Could Gerlach’s exit actually make things easier for Dems?

With Jim Gerlach bowing out of the governor’s race and leaving Attorney General Tom Corbett as the GOP’s presumptive nominee, many political observers may assume Republicans now have an easier path to retaking the Governor’s Mansion.

But is that really the case?

Sure, Corbett has had to do little to garner media attention during his run for the state’s highest office, thanks to his now three-year long—with no end in sight—“Bonusgate” investigation, which…

January 8, 2010 at 10:57 am | Comments (5)

Eachus aide keeps it diplomatic with Lentz

A day after state Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) called for the removal of Todd Eachus, the House Majority Leader’s spokesman wasn’t swiping back at Lentz.

“Representative Eachus did receive Representative Lentz’s letter, and he will respond to him in the near future,” Eachus spokesman Brett Marcy said Tuesday. “Representative Eachus and the entire leadership team try to be inclusive and responsive to all members in the diverse Democratic Caucus. That means we’re going…

December 29, 2009 at 3:17 pm | Comments (1)

Gradually, Rohrer hardens his rhetoric on Bonusgate

After an initial reticence to voice any criticism of opponent Tom Corbett’s Harrisburg corruption probe, state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) has slowly but surely upped the ante.

The conservative candidate for governor responded to Corbett’s latest charges Tuesday by reiterating the importance of the investigation and his belief that more work remains to be done in looking at potential misdeeds in the state Senate. But for the first time he recommended a time-frame,…

December 16, 2009 at 10:58 am | Comments (3)

Rohrer passes on a chance to criticize Corbett

WEST LAWN—Tom Corbett’s first opponent has rarely passed up a chance to criticize the Attorney General for investigating lawmakers by day while campaigning by night. But unlike Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-6), state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) isn’t going there.

Speaking to reporters after he announced his run for governor here Tuesday night, Rohrer did say that Corbett faces “at least a perceived problem.” But he stopped at that. And he seemed to think…

November 17, 2009 at 11:49 pm | Comments (3)

Dems & Gerlach not convinced Corbett has sealed the deal

Some have argued that Tom Corbett has buried critics who charge he is making political gain out of his prosecution of state lawmakers and legislative aides. Corbett’s indictment of 10 Republicans last week was “the answer” to the 12 Dems arrested in 2008, this logic goes.

End of story on partisan politics, maybe, but not the end of charges of conflict-of-interest and political gain. On Monday, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney told…

November 17, 2009 at 8:00 am | Comments (0)

Politically, Bonusgate enters another realm for Corbett

Call it Phase Two for state Attorney General Tom Corbett’s much-publicized Bonusgate investigation.

If the first 1,000 days of his probe into legislative corruption were Phase One, they were partly defined by only minimal attention outside political insiders, and the criticisms that the gubernatorial hopeful was politicizing the investigation were mostly whispers, largely ignored by a political and media establishment with other things on its mind.

But now, with the news that full story

October 21, 2009 at 10:48 pm | Comments (4)

As Bonusgate nears 1,000 days, activist challenges Corbett

More than 30 months since news of his legislative corruption probe first broke, state Attorney General Tom Corbett was once again hounded Tuesday for not moving fast enough when a political activist called on him to issue a new round of indictments or resign his office while he campaigns for governor.

“All doubt must be removed from the mind of the voter that the investigation is political,” said activist Gene Stilp, noting that Oct. 21…

October 6, 2009 at 4:44 pm | Comments (2)

A big moment looms for Corbett

In watching how state Attorney General Tom Corbett’s famed “Bonusgate” investigation could impact his gubernatorial aspirations, we at pa2010.com Central noticed that a big moment for Corbett is soon to come.

Back in April, we reported on the political double-edged sword that is Corbett’s crusade against corruption, one whose outcome could paint him as a heroic public servant, a partisan law enforcement official, or anything in between.

Now, we learn that Dauphin County…

July 8, 2009 at 11:08 am | Comments (3)

Corbett’s setback

This week saw the first of what could potentially end up being a series of political setbacks for Attorney General Tom Corbett’s gubernatorial aspirations, and illustrated more starkly than even before the political challenges inherent in his Bonusgate investigation.

It happened Thursday, when a judge dismissed some of the charges against former state Representative Mike Veon, the biggest fish Corbett has tried to fry in his crusade against Harrisburg corruption. Charges are…

May 23, 2009 at 4:23 pm | Comments (0)

Corbett’s ‘Bonusgate’ investigation comes with political promise—and peril

It’s the classic double-edged political sword. A tough prosecutor leads the biggest investigation of Harrisburg’s public corruption in recent memory, putting lawmakers and Capitol staffers under intense legal scrutiny and racking up indictments. He’s hailed by supporters as a man who can get public servants to actually serve the public. But lo and behold, the critics see it differently: He’s a political opportunist, they say, just setting himself up for the next election.

This is the situation state Attorney General Tom Corbett finds himself in, as he lays the groundwork for a gubernatorial campaign while still investigating the legislators he’d have to work with if he wins. As the only Republican to win a statewide election last year, Corbett is considered by many to be the early GOP front-runner. But there’s no doubt that “Bonusgate,” his investigation into legislative employees allegedly receiving bonuses for political work, will be the defining element of his campaign, with all the good and bad that goes with it.

April 20, 2009 at 10:43 am | Comments (1)