send to a friend | print | comment
Hoeffel to supporters: ‘What do you think?’
Continuing what increasingly looks like a cautious march toward the governor’s race, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel on Monday directly appealed to supporters for their input about whether or not he should run.
In an e-mail message, Hoeffel, a Democrat, told supporters he is “thinking seriously” about a run “because I fear our party is poised to embrace conservative views that will doom us to defeat.”
“While I have not decided whether to run,” Hoeffel wrote. “I know what the next governor has to do: help the Democratic party find and hold the progressive center in Pennsylvania politics.”
His message came less than a week after pa2010.com reported that the former Congressman is planning to poll the race, and about six weeks after news of his interest in the contest first emerged.
It also contained still more veiled jabs at the more conservative Democrats who are seen as the party’s early front-runners, though it did not mention candidates like Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato by name.
“If we turn to the right and offer mere echoes of conservative dogma as some are urging, the public will leave us behind,” Hoeffel said.
The message did not solicit political contributions, instead containing only a link to e-mail Hoeffel’s political committee.
“Hoeffel for Governor?” he asked. “What do you think? Should I get into this race?”
August 24, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Tags: Dan Onorato, Joe Hoeffel
Leave a Reply
pa2010.com blogs
pa2010.com Central
Middle Ground
Left of Centre
The New Commonwealth
Blue Steel
Purple in Pennsylvania
The BlueBlast
The PA GOP Pulse
Suburban Snapshot
Red in a Sea of Blue
- in 60 days, 1 hour, 8 minutes, 5 seconds
The Latest from @pa2010news
- Error: Unable to access Twitter at URL (http://www.twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/pa2010news.json?count=3). Verify service status. (HTTP code 401.)
Stay connected with pa2010.com:
advertisement
advertisement
WESTPADEM6
Aug 24th, 2009
i emailed him and said sorry im a moderate dem. moderate dems WIN in pa.
joe
Aug 24th, 2009
That my friends is Ivan Itkin 2.0!
Jon Geeting
Aug 24th, 2009
I don’t know a lot about him or his background. I think it’s probably a good idea though. Onorato seems like a lock for the nomination otherwise. I nearly fell asleep at a recent Bethlehem event listening to Jack Wagner and Tom “Payday Usurer” Knox lecture the crowd. A more progressive primary challenger, even if he doesn’t win, would pull Onorato to the left. In a less Democratic state, that could be a problem, but the PA electorate is open to mainline Democrats like Bob Casey and Ed Rendell, so its not a stretch to imagine a more-liberal Onorato being molded into that sort of Democrat through the primary process. I’m a progressive, but not reflexively so. I want a talented manager as Governor, which I think Onorato has shown himself to be, but I think it’s equally important to have the right political outlook. I know Hoeffel has the latter, but let’s hear more about his experience.
obamarox
Aug 24th, 2009
Once again, the discussion is about theology: conservative, moderate, liberal. Go to church or synagogue with your theology. What we need to worry about is the money. Who owns these guys? The corporatist Democrats … and I count Hoeffel and Onorato among them … will sing from the prayer book and then sell the public fisc to the ones who own them.
Lryan Bentz
Aug 24th, 2009
What do you think his name ID is statewide? I mean he did run in 2004 against Specter. He and Sestak could make a formidable anti-establishment team running for statewide 2010 office.
Moreover, Hoeffel will deliver money and support in Montco and vice versa for Sestak lending a hand in Delco.
This could get interesting.
MontcoGOPer
Aug 25th, 2009
This guy is nothing without Jim Matthews. Maybe the two will run as the “bipartisan” team?