Onorato says he has almost $5M

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato told supporters Monday that he has raised almost $5 million for his expected gubernatorial bid, a sum that far exceeds what any other candidate has raised thus far.

Onorato, who is all-but-definitely seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, said he has more than $800,000 in the past couple months, significantly stepping up fundraising efforts that were already standing out in the race.

“Although I have not yet officially announced my …

August 4, 2009 at 7:07 am | Comments (2)

Gerlach says internal poll shows him trailing Corbett, but with a profile to win

State Attorney General Tom Corbett holds a significant lead over Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-6) in next year’s gubernatorial primary, but Gerlach’s political profile is one that voters may ultimately prefer when they go to the polls, according to an internal poll memo released Thursday by Gerlach’s campaign.

Campaigns rarely release internal polling data that doesn’t show them winning outright, but Gerlach is clearly looking to build the perception that his experience as a legislator is …

July 30, 2009 at 10:32 am | Comments (9)

Knox says he’s for table games

In one of the first concrete policy positions taken by a gubernatorial candidate, Democrat Tom Knox has come out in favor of expanding legalized gaming in Pennsylvania to include table games.

In an interview with The Reading Eagle, part of a building media blitz Knox has enjoyed in recent weeks, the Philadelphia businessman said allowing table games at casinos in the state could raise $176 million for the state’s depleted coffers and help cover …

July 30, 2009 at 9:56 am | Comments (6)

Dems to hold straw poll for guv race

State Democrats will conduct a straw poll to raise money and gauge which gubernatorial candidate has the most party support at next month’s state committee picnic, the party said Tuesday.

The results will be non-binding, and will be open to anyone who purchases a $30 ticket to the Aug. 28 picnic in Camp Hill. The party says the straw poll “creates enthusiasm while raising money for the Party.” The catch? A $1000-”sponsor” of the event …

July 28, 2009 at 8:07 pm | Comments (0)

Santorum thinks Meehan should bow out, run for Congress instead

Joining a growing chorus of Republican leaders, former Senator Rick Santorum says that Pat Meehan should abandon his gubernatorial aspirations in favor of a Congressional run.

In a recent interview with pa2010.com, Santorum said he got the sense that Meehan, a former U.S. Attorney, was now beginning to look at other options, including p“There’s a tremendous opportunity for him to run for Congress,” Santorum said. “It’d be a great launching point for him.”/p
pEager to retake the Governor’s Mansion after 8 years and confident in state Attorney General Tom Corbett’s political acumen, GOP insiders have increasingly been pressuring Meehan to step aside, with some him encouraging to join Corbett on a ticket as Lieutenant Governor. But until Santorum’s comments, the entreaties had come mostly from western Pennsyania Republicans allied with Corbett. Santorum, however, is a political ally of Meehan’s. Meehan has been a campaign manager for Santorum, and lower-level consultants have and still do shuffle between the two politicos./p
pSantorum’s sentiment, combined with a href="http://www.pa2010.com/2009/07/corbett-leads-republicans-in-new-guv-poll-dems-in-tight-race/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fcorbett-leads-republicans-in-new-guv-poll-dems-in-tight-race%2F','a+poll+released+Tuesday')" target="_blank">a poll released Tuesday that showed Meehan running third in the GOP primary, could eventually give Meehan more pause about a …

July 21, 2009 at 1:35 pm | Comments (9)

Independents trend Republican in guv race, poll shows

If the eventual Republican nominee for governor can pull enough Democrats to his side that the race comes down the independent voters, the GOP has good reason to think it can win back the Governor’s Mansion after eight years.

…

July 21, 2009 at 9:42 am | Comments (4)

Corbett leads Republicans in new guv poll and Dems in tight race; Rendell approval slips

Reflecting his strong name recognition from two statewide election victories, Attorney General Tom Corbett holds a significant lead over his Republican rivals in the race for governor, according to a new poll. But the Democratic primary is in a statistical dead heat, giving even more reason for other candidates to consider jumping into the contest.

The Quinnipiac University poll released today, which also gave lame-duck Gov. Ed Rendell his lowest apporval ratings to date, showed …

July 21, 2009 at 7:27 am | Comments (6)

More firmly now, Wagner says he’s running for governor

After carefully pIn a wide-ranging a href="http://kdka.com/politics/Jack.wagner.governor.2.1093568.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://kdka.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fkdka.com%2Fpolitics%2FJack.wagner.governor.2.1093568.html','interview+with+Pittsburgh%22s+KDKA-TV')" target="_blank"interview with Pittsburgh’s emKDKA-TV/em/a, Wagner, a Democrat, was asked if he’s running./p
p“Yes I am,” he said./p
pUsually in recent months, Wagner’s has been quick to add the caveat that he hasn’t yet declared his candidacy. Only 10 days earlier in a href="http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/07/jack_wagner_says_hes_running_f.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pennlive.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pennlive.com%2Fmidstate%2Findex.ssf%2F2009%2F07%2Fjack_wagner_says_hes_running_f.html','another+interview')" target="_blank">another interview with KDKA, he made sure to note that he hadn’t yet “formally announced.”

Whether or not his recent interview amounts to an official declaration, it’s clear he’s no longer being as delicate about his political plans. He’s becoming increasingly vocal in offering his suggestions for resolving the intractable budget impasse in Harrisburg and in opposing Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposed personal income tax increase.

Asked why he’s running, Wagner said: “To …

July 20, 2009 at 7:20 pm | Comments (2)

Yet another GOPer floated for Lt. Gov.

As if there weren’t enough Republicans on the list of potential Lieutenant Governor candidates, there’s one more name to add: Jim Cawley.

The Bucks County Commissioner tells The Intelligencer that he wants to help state Attorney General Tom Corbett win the governorship, and is already pitching in for the GOP front-runner’s fundraising efforts.

“I’m going to help Tom Corbett change Pennsylvania and if the way I can do that is by being on a ticket …

July 20, 2009 at 3:33 pm | Comments (3)

Rendell: Onorato is ‘probably our next governor’

In the midst of once again discouraging Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) from his all-but-certain run against Senator Arlen Specter, Gov. Ed Rendell on Monday let a not-so-small political prediction slip: He thinks Dan Onorato will be the Keystone State’s next governor.

Rendell, speaking on Bill Press’ radio show, was listing the many Democratic establishment figures who he said are supporting Specter in next year’s primary. Some of the names he dropped haven’t publicly endorsed Specter, …

July 20, 2009 at 2:34 pm | Comments (8)