New Corbett ad touts no-tax pledge

A new TV ad from Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett talks up the attorney general’s pledge not to raise taxes—and waves off the bipartisan skepticism that he can keep the pledge.

The ad, unveiled by Corbett’s campaign in an e-mail to supporters Tuesday morning, is his first new TV spot since he cruised to his party’s nomination in the May primary. The size of the first ad buy was not immediately clear, but Corbett started…

August 31, 2010 at 11:15 am | Comments (4)

Corbett up 11 among likely voters, poll says

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Tom Corbett continues to enjoy a double-digit lead among those Pennsylvanians most likely to go to the polls in November, according to a new survey.

The Franklin & Marshall College poll released Thursday found Corbett, the state attorney general, leading Democratic nominee Dan Onorato by 11 points among likely voters, 38 percent to 27 percent. Almost a third of voters remain undecided, according to the poll.

Corbett’s edge is much smaller among…

August 26, 2010 at 9:31 am | Comments (0)

Onorato sees a flip-flop in Corbett’s tax pledge

Democrat Dan Onorato on Wednesday aggressively called into question his GOP rival’s pledge not to raise taxes as governor, pointing out contradictory statements given by Tom Corbett’s campaign about the specifics of the pledge.

During a conference call with reporters, Onorato noted that Corbett’s campaign told Capitolwire (subscription only) this week that raising certain fees would not violate the pledge he and many other GOP candidates have signed from the group Americans for Tax Reform.…

August 25, 2010 at 2:18 pm | Comments (1)

Williams’ voucher donors staying on the sidelines

The millionaire investors from suburban Philadelphia who largely funded Democrat Anthony Williams’ brief campaign for governor earlier this year are unlikely to deploy any more significant campaign cash into the gubernatorial race, according to people close to the business partners.

The founders of Susquehanna Investment Group—Jeffrey Yass, Arthur Dantchik, and Joel Greenberg—do not intend to write substantial checks to Dan Onorato’s campaign despite the Democratic nominee’s newly announced Full Story

August 20, 2010 at 12:30 pm | Comments (2)

Trade group hits Onorato on union labor

A builders’ trade group in western Pennsylvania is running a radio ad against Democrat Dan Onorato, accusing the gubernatorial candidate and Allegheny County executive of helping union “special interests” by requiring that most of a new community college science center be built by unionized workers.

The Tribune-Review first reported on the 60-second spot from the Associated Builders & Contractors of Western Pennsylvania. The issue at hand is a so-called Project Labor…

August 19, 2010 at 9:42 am | Comments (3)

Libertarian candidates off the ballot

The Libertarian Party’s slate of statewide candidates has officially been sent packing.

The party’s candidates for senate, governor and lieutenant governor all ended their bids to stay on the ballot Wednesday, succumbing to legal challenges spearheaded by the state GOP. Coupled with the withdrawal of a Green Party candidate for senate and another candidate for governor, the latest exits mean there will be…

August 19, 2010 at 9:01 am | Comments (14)

Two polls show Corbett up by double-digits

Republican Tom Corbett continues to hold a steady, double-digit lead in the race for governor, according to two new polls.

The Rasmussen survey released Wednesday found Corbett, the state attorney general, leading Democratic nominee Dan Onorato by 10 points, 48 percent to 38 percent. Nine percent of voters are still undecided and five percent prefer another candidate, according to the poll.

And a Public Policy Polling survey…

August 18, 2010 at 4:13 pm | Comments (6)

Third-party hopeful drops gubernatorial bid

The self-proclaimed Tea Party candidate for governor has withdrawn from the race.

John Krupa was facing a ballot challenge, and court proceedings in the case were set to begin when he stepped aside Monday morning, The Associated Press reports.

Krupa, who got some help gathering signatures from supporters of Democratic nominee Dan Onorato, identified himself as a Tea Party candidate, but those credentials were being challenged by an umbrella Tea Party…

August 16, 2010 at 12:16 pm | Comments (5)

Onorato claims Williams’ mantle… will he get the money?

PHILADELPHIA—State Senator Anthony Williams endorsed his former rival in the Democratic primary for governor here Wednesday. And at the same time, Dan Onorato endorsed some of Williams’ education platform, even voicing some support for private school vouchers.

But will he also get some of the school choice money that Williams enjoyed?

It’s too early to tell, but the stakes could be huge. Williams’ campaign was almost entirely funded by a few…

August 12, 2010 at 7:30 am | Comments (4)