TUESDAY LEFTOVERS: Hoeffel on the slush fund, the southwest for Corbett, a Bedford Dem backs Wagner

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel wants the General Assembly to return its seemingly ever-growing legislative surplus to the state’s general fund. Even as the state continues to piece together elements of last year’s budget, the surplus now totals more than $200 million.

“I call upon our state legislators to return this money to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Hoeffel, the Democratic candidate for governor, said in a statement Tuesday. “This money should be returned so that …

January 5, 2010 at 10:10 pm | Comments (4)

Hoeffel says he raised $400K

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel appears to have come up well short of his first fundraising goal as a candidate for governor.

In a statement, Hoeffel, a Democrat, said he had raised more than $400,000 during the last quarter of 2009, taking in donations from almost 1,000 contributors. He had previously said he hoped to raise $1 million by the end of the year.

But he insisted he would have enough money to compete in …

January 5, 2010 at 1:22 pm | Comments (19)

Corbett leads Dems in general election; Wagner fares best

State Attorney General Tom Corbett would best all of his potential Democratic rivals if a general election were held today, but state Auditor General Jack Wagner would turn in the best showing for Democrats, according to a new poll.

The Qunnipiac University of 1,381 voters released Thursday showed Corbett topping Wagner 43 percent to 33 percent. Corbett would also beat Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato 45 percent to 30 percent and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe …

December 17, 2009 at 11:49 am | Comments (11)

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)

Hoeffel lays out jobs plan

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel on Wednesday rolled out an jobs plan that focused on increased investments in education, green technology, infrastructure and small business, in what amounted to the most comprehensive economic policy statement made by a gubernatorial candidate to date.

Coupled with his recent policy positions on drilling for natrual gas in the Marcellus Shale, the plan signaled that Hoeffel will have more to discuss than the social issues on which he has …

December 16, 2009 at 11:35 pm | Comments (6)

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)

POLICY ROUNDUP: Hoeffel and Knox on energy, Specter on abortion & jobs galore

While we at pa2010.com Central were distracted with raw politics as usual, Tuesday ended up being a day chock full of policy pronouncements.

It started with Democrat Joe Hoeffel’s gubernatorial campaign putting out his plan for tapping the state’s energy-rich Marcellus Shale, which he said needed to be done with a careful eye on environmental implications. He proposed, among other initiatives, improving the “right to know” rules, giving the state’s Department of Environmental Protection greater …

December 8, 2009 at 6:07 pm | Comments (1)

LEFTOVERS: Hoeffel challenges Corbett on discrimination, Conner writes the chamber & a new consultant

Joe Hoeffel continued Monday to highlight his stances on social issues, this time directly challenging GOP gubernatorial front-runner Tom Corbett to support an anti-discrimination law before the legislature in Harrisburg.

The strategy reflects Hoeffel’s belief that his Democratic primary rivals are mostly the same on the paramount economic issues, and that his more liberal positioning on social issues will win the day in the Democrat-heavy southeast. In a campaign statement, Hoeffel, a Montgomery County commissioner, …

November 30, 2009 at 9:29 pm | Comments (0)

OK Daylin, but what about Joe?

The news that Daylin Leach is …

November 24, 2009 at 9:52 am | Comments (10)

How Hoeffel’s progressive views will play out west

While I applaud many of Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel’s positions on the issues, including his …

November 17, 2009 at 11:48 am | Comments (15)