A close call for Cunningham

He’s not a candidate for governor anymore, but Tuesday’s election provided a glimpse at just how viable Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham would have been had he stayed in the race.

Cunningham, who bowed out the governor’s race last summer, was expected to win reelection in Lehigh County pretty easily. But he barely squeaked by his Republican challenger, netting a bare-majority 51 percent of the vote. Cunningham…

November 4, 2009 at 11:28 am | Comments (3)

Cunningham out of Governor’s race

Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham said Thursday that he would not run for governor in 2010, calling off a campaign that had barely started and leaving the small field of Democrats even smaller.

Cunningham, who faces reelection this year and had been slower than Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato in building a statewide political apparatus, said in a statement that “neither the time nor the circumstances are right for me at this time to take…

June 25, 2009 at 6:00 pm | Comments (12)

Internal poll from Knox camp shows tight Guv primary

An internal poll commissioned by Democrat Tom Knox’s gubernatorial campaign shows the wealthy Philadelphia businessman in a dead-heat with Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato in next year’s primary.

The telephone survey of 800 Pennsylvania Democrats was conducted June 4-9 by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin and Associates. Not surprisingly, more than half of Democratic voters polled were still undecided, with almost a year before primary day.

But in a head-to-head matchup with Onorato, considered by most party…

June 15, 2009 at 2:09 pm | Comments (16)

Cunningham with $700K on hand

Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham raised about $136,000 in the first three months of the year, leaving the likely gubernatorial candidate with $706,000 in cash on hand, according to campaign finance data.

Among Cunningham’s largest donors were Bethlehem developer J.B. Reilly and Los Angeles real estate mogul Edward Roski, each of whom gave Cunningham $10,000, according to his campaign finance report.

Cunningham, a Democrat who is up for reelection this year, spent about $62,000 during…

May 13, 2009 at 8:01 am | Comments (0)

Cunningham looks out-of-state to build a political team

In putting together a political team for his likely gubernatorial bid, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham has drawn from consultants and operatives from outside the Keystone State.

His committee, Friends of Don Cunningham, has hired Dan Kelly as a campaign manager and political director. Kellly, who will also manage Cunningham’s reelection battle this year, has worked on and managed Congressional races in Virginia and Ohio, and has also done field work for Democratic Party organizations…

May 7, 2009 at 3:40 pm | Comments (1)

Gang violence a potent issue

Although the issue of gun control is often off-limits for many politicians, the problems associated with gangs are not. Gang related crime and what politicians have done to prevent it is expected to be a hot topic in political campaigns of 2010. Issues relating to gangs will likely be particularly important in the upcoming election, as a deep recession and increasing poverty make Pennsylvania even more vulnerable to violence and gang activity.

April 23, 2009 at 8:33 pm | Comments (2)

New Philly green-jobs center could stoke 2010 energy debate

PHILADELPHIA—This week the local Fox affiliate reported on the opening of Kensington’s new John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Facility. The new green jobs training facility could serve as a catalyst for debate in the 2010 elections, with joblessness threatening many American families and politicians struggling to find ways to attract new businesses to Pennsylvania. The new green jobs training facility is part of a much larger effort in Philadelphia and the…

April 22, 2009 at 9:15 am | Comments (0)

Cunningham looks to paint Onorato as ‘the insider candidate’

BETHLEHEM—If you ask Democratic insiders to name the early favorite to win their party’s gubernatorial nomination, most don’t hesitate: Dan Onorato, they say. The Allegheny County Executive has held the political and media status of “front-runner” since right after Gov. Ed Rendell won a second term in 2006, with news reports repeatedly describing him as a leading candidate.

But Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham thinks that’s ridiculous. And in his likely campaign against Onorato, Cunningham will look to turn what has been seen as an advantage into a political liability.

“Dan Onorato’s the insider candidate,” Cunningham told pa2010.com. “If you’re looking for the big money guy, with all the connections to the big law firms and hundred-thousand dollar donors, by all means that should be your guy. But I still have hope that politics is about all the people, something beyond who’s got the most connections to people who are writing big checks.”

April 20, 2009 at 3:32 pm | Comments (3)

Wagner leaning toward gubernatorial race

Auditor General Jack Wagner says he’s seriously considering a run for governor, and is much more interested in that job than in running for Senate. His comments, during a recent phone interview with pa2010.com, came four months after he said he was considering both races.

“I thought it through, and i decided the Senate race is not of interest to me,” he said, before quickly adding: “At this stage.”

Wagner would be formidable candidate in the Democratic primary, with a long record in elected office, relatively strong statewide name recognition and solid support from military veterans (he served in the Vietnam War).

April 20, 2009 at 12:51 pm | Comments (0)