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Onorato: ‘I want to change the status quo’

PHILADELPHIA—Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato on Tuesday formally declared his candidacy for governor, making official what had been considered certain for months and pledging to change the entrenched culture of Harrisburg.

“There will be those who say Harrisburg can’t be fixed,” Onorato, a Democrat, said during a speech at City Hall here. “That the culture is the culture, the status quo is the status quo. But let me be clear: Not only will I take on the status quo, I want to take on the status quo.”

His speech here kicked off a three-day announcement tour that will take him to across the state. Coming from a western Pennsylvania base, his decision to start in Philadelphia underscored his need to win the Democratic base in the southeast if he is to be victorious in next year’s primary.

“This is the biggest media market,” he told reporters.

During his speech, Onorato talked about his experience trimming government, holding down property taxes, and contributing to the economic revival of the the Pittsburgh region that led President Obama to hold the G20 summit there last month.

“We took some tough, tough decisions, and I made those decisions,” he said.

Though considered by many party insiders to be the early front-runner for the nomination because of his support among establishment Democrats and his impressive $5-million campaign war chest, Onorato faces a challenging primary amidst a crowded field. State Auditor General Jack Wagner will compete with Onorato for votes from his Pittsburgh base, while Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel will look for a strong showing in the Philadelphia suburbs. Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty are also running, and each brings their own strengths.

And in a party that has more recently drawn its leaders from among southeast progressives, Onorato faces criticism that he’s to the right of mainstream Democrats, something he made a point of addressing when he talked about the “mischaracterization” of his positions on abortion and gun rights.

While reiterating that he is a practicing Catholic and “personally opposed” to abortion, he said “as governor, I will not change Pennsylvania’s current laws.” When pressed later by reporters as to what that meant, he implied that he would indeed veto a change in the law if it came to him.

He also said he supports “the right of sportsmen and individuals to protect themselves,” but also would support “common sense” gun restriction laws.

It’s the perception that he’s too conservative for progressives that led Hoeffel to enter the race, and he waved that off during an interview with pa2010.com as he raced to his next event.

“I think there’s been a lot of innuendo out there, not just by him but by everyone,” he said. “That’s why I clarified it.

“The next governor’s going to be elected based on their views on the economy, how to create jobs and how to reform Harrisburg,” he added.

October 6, 2009 at 11:19 am

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Chris Doherty, Dan Onorato, Jack Wagner, Joe Hoeffel, Tom Knox

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