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Live-blogging Sam Rohrer’s announcement

WEST LAWN—pa2010.com Central is on scene for state Representative Sam Rohrer’s gubernatorial announcement.

Follow our live-tweet feed here.

6:35—Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

6:38—State Representative Gordon Denlinger speaking

6:39—Says that “Sam’s passion, his integrity, his intellectual reach have made him a forced to be reckoned with in the state House.”

6:41—Denlinger says “The party establishment has begun to draft the election script for 2010 a little too early. … The people must write the script.

6:45—A former state Rep. whose name I can’t spell is talking.

6:50—There’s energy in this crowd. I can see the potential for grass-roots organizing. The scale of that remains to be seen.

6:51—People are still trickling in, filling out forms to volunteer/organize.

6:52—”Let’s face it, he’s the dark horse, but that doesn’t mean he can’t win.”

6:53—State Rep. Jim Cox takes the podium

6:54—Cox, who used to work for Rohrer, says, “He knows what’s right, he knows what’s wrong, and he’s willing to fight for what’s right. But equally as important, he’s willing to stand up against what’s wrong.”

6:56—”He wants to do what’s best for Pennsylvania, he wants to take this commonwealth in a new direction.”

6:57—”To make this happen, we need your commitment every day. every time you meet someone, every time you see an old friend.”

6:58—This has the feel of a locker-room pep-talk. The audience is part of the team for these folks.

6:59—Property taxes are a big issue with this crowd.

7:00—”Be able to answer the question, ‘who is Sam Rohrer’ as if you were saying ‘roar!’”

7:01—Rohrer’s wife takes the podium.

7:03—Talking about words their kids and grandkids used to describe him. Says all used “integrity.”

7:04—Rohrer takes the podium to big applause.

7:05—Applause lasted well over a minute, ending with him saying “wow.”

7:08—Sits down on a stool, very town-hall-ish. “I might take my jacket off.”

7:10—Talking about his upbringing, early appreciation for public service.

7:13—About his mom, he recalls, “she said ‘Sam, it’s not money that makes people better, it’s their attitude and their vision that makes them better.’”

7:14—One time, “my father said, ‘Sam, never run from responsibility. … if duty comes, don’t run.’”

7:18—”What concerns me more than anything is the loss of freedom that I believe we are seeing in this country.”

7:19—Talks about health care, falling dollar. “Where in the world are our leaders?”

7:28—After a long, eight-minute meandering explanation of his decision-making process, he formally announces his candidacy to massive applause.

7:29—Chants of “Go Sam Go!”

7:30—”You probably never thought I was gonna get to that,” he jokes.

7:31—Unveiling what appear to be the five platforms, or five “promises” of his campaign. First one is “job creation.”

7:33—”Government, get out of the way.”

7:34—As he lays out policy positions, nods and murmurs of “right” from the crowd.

7:35—Platform number 2, reduce government.

7:36—Platform number 3, eliminate school property taxes. “The way we fund public education is completely broken. … It’s unsustainable.”

7:38—Says that “whenever there is a tax that is so regressive it can throw people out of their homes … there’s something dreadfully wrong with this.”

7:40—Platform number 4, improve student performance (Platform number 4, improve student performance (by promoting school choice and empowering parents).by promoting school choice and empowering parents).

7:42—Platform number 5, ethics and integrity. “Do I have to say much about this?”

7:45—”These are big issues. They are monumental. It’s gonna require a lot of work. It’s gonna require great courage, backbone and conviction by whoever the next governor is and whoever’s in the legislature. … But I assure you that I can be done.”

7:46—After about 40 minutes on stage, he’s going to take questions from the audience now, town-hall style.

7:47—Here’s the pitch: “A campaign, unfortunately, takes funds.”

7:48—”I’m a little long-winded, I’m sorry about that.”

7:48—First question, he clarifies, yes, he is running as a Republican. “But I will say not just any Republican.”

7:49—Second questioner asks what can the governor do to protect state from Washington “overreach.” Signals he would say no to federal dollars.

7:50—Third question apparently came online from Afghanistan, asking about when to active national guard. Rohrer acknowledges he hasn’t given that one a lot of thought before. “I believe by and large that governors haven’t taken an active enough role in determining when they are called up. I would become more involved.”

7:51—Question about him going up against special interests. “There are an awful lot of entrenched special interests across the state,” Rohrer says. “the question is can we do that? My answer is absolutely.”

7:52—Says rank-and-file members share conservative values.

7:53—Questioner asks about formidable opponents, and the need to come out strong so maybe the party will support him. Rohrer says “you guys can make that happen. … But I’m telling you this camaign is going to be different from the others, because what this campaign has that the others don’t is all you. … I really beleive that this election will be driven by the heart and the soul of the people of this state, not just the heart and soul of the Republican Party.”

7:54—A privacy question. Looks like this is almost over.

7:56—That’s about it. I’ll be going offline for a bit to talk to the candidate and supporters. But stay tuned. More to come.

8:38—OK folks, that’s it for now. Spoke to political advisers and staff, campaign manager, volunteers, supporters, the wife and the candidate himself. Rather than posting a quick story like usual, I’m gonna make the drive back to Philly. Complete coverage and multiple stories to come later tonight. Stay tuned.

November 17, 2009 at 6:43 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

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