Saidel camp warns guv candidates not to go looking for a Lt. Gov. deal

Former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel’s campaign has a stern warning for any gubernatorial candidates thinking they might be able to leverage their exit from the race for a spot on the ticket as Lieutenant Governor:

Don’t even try it.

Saidel has been laying the groundwork for over a year and will formally announce his candidacy for Lt. Gov. Monday afternoon. But responding to increased speculation that a candidate for governor could join Allegheny County…

January 21, 2010 at 3:45 pm | Comments (10)

Another poll shows Onorato leading wide open Dem primary

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato leads his Democratic rivals for governor in next year’s primary, but the vast majority of voters remain undecided, according to a new poll.

The Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday was just the latest in a slew of surveys that have shown the party’s primary to be anyone’s race to win. The poll of 619 Democrats found Onorato winning 14 percent of the vote, followed by Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel…

December 17, 2009 at 11:42 am | Comments (8)

Woops

Remember that

December 16, 2009 at 8:42 pm | Comments (0)

Corbett leads Dems with name recognition, but plenty still undecided

Less than a year before Election Day, state Attorney General Tom Corbett leads four of his potential Democratic opponents by double-digits, but about a fifth of voters remain undecided, according to a new poll.

The Rasmussen survey released Monday found Corbett garnering between 43 and 48 percent of the vote against Auditor General Jack Wagner, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty. The poll of 500 likely…

December 14, 2009 at 4:18 pm | Comments (12)

Doherty has some ‘Office’ fun (Updated)

Having some fun with a hit TV show based in his hometown, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty’s gubernatorial campaign has put out a brief Web video parody of “The Office,” in which it seeks to convince Democratic voters that Doherty is the only candidate who can break “The Cycle.”

That’s the 8-year cycle, in which the party controlling the governorship switches between parties every eight years, a pattern that has many insiders thinking it’s time for…

December 14, 2009 at 3:42 pm | Comments (13)

Doherty: Gimme money now, I won’t ask later

From the annals of late-year fundraising, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty’s campaign offers up a quirky approach to racking up his numbers before the reporting period closes this month: promising not to e-mail his supporters again.

In an e-mail with subject-line “Let’s Make A Deal,” campaign manager Corey Platt writes that if you give $100 or more to the Democrat’s campaign now, “we won’t send you another fundraising email until 2010.”

“December is an important month…

December 11, 2009 at 11:07 am | Comments (3)

Scranton gets some props

Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty got a little boost from BusinessWeek.com, which named Scranton among the best places to raise kids.

One city from each state was picked, though they weren’t ranked.

The magazine’s Web site says the town has “a low cost of living, ski slopes, and colleges, including Scranton University.”

Doherty has been making Scranton’s revitalization a centerpiece of his Democratic campaign for governor.

full story

November 18, 2009 at 8:00 pm | Comments (19)

Online, Doherty’s early focus is on jobs

For a gubernatorial campaign that he promises will center on job creation, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty wants his campaign Web site to be more than political public relations.

In an e-mail to supporters Tuesday, Doherty’s campaign manager said the Democrat is “working to make [the site] a one-stop jobs and education web portal,” which includes features such as job fair schedules, links to other jobs Web sites, resume advice and continuing education materials.

“Chris Doherty…

November 17, 2009 at 11:42 am | Comments (1)

One week later, another step for Doherty

It took exactly one week for Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty to pivot from winning reelection to

November 10, 2009 at 2:27 pm | Comments (6)

Doherty officially gets into guv race

Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty formally declared his candidacy for governor Tuesday, saying that the key to revitalizing Pennsylvania’s economy was in its urban centers and pledging to work on job creation.

“We’re a state that once built this nation, and we can be great again by reinvesting in these cities and towns,” Doherty told reporters on a conference call after announcing his run earlier in Scranton. “We took Scranton from a difficult situation and turned…

November 10, 2009 at 2:23 pm | Comments (13)