seven points, 47 percent to 40 percent. Twelve percent are still undecided. And the poll showed Republican Pat Toomey holding a smaller, five-point lead in the Senate race against Democrat Joe Sestak, 45 percent…

September 28, 2010 at 3:13 pm | Comments (10)

Corbett & Onorato avoid specifics in first debate

One could call it a debate of unanswered questions.

Sharing a debate stage for the first time in their general election contest for governor, Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Dan Onorato rarely strayed far from their well-worn talking points. During the wonkish, hour-long debate moderated by veteran newsman Ted Koppel on Monday, the two candidates did their best dancing acts to avoid offering policy prescriptions that went beyond the most general statements of political principle.…

September 28, 2010 at 8:00 am | Comments (4)

AD WATCH: Onorato sticks to the record

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato’s introduction to general election voters has come in the form of two TV ads: one summarizing his record as Allegheny County executive and another one that, among other things, teaches voters how to pronounce his name.

The quirky, pronunciation one makes no disputed factual claims, and therefore earns our score of FAIR GAME. The longer, 60-second spot about his record in county government makes several factual claims. Taken together, we…

September 27, 2010 at 2:36 pm | Comments (1)

AD WATCH: Sestak’s Navy bio vs. a questionable lobbyist claim

In two recent TV ads, Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak’s campaign has tried to frame the race as a choice between a dedicated public servant who made his life in the Navy (Sestak) and a Wall Street sympathizer who has the financial sector’s interests at heart (Republican Pat Toomey).

pa href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/09/a-note-on-covering-ads/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fa-note-on-covering-ads%2F','%5BClick+here+to+read+more+about+our+AD+WATCH+fact-checking+series+and+the+different+scores.%5D')" target="_blank"[Click here to read more about our AD WATCH fact-checking series and the different scores.]/a/p
pAs to the purely biographical ad, Sestak was indeed a three-star Navy Admiral; he was indeed the director of defense policy for the National Security Council in the Clinton administration; he did command an aircraft carrier battle group; and he did buck his party by staying in the Senate primary against Arlen Specter when the White House and others sought to push him aside./p
pa href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/09/sestak-ad-serving-our-country-vs-serving-wall-street/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fsestak-ad-serving-our-country-vs-serving-wall-street%2F','The+contrast+commercial')" target="_blank">The contrast commercial is more complicated. In it, a narrator opens:

Pat Toomey: a trader on Wall Street who went to Congress and voted…

September 27, 2010 at 1:28 pm | Comments (4)

Another poll shows GOPers ahead in statewide races

Republicans continue to hold healthy leads in both of Pennsylvania’s competitive statewide races, according to a new poll.

The Muhlenberg College survey released this weekend found Republican Tom Corbett edging Democrat Dan Onorato by nine points in the race for governor, 46 percent to 37 percent, with 17 percent of likely voters still undecided. Republican Pat Toomey holds a smaller, seven-point advantage against Democrat Joe Sestak in the Senate race, 46 percent to 39 percent,…

September 27, 2010 at 11:21 am | Comments (1)