Onorato’s support grows slightly in still-wide-open race

Democrat Dan Onorato is sporting deeper support than he or any of his primary rivals have enjoyed thus far, but almost half of likely Democratic voters are still undecided, according to a new poll.

The Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday morning painted a picture of race that, while still largely undefined, is slowly but surely coming into focus. The poll showed Onorato leading the four-way primary with 20 percent of the vote, compared to 15…

April 7, 2010 at 8:46 am | Comments (6)

CAMPAIGN FINANCE ROUNDUP: Onorato, Corbett still in the lead (Updated)

Deadline day for gubernatorial candidates to submit the first of two pre-primary campaign finance reports came and went without much surprise.

We’re still sorting through the documents we have and awaiting release of other reports, but here’s a basic rundown of where things stand.

Democrat Dan Onorato and Republican Tom Corbett continue to hold commanding fundraising leads over their respective primary rivals. Numbers for both candidates had emerged in the days leading up to the…

April 6, 2010 at 7:18 pm | Comments (1)

Bachmann says Rohrer’s ‘passion for freedom’ spurred her to get involved

Conservative firebrand Michele Bachmann continued her virtual stumping for Republican Sam Rohrer’s gubernatorial campaign Monday, when she recounted in a Web video how her first meeting with Rohrer was the spark that led her into public service.

In the brief video, Bachmann, the a congresswoman from Minnesota, recalls meeting Rohrer in 1998 when Rohrer was speaking about education policy.

“It was this brief meeting that made me see how aggressive the federal government had become…

April 5, 2010 at 5:52 pm | Comments (13)

Corbett, Onorato lead wide open gov primaries

Attorney General Tom Corbett and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato are are leading in their respective gubernatorial primary contests, but at least two-thirds of voters from each party are undecided two months before primary day, according to a new poll.

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March 24, 2010 at 2:09 pm | Comments (1)

Guv candidates talk pensions, taxes, transportation

PHILADELPHIA—The six candidate for governor came together for yet another forum Thursday evening, discussing a plethora issues that affect the state’s business climate, from the looming pension crisis and tax-rates to the transportation funding that could confront the state if its application to toll Interstate 80 is again rejected by the federal government.

The forum, hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and held at the National Constitution Center here, was the first time…

March 5, 2010 at 1:30 am | Comments (6)

Poll: Onorato leads Dems, Corbett up in general

Another poll, another snapshot of a wide open governor’s race.

A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday showed Allegheny County Executive holding a narrow lead over his Democratic rivals—but with almost 60 percent of voters still undecided. Onorato garners 16 percent of the vote, compared to 11 percent for Auditor General Jack Wagner and 10 percent for Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel. State Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia), who only recently entered the race, trails the rest…

March 3, 2010 at 12:07 pm | Comments (13)

Poll: Guv race mostly unchanged

Less than three months before the primary, the political landscape in the race for governor remains mostly the same as voters wait to learn more about the candidate, according to a new poll.

The Franklin & Marshall College survey released Wednesday showed Attorney General Tom Corbett with a comfortable lead over state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) in the GOP primary, while the Democratic contest is still wide open. Corbett leads Rohrer 26 percent to four…

February 24, 2010 at 10:27 am | Comments (6)

Guv candidates debate urban issues

PHILADELPHIA— Four candidates for governor came together just one block north of city hall here Thursday night to field questions about issues confronting Pennsylvania’s cities in what was one of the first gubernatorial debates to feature candidates from both parties.

The event, featuring Democrats Joe Hoeffel, Dan Onorato and Jack Wagner, as well as Republican Sam Rohrer, was sponsored by he Coalition for Essential Services and Philly Neighborhood Networks and held at Arch Street Methodist…

February 19, 2010 at 9:00 am | Comments (5)

LEFTOVERS: More on the 12th, Cook downgrades Kanjorski, Rohrer on the ‘rebellion’

The pieces are almost done coming together in the 12th Congressional District. Friend-of-the-site Alex Roarty pAlex also tells us that state Representatives Jeff Pyle (R-Indiana) and Dave Reed (R-Indiana), as well as state Senator Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), are no longer in the picture. And emThe Daily American/em a href="http://www.ourtownonline.biz/articles/2010/02/18/somerset_news/news/local/news115.txt" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.ourtownonline.biz']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourtownonline.biz%2Farticles%2F2010%2F02%2F18%2Fsomerset_news%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fnews115.txt','reports')" target="_blank"reports/a that Westmoreland County Commissioner Tom Ceraso is beginning to circulate petitions to get on the primary ballot as a Democrat./p
pWith the key players seeming to be mostly determined, we’ll offer up our take on the current field soon. Stay tuned also for a deeper look into how both parties will be picking their candidates for the special election to finish the late Congressman John Murtha’s term./p
pMeanwhile, emCook Political Report/em has downgraded Congressman Paul Kanjorski’s (D-11) chances of winning reelection, changing a href="http://www.cookpolitical.com/charts/house/competitive_2010-02-18_13-58-05.php" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.cookpolitical.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cookpolitical.com%2Fcharts%2Fhouse%2Fcompetitive_2010-02-18_13-58-05.php','its+forecast')" target="_blank">its forecast in the 11th District from “likely Democratic” to “leans Democratic.” This will surely be played up by Kanjorski’s primary opponent, Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien, who has been making an electability argument a central part of his campaign argument.

And underdog conservative candidate for governor Sam Rohrer had something to say about GOP chairman Rob Gleason’s

February 18, 2010 at 11:30 pm | Comments (3)

In Rohrer’s rival event, messaging and field strategy intersect

As his primary opponent was celebrating an endorsement from the state Republican Party Saturday, state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) was celebrating an achievement of a different sort: his gubernatorial campaign’s increasingly central role in building, fostering—and if he has his way, harnessing—a local political movement that exists very much outside the party structure.

For months now, Rohrer and his supporters have vowed that their grassroots energy will overcome the political strength of a state GOP…

February 14, 2010 at 5:01 pm | Comments (1)