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)

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)

Why the wealthy candidate isn’t throwing a party

NEW YORK—There are five Democratic candidates for governor. Four of them are throwing parties of one kind or another here this weekend.

The holdout? Philadelphia millionaire Tom Knox.

It might seem a quirky decision for the one independently wealthy candidate in the race not to shell out so the state’s political insiders can party with him during the Pennsylvania Society weekend. But it actually dovetails nicely with what’s becoming a central theme of Knox’s candidacy—that…

December 10, 2009 at 9:10 pm | Comments (5)

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)

MONDAY LEFTOVERS: A Toomey fundraiser, Knox talks utilities & Trivedi’s a Fellow

A well-placed reader told pa2010.com Central that Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey was in downtown Philly Monday morning for a fundraiser at The Union League. Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) was supposed to be the headliner, further underscoring Toomey’s now almost universal support among party leaders. But with health care reform legislation still before the Senate, Kyl got tied up in Washington.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Knox is keeping up his emphasis on the critical need…

December 7, 2009 at 5:40 pm | Comments (1)

Some healthy skepticism on Knox’s proposals

Good-government advocates like what Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox has to say about ethics. But they’re not holding their collective breath.

Knox, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor,

November 9, 2009 at 3:33 pm | Comments (1)

Knox rolls out proposed ethics, government reforms

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Knox on Thursday announced an ambitious and far-reaching package of proposed government reforms, calling for everything from limits on campaign contributions and reducing the size of the state legislature to cutting the discretionary spending grants infamously known as WAMs and requiring elected officials to resign when seeking higher office.

The proposals, unveiled during an online chat with supporters, a conference call with reporters and a new campaign Web video, amounted to…

November 6, 2009 at 3:30 pm | Comments (14)

Knox’s Web video

In announcing his

November 5, 2009 at 9:04 am | Comments (0)

Poll: Two-thirds undecided in Dem primary for guv

Yet another poll showed Wednesday that the Democratic primary for governor is anyone’s race to win, with 66 percent of voters still undecided.

The Franklin & Marshall College survey of 250 Democrats was largely consistent with other public and private polls. Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato leads all candidates with 10 percent of the vote, trailed closely by Auditor General Jack Wagner at 9 percent. Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel garners 6 percent of the…

October 28, 2009 at 11:17 am | Comments (2)

Onorato says he has almost $6M on hand

Gubernatorial hopeful Dan Onorato told supporters Monday that his campaign is closing in on the $6-million mark, reaffirming that his financial advantage in next year’s Democratic primary remains formidable.

In an e-mail Monday morning, Onorato, the Allegheny County executive, said a fundraiser last week had brought the campaign “very close to having almost $6 million cash on hand.”

“I am extremely grateful for the support I have received around the state,” he wrote.

No Democrat…

October 26, 2009 at 1:15 pm | Comments (0)