Johnson says he’d forgo state pension

Republican Steve Johnson kept up the populist tone he’s been striking in his run for Lieutenant Governor Monday, promising that if elected he’d refuse to take a state pension under the current system, which he says is “out-of-date with today’s best practices and unfairly burdens taxpayers across Pennsylvania.”

“We need leaders who lead by example,” Johnson, a York County businessman, said in a statement. “As we weather this economic storm, it is critical that leaders…

April 12, 2010 at 12:26 pm | Comments (5)

Johnson’s the big winner in ballot position

Ballot position doesn’t matter much in high-profile races where voters are deluged with advertising and apt to pay attention.

But in the below-the-radar contest for Lieutenant Governor, being the first name people see in the voting booth could prove a bit more useful. If it does, Republican Steve Johnson will be the beneficiary.

Johnson, a York County businessman, is one of nine Republicans running for Lt. Gov., and when ballot positions were determined by lottery…

March 19, 2010 at 8:28 am | Comments (3)

Watkins dropping out of Lt. Gov. race

Joe Watkins was set to withdraw from the race for Lieutenant Governor Tuesday evening, 10 days after he failed the win the Republican State Committee’s endorsement for the office.

Watkins, who planned to notify state committee members of his decision of an e-mail, was seen by many as the only candidate who could run a viable campaign against the party’s endorsed candidate, Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley. In an interview with pa2010.com, he said it’s…

February 23, 2010 at 4:45 pm | Comments (11)

Beiler’s staying in Lt. Gov. race

Chet Beiler is staying put.

The former Lancaster GOP chairman told pa2010.com on Saturday that he’ll continue to run for Lieutenant Governor, despite not winning the state party’s endorsement earlier this month. His most immediate focus is getting on the ballot, a challenge compounded by the likelihood that Republican leaders will look for ballot signatures to challenge. Candidates need 1,000 signatures to get on the ballot, but some election lawyers recommend getting at least three…

February 20, 2010 at 7:58 pm | Comments (12)

Johnson, Sellers fare well in BerksCo

Republican insiders from Berks County sent a decidedly anti-establishment message this week, when their non-binding straw poll vote showed strong support for Lieutenant Governor candidate Steve Johnson and 6th District congressional candidate Patrick Sellers.

The votes did not reflect a formal endorsement, but were nonetheless indicative of at least some unrest among rank-and-file party insiders. A Johnson campaign insider said the York County businessman won 56 votes, compared to 17 for reform leader Russ Diamond…

February 19, 2010 at 3:40 pm | Comments (5)

It’s crunch time for Beiler and Watkins

Chet Beiler and Joe Watkins have to make a decision, and they don’t have much time.

Beiler, the former Lancaster County GOP chairman, and Watkins, the longtime political operative, both failed to win the state party’s endorsement for Lieutenant Governor last weekend in Harrisburg. Two other candidates who weren’t endorsed—York businessman Steve Johnson and reform leader Russ Diamond—both said they’d stay in the race anyway. Two others, Jean Craige Pepper and Nick DiFrancesco, stepped aside…

February 15, 2010 at 8:00 am | Comments (13)

Johnson’s raised more than $110K for Lt. Gov. race

Republican Steven Johnson raised almost $110,000 in 2009, according to campaign finance data, a solid amount for a Lieutenant Governor candidate staking his campaign on outsider credentials. Since then, Johnson has launched a populist

February 8, 2010 at 11:53 am | Comments (10)

Wanted: Democrats for Lt. Gov.

The list of Republicans mulling a run for Lieutenant Governor reads like a GOP variety show, with more than a dozen candidates of every stripe lining up to play second fiddle to their party’s gubernatorial nominee. They include party mainstays, rising stars, political unknowns and everything in between.

But at this still-early stage, the Republicans are mostly alone in the field. Only one Democrat has said he is likely to run, and while others have been mentioned as viable, a deluge of Democratic candidates in to the race seems unlikely anytime soon.

So why are Democrats lukewarm to the contest?

April 19, 2009 at 6:10 pm | Comments (1)