LEFTOVERS: Editorial page endorsements for everyone

With primary day just over a week away, the editorial page endorsements are coming in droves.

pIn the gubernatorial primaries, a href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_680064.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pittsburghlive.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pittsburghlive.com%2Fx%2Fpittsburghtrib%2Fopinion%2Fs_680064.html','The+Tribune-Review+backed+Republican+Tom+Corbett+and+Democrat+Jack+Wagner')" target="_blank"emThe Tribune-Review/em backed Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Jack Wagner/a. Both were also endorsed by emThe Inquirer/em on the other side of Pennsylvania./p
pDemocratic front-runner Dan Onorato, for his part, a href="http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2010/05/endorsement_onorato_stands_out.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pennlive.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pennlive.com%2Feditorials%2Findex.ssf%2F2010%2F05%2Fendorsement_onorato_stands_out.html','got+the+endorsement+of+The+Patriot-News+in+Harrisburg')" target="_blank">got the endorsement of The Patriot-News in Harrisburg. “As the Allegheny County executive since 2004,” the newspaper wrote, “Onorato has seen firsthand the difficulties local governments have faced during this recession. He understands what it means for counties when the state is late on a budget.”

And there were some big endorsements in House races, too.

May 9, 2010 at 10:14 pm | Comments (11)

Wagner had $210K left with two weeks left

Taking to the airwaves with a relatively small advertising buy, Democratic gubernatorial Jack Wagner was down to just over $210,000 in the bank two weeks before primary day, according to state campaign finance data.

Wagner, the state auditor general who had struggled to raise the money needed for a high-profile statewide campaign, brought in about $185,000 between March 30 and May 3. After spending relatively lightly over the last year, Wagner started to empty his…

May 9, 2010 at 12:18 pm | Comments (1)

LEFTOVERS: Holden for Wagner, a Philly pol for Onorato, Post-Gazette for Bucchianeri

The endorsement train just keeps on rolling.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Wagner, seemed to get the most high-profile endorsement of the day Tuesday, when Congressman Tim Holden (D-17) threw his support behind the Auditor General. “We share many of the same values and ideas for moving Pennsylvania forward,” Holden said in a statement. “Jack has the right plan for job creation and economic development at a time when Pennsylvanians are facing fiscal challenges. He is…

May 4, 2010 at 4:14 pm | Comments (3)

At 36 percent, Onorato’s support almost equals undecideds

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful continues to enjoy a wide lead over his rivals ahead of the May 18 primary, with the proportion of likely voters who are backing him now almost equal to the number of voters who are still undecided, according to a new poll.

For months, surveys had shown that upwards of three-quarters of voters were undecided. But a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday had Onorato winning 36 percent of likely primary voters, compared…

May 4, 2010 at 9:14 am | Comments (1)

Poll: Onorato surging ahead

More than a month of sustained TV advertising is clearly paying off for gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato, with yet another poll showing the Democrat pulling ahead of his rivals for the party nomination.

The Muhlenberg College tracking poll released Monday, its second in a series of surveys to be released every day until the May 18 primary, found Onorato winning 39 percent of the vote, more than five times the support enjoyed by any other…

May 3, 2010 at 4:18 pm | Comments (10)

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…

May 3, 2010 at 4:05 pm | Comments (0)

Wagner’s first TV ad focuses on military service, economy

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jack Wagner’s first TV ad is a 30-second biographical spot that recounts his military service and his more recent service as the state’s auditor general.

A campaign insider confirmed that the ad embedded below is the first spot to set to air. Although pa2010.com has yet to receive any reports of it actually airing on TV, a visit to a network affiliate in Johnstown earlier this week

May 1, 2010 at 8:00 pm | Comments (6)

LEFTOVERS: Inky for Wagner, Bush and Gingrich for Corbett, Latinos for Specter

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jack Wagner got a nice boost from one of the state’s most widely-read editorial pages this weekend, when The Inquirer endorsed the auditor general’s campaign.

“Wagner’s background makes him a very attractive candidate,” The Inquirer wrote in

May 1, 2010 at 2:20 pm | Comments (11)

Onorato + Williams = Windfall for TV stations

For broadcast TV networks, the lucrative political season is well underway.

With competitive Democratic primaries for both governor and senate, political campaigns are spending heavily on television advertising. The gubernatorial race has been particularly profitable for local network affiliates, with millions of dollars already spent and with three more weeks still left until primary day. Dan Onorato, the Democratic front-runner with the largest war-chest, has already spent well over $4 million, and may have recently…

April 29, 2010 at 6:00 pm | Comments (0)

Gun-control group gives Hoeffel top grade among guv hopefuls

A prominent organization that advocates for tighter gun regulations has examined the candidates for governor, and found Democrat Joe Hoeffel to be their favorite.

CeaseFirePA, in its 2010 voter guide, give the Montgomery County Commissioner an A. State Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) followed Hoeffel with an A-, while Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato got a B+ and Auditor General Jack Wagner was given a C+.

Hoeffel’s campaign touted the top grad on Wednesday.

“I support…

April 28, 2010 at 4:42 pm | Comments (3)