Unveiling education platform, Hoeffel again hits Williams on vouchers

PHILADELPHIA—Standing in front of a public elementary school here Wednesday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Hoeffel made a case for increased public school funding, and continued to swing at primary rival p“Tony and the three wealthy donors who have given him millions and millions for his campaign want to privatize public schools,” Hoeffel during a news conference at the Samuel Powell Elementary School in West Philadelphia.…

May 5, 2010 at 10:47 pm | Comments (8)

Hoeffel’s first ad needles Onorato and Williams as ‘flip-flops’

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Joe Hoeffel is using his first campaign ad to paint primary rivals Dan Onorato and Anthony Williams as politically-expedient shape-shifters.

In the 30-second spot, which his campaign said would hit the airwaves Wednesday, Hoeffel holds up a pair of pink flip-flops and says: “Flip-flops are fine, for the beach. But as governor, people need to know where you stand.”

Hoeffel goes on to hit Onorato on abortion and Williams on education.

“You…

May 4, 2010 at 3:50 pm | Comments (8)

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)

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)

EXCLUSIVE: Wagner starts buying airtime

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jack Wagner is ready to take what limited campaign cash he has to the airwaves, and his campaign started buying TV time this week, pa2010.com has learned.

Wagner, the state auditor general, will be on the airwaves by May 3 at the latest, but one campaign source said his first TV spots may start airing as early as Wednesday or Thursday. A pa2010.com reporter was at an NBC affiliate in Johnstown right…

April 28, 2010 at 2:10 pm | Comments (24)

Gordon hosting late-game fundraiser for Hoeffel

It’s never too late to raise money, especially when campaign cash is running low. And so, Lower Merion Township Commissioner Brian Gordon is set to hold a fundraiser for Democratic gubernatorial hopeful on May 8—just 10 days before the party’s four-way primary is decided by voters.

“Joe is fiscally responsible and socially progressive,” Gordon wrote in an invitation e-mail which found its way to the pa2010.com inbox. “As Commissioner, he helped run Montgomery County efficiently…

April 26, 2010 at 7:00 am | Comments (0)

Corbett still leads Dems, as Onorato gains ground

Attorney General Tom Corbett still holds a comfortable edge over his potential Democratic rivals for governor, and Democrat Dan Onorato appears to be slowly but surely pulling ahead of his primary opponents, according to a new poll.

pIn the poll, Corbett leads Wagner by 21 points, 48 percent to 27 percent. And Corbett holds a 20-point edge over Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, 49 percent to 29 percent. State Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia), the only candidate besides Onorato who is airing TV ads, was not included in the poll./p
pRasmussen’s was the third recent poll that seemed to show Onorato enjoying increased name recognition from a statewide adverting blitz that began a few weeks ago. A a href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/04/gop-poll-shows-onorato-building-a-lead/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fgop-poll-shows-onorato-building-a-lead%2F','Susquehanna+Polling+%26amp%3B+Research+survey+last+week+showed+the+Allegheny+County+Executive+surging+to+32+percent+of+the+primary+vote')" target="_blank"Susquehanna Polling & Research survey last week showed the Allegheny County Executive surging to 32 percent of the primary vote/a, and a href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/04/corbett-leads-dem-contenders-by-double-digits/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fcorbett-leads-dem-contenders-by-double-digits%2F','a+Quinnipiac+University+poll+two+weeks+ago+showed+Onorato%22s+name+recognition+on+the+rise.')" target="_blank">a Quinnipiac University poll two weeks ago showed Onorato’s name recognition on the rise. Rasmussen showed Corbett topping Onorato by a two-to-one margin in February. In the latest survey, fewer Democrats are unsure about their impression of Onorato…

April 20, 2010 at 11:31 am | Comments (8)

Hoeffel pounces on a pro-life group’s Onorato claim

Democrat Joe Hoeffel this this week seized upon a news report that gubernatorial rival Dan Onorato was sending a campaign aide to an event sponsored by an organization that opposes abortion rights—a news report that was quickly struck down by the Onorato campaign but nonetheless underscored the challenge Onorato has faced in explaining his stance on abortion rights.

The hit from the Hoeffel campaign was prompted by an article in the The York Dispatch, which…

April 20, 2010 at 8:15 am | Comments (6)