Onorato bested three primary rivals thanks to a campaign infrastructure he started building long before them and a massive TV blitz that introduced him to Pennsylvania Democrats at a time when the vast majority of them were still undecided and unengaged from the race. Polls had shown him holding large, double-digit leads going into primary day, and those voters who remained undecided appeared to have broken for him in large numbers. With nearly all precincts reporting, Onorato had won 45 percent of the vote. Auditor General Jack Wagner came in second with about 24 percent of the vote. And despite spending millions on TV ads after a late entrance into the race, state Senator Anthony Williams finished third at 18 percent.

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel brought up the rear with less than 13 percent of the vote. State Attorney General Tom Corbett easily won the Republican primary for governor, and will face Onorato in what is sure to be a fiercely competitive general election.

“Pennsylvania needs a governor who understands reform,” Onorato told supporters assembled for his victory party at a union hall here. “I am that Harrisburg outsider, and I will take on the special interests.”

A few miles away and a few moments earlier, Wagner—a longtime Onorato foe who struggled to raise money but ran a positive campaign until the end—had delivered his concession speech.

“Unfortunately, in life, some things don’t work out the way you want,” he said. “But that’s OK because we’ve learned a lot from this campaign.”

Williams’ campaign had put together a concert at Temple University in Philadelphia for its election night party, and Williams said he had succeeded in giving public policy issues like school choice—which he repeatedly framed as a civil rights issue—a larger place in the political discourse. His campaign was almost entirely funded by wealthy suburban investors who support school vouchers. “I didn’t lose,” he said, “I just didn’t get enough votes.”

He passed on a chance to voice support for Onorato, who his campaign spent millions trying to bring down with a spate of negative advertising. “I think I’m going to go home and take a nap for a few days, and then I’m going to get back up and fight for the issues I think are most important, and theh we’ll figure out who represents that and speaks loudly and boldly about the things I think are most important.”

Hoeffel, who got into the race relatively late and struggled mightily to raise the money needed, gathered with subdued supporters in Conshohocken. After positioning himself as the liberal in the race, Hoeffel called Onorato to offer his support, and co-campaign manager Lauren Townsend said later that Hoeffel “wants to continue fighting for progressive ideals.”

For Onorato, the victory was a culmination of a political journey that, by some accounts, started the day Gov. Ed Rendell won a second term in 2006. Onorato won reelection as county executive in 2007, but did so while keeping about $2 million in his war chest, a head start that he built into a far more formidable advantage over the next couple years.

With allies close to the governor—and a relationship with the governor himself—many saw him as Rendell’s favored candidate, though the governor never publicly endorsed anyone in the race. The powerful Democratic fundraisers in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas settled on him as a candidate early, and he won over other party insiders and activists across the state while building a reputation as a knowledgeable policy wonk.

Three-quarters of likely primary voters were undecided even two months before the election, but at that point Onorato had a war chest of almost $7 million. He started blanketing the airwaves at the end of March, and quickly pulled away from the pack. His message of economic revitalization rooted in his executive experience in a region spotlighted by President Obama for its revival proved well-suited to the political climate. By the time Williams hit the airwaves statewide a couple weeks later, Onorato was already viewed favorably by a significant swath of voters, and efforts to bring him back to the pack did as much to lift Williams’ own negative poll numbers.

Williams won his Philadelphia base by a large margin, but Onorato performed well in other Democratic strongholds across the state, including Allegheny, Bucks, Cambria and Montgomery counties.

Onorato faces a challenging start, having mostly emptied his campaign coffers to assure Tuesday’s win. Corbett spent far less for his expected win against state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks).

In an interview, Onorato downplayed any suggestion that Corbett starts with an advantage, noting that the contested Democratic primary provided a chance to raise his name recognition across the electorate.

“We had a spirited primary and I got a chance to see the state and introduce myself to voters,” he said.

Michael Jones reported from Pittsburgh, Andrew Thompson reported from Philadelphia and Amy Brisson reported from Conshohocken. See a video clip below of Onorato’s victory speech.

For seemingly as long as there’s been both politics and a Reading Terminal Market downtown here, candidates have put in last-minute face time with the Philly crowd, the perfect spot to pound a few pre-election day carbs. On Monday it was Democratic gubernatorial candidates Joe Hoeffel and Dan Onorato who made a swing through while the lunch crowd was in full force, stopping patrons mid-cheesesteak to shake hands and make their final pitches.

Onorato, who commands a wide lead over his opponents heading into Tuesday’s primary, was trailed by an entourage of supporters and camera crews as he made the rounds. He took some time to talk about some of Philadelphia-specific issues, like his support for the Delaware River dredging project. The Allegheny County executive side-stepped questions about Tom Corbett, the Republican he seems increasingly likely to face in the fall, saying his focus is squarely on Tuesday.

And he said he’s taking increasingly bitter attack ads from his opponents as a sign of success.

“Look, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in politics,” he said, “it’s that if you’re getting attacked, they must think you’re doing pretty good.”

Hoeffel, who is trailing in the polls—most surveys still have him in single digits—said he’s not giving up hope.

“There’s a lot of undecided voters,” Hoeffel said. “And I think I’ll do very well here in the southeast.”

The two candidates were all smiles when they bumped into each other in front of Spataro’s sandwich shop, where they exchanged a friendly handshake and a few jokes about who would run out of campaign cash first.

The Quinnipiac University survey released Monday echoed other recent polls in showing Onorato holding a wide lead over his Democratic rivals. The Allegheny County Executive wins 39 percent of the vote, followed by 11 percent for Anthony Williams, 10 percent for Jack Wagner and 9 percent for Joe Hoeffel. Almost a third of voters are still undecided, but with Onorato enjoying more support than his three primary rivals combined, little time remains for any significant political “game-changer,” so to speak.

“If all the undecided voters went to one of the other candidates, Onorato could conceivably lose,” Quinnipiac University’s assistant polling director Peter Brown said in a statement. “But the odds of that kind of scenario are very, very, very long.”

The survey was the latest in a body of data indicating that Williams’ expensive ad blitz seems to have come up short in terms of moving numbers. Of the likely primary voters surveyed, 68 percent still haven’t heard enough about Williams to have an opinion—name recognition that is much improved from when he got into the race, but still isn’t much better than Hoeffel or Wagner, who have barely advertised. And his attempts to bring down Onorato through a spate of negative advertisements appear to have done just as much to bring up Williams’ negative numbers. Fourteen percent of likely primary voters view Williams unfavorably, compared to just 16 percent that view him favorably. By contrast, 42 percent of likely Democratic voters view Onorato favorably, 9 percent view him unfavorably and 45 percent still haven’t heard enough.

The survey of 951 likely primary voters, conducted May 12 to May 16, had a margin of error of 3.2 percent.

Click here to see the poll.

Specter also took a shot at primary challenger Joe Sestak for his comments on the matter. “Every move I make he’s trying to politicize,” Specter said, according to Politico. “He might want to rush to judgment and make a decision before a hearing, before knowing what the facts are. But I take these things very seriously. I have a long record on a dozen of these, asking questions, considering it, and coming to an informed decision.”

Meanwhile, Specter got from Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13), who endorsed the Republican-turned-Democrat and called him a “valuable asset” in an e-mail to supporters. “In seeking a sixth term, Senator Specter wants to continue the unfinished business of the country including creating American jobs, implementing the health care reform law and improving education,” Schwartz wrote. “The experience and seniority he gained over the last 30 years in the Senate is a valuable asset as we continue to meet the serious challenges ahead.”

And with the Senate primary eating up all the political oxygen as of late, it’s easy to forget there’s a governor’s race, too. In that contest, it looks an advocacy group for the disabled has found its candidate—and didn’t have to look to hard. The Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania asked the candidates in both parties questions about disability issues, and apparently Democrat Joe Hoeffel was the only one to respond. Hoeffel’s campaign pointed out its sole participation in the groups’ questionnaire, and he’s also the only one with any mention of the issue on his campaign Web site. “With this lack of response, it appears none of the candidates (besides Hoeffel) have a thought about disabilities,” wrote one blog about the matter. “Days away from the Pennsylvania primary and it appears the candidates are playing it safe.”

The survey of 400 likely primary voters showed Sestak topping Specter 49 percent to 40 percent, with 12 percent undecided. It found Onorato garnering 46 percent of the vote, followed by Anthony Williams at 13 percent, Jack Wagner at 9 percent and Joe Hoeffel at 8 percent. Other public polls have shown Sestak and Onorato in front, but not by margins as wide as Suffolk’s findings.

The poll, conducted May 11 to May 13, had a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

“In the last couple weeks, we have witnessed the beginning of many negative TV ads,” the state auditor general wrote in a campaign e-mail to supporters. “We certainly have issues we disagree on, but the tough issues our country and our commonwealth are facing are far more important. My life experiences as a Marine in Vietnam, as an IBEW member, as a small business owner, and as a positive person always looking for new ideas and solutions to complex problems has taught me to listen and to communicate with others. Negative attacks are precisely what have politically paralyzed Harrisburg. It’s no wonder we have had seven late budgets in the last seven years.”

Wagner has been airing two positive biographical spots in limited buys across the state, though there have yet to be reports of the ads airing in the expensive Philadelphia media market. State Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) has now aired two ads against Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, who has aired one response ad against Williams. Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel’s first TV spot labels both Onorato and Williams as “flip-flops.”

“Staying positive is also important in making sure our party is strong going into the general election this fall,” Wagner added. “We face a tough climate, where voters are looking for leaders with real solutions, not over-the-top rhetoric or tired political tactics. So over the next week, I’ll ask you to keep positive and keep working hard, and I promise to do the same.”

However, danger lurks along this route in the form of potentially catastrophic environmental damage to the state, along with the possibility that taking the wrong route will severely limit the economic advantages that potentially wait at the end of the correct route.

I speak of course about the extraction of natural gas from Marcellus Shale that lies a mile beneath two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s land, and could be the largest natural gas reserve in the nation. As energy companies flock to Pennsylvania to drill into our soil and extract a precious natural resource, it is critical that we make sure to protect our environment, while at the same time ensure that our residents receive the greatest financial return possible for the extraction of this natural gas, which will someday be gone.

As governor, I will be committed to making sure that we have responsible gas drilling with strong environmental regulations, and I will make sure that taxpayers get a fair deal from the gas companies that will be profiting from our natural resource.

The drilling process called hydraulic fracturing requires millions of gallons of fresh water to drill each well and requires the introduction of dozens of chemicals into the water. Most of this water eventually returns to the surface as industrial wastewater. Each well produces millions of gallons of chemical-laced wastewater, and currently the natural gas industry is not required to treat this wastewater. In 2008 and 2009, over 1,000 wells were drilled and began operation in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale. Over 2,000 drilling permits were issued by the end of 2009. The Department of Environmental Protection estimates another 5,200 drilling permits will be issued this year.

Obviously, action is necessary and overdue. I have called for a moratorium on issuing new gas drilling permits until new wastewater regulations are in place and enforceable. The natural gas industry is exempt from the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Pennsylvania has wastewater treatment regulations, enforced by the Department of Environmental Protection, but Pennsylvania’s regulations don’t cover most of the chemicals in Marcellus Shale wastewater. The drinking water supply of the entire commonwealth is at risk of contamination.

We cannot afford a repeat of what the coal industry got away with in Pennsylvania for decades. I will advocate for stronger wastewater treatment regulations that establish limits on the amount of total dissolved solids and toxic chemicals, to comply with Safe Drinking Water Act standards.

In addition to protecting the drinking water of Pennsylvanians, we must also protect their financial interests. Pennsylvania must require natural gas companies to pay a severance tax on the gas they mine. Incredibly, Pennsylvania is the only major natural-gas-producing state without a severance tax. The silver lining is that we can learn from other states and create a fair tax with maximum benefits.

The industry is extraordinarily profitable and Pennsylvania’s natural gas supply is enormous. So far, our commonwealth is getting a lousy deal. As governor, I will seek a severance tax, which will double the projected revenue from Gov. Ed Rendell’s currently proposed tax to provide Pennsylvania with $300 million in its first year.

Once this tax is in place, we must use the revenues wisely. A severance tax won’t last forever. Once the gas is gone, the tax revenue ends. Pennsylvania must devote some of the severance tax money to protecting the towns experiencing a boom economy during the gas rush from experiencing a bust economy later.

Other revenues from the tax should go to:

• DEP’s inspection and enforcement operations
• New wastewater treatment facilities
• The renewal of Growing Greener legislation
• Communities affected by the drilling

We must act now, and act responsibly. Too many public officials in Pennsylvania are only looking at how the natural gas industry can swell their campaign coffers. Pennsylvania needs someone to look out for their interests and make sure we take full advantage of this opportunity, while protecting the environment, especially our drinking water.

We cannot put our people at risk—people like the Washington County resident who tested his water after three wells were drilled on his property and found arsenic at 2,600 times acceptable levels, benzene at 44 times above limits, and naphthalene five times the federal standard.

We cannot have any more instances like what happened in Dimock, where tests have shown drinking water now contains high quantities of aluminum, iron, and methane.

We can benefit tremendously from the natural gas reserves of the Marcellus Shale with careful planning. With environmental regulations that protect our water statewide, a severance tax which allows our towns to adapt to their new industry, and a plan in place to protect our state land, Pennsylvania can take pride in its natural gas industry. Landowners, towns, and the commonwealth will prosper, but this will only happen as long as the next governor puts the welfare of Pennsylvanians ahead of political considerations.

The writer, a Montgomery County Commissioner, is a Democratic candidate for governor.

The surveys released Wednesday echoed a body of polling data that has showed Onorato pulling away from the pack, and their results differed little from other recent polls. In a Quinnipiac University poll, Onorato garnered 38 percent of the vote, compared to 11 percent for Auditor General Jack Wagner, 10 percent for state Senator Anthony Williams and 9 percent for Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel. Almost a third of voters are still undecided.

And a Franklin & Marshall College survey found Onorato winning 27 percent of registered Democrats, a 22-point lead over his closest opponents. His edge was similar among a sample of likely primary voters, with whom he captures 34 percent of the vote, compared to 8 percent for Wagner, 6 percent for Williams and 5 percent for Hoeffel. Forty-four percent of likely voters are still undecided, according to the poll.

In both polls, Onorato performs about as well as he has in other public surveys, but Williams, who has been spending heavily on a statewide TV blitz, has lower numbers than in other recent polls. The Muhlenberg College tracking poll on Wednesday showed Williams winning 15 percent of the vote, and a recent Rasmussen poll had him at 17 percent.

Republican Tom Corbett holds a wide lead over Sam Rohrer in the GOP primary, both polls found. But the Franklin & Marshall survey found that almost half of likely primary voters were still undecided.

In the latest indication that Williams’ massive statewide advertising blitz isn’t having the effect his campaign might have hoped, 72 percent of likely primary voters still haven’t heard enough about him, according to the Quinnipiac poll. By contrast, only 44 percent say the same about Onorato, and the race is undoubtedly his to lose.

“Dan Onorato’s lead over the Democratic field hasn’t really grown over the past week, but with only seven days until the actual voting, his chances of winning the Democratic nomination for Governor certainly are better than the rest,” Quinnipiac’s assistant polling director Peter Brown said. “Although more than half of likely voters say they might change their mind, the odds that enough of them do, and all go to the same candidate other than Onorato seem very, very small.”

Click here to see the Quinnipiac poll.

Click here to see the Franklin & Marshall poll.

The Rasmussen survey released Monday showed Onorato garnering 34 percent of likely voters, about where he has been over the last week. Williams and Wagner both had their best showings of any public polls at 17 percent apiece, while Joe Hoeffel brought up the rear with 9 percent, 23 percent said they were either undecided or wanted some other candidate.

It seems increasingly evident that, at this point, any of Onorato’s rivals need a true game-changer between now and next Tuesday’s primary. Williams continues to cash big checks from school-choice advocates and can stay on the airwaves, but Wagner has yet to demonstrate that he’ll have the money to move much higher in the polls that he has.

The poll also makes clear that Onorato and Williams are the only two candidates with significant name recognition thanks to more than a month of statewide advertising. Just 21 percent of likely primary voters don’t know enough about Onorato to form an opinion, and only 24 percent don’t know enough about Williams. But Onorato has higher favorability ratings, according to the poll.

The survey of 408 likely voters, conducted May 6, had a margin of error of 5 percent.