Guv candidates talk pensions, taxes, transportation

PHILADELPHIA—The six candidate for governor came together for yet another forum Thursday evening, discussing a plethora issues that affect the state’s business climate, from the looming pension crisis and tax-rates to the transportation funding that could confront the state if its application to toll Interstate 80 is again rejected by the federal government.

The forum, hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and held at the National Constitution Center here, was the first time…

March 5, 2010 at 1:30 am | Comments (6)

Poll: Onorato leads Dems, Corbett up in general

Another poll, another snapshot of a wide open governor’s race.

A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday showed Allegheny County Executive holding a narrow lead over his Democratic rivals—but with almost 60 percent of voters still undecided. Onorato garners 16 percent of the vote, compared to 11 percent for Auditor General Jack Wagner and 10 percent for Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel. State Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia), who only recently entered the race, trails the rest…

March 3, 2010 at 12:07 pm | Comments (13)

Poll: Guv race mostly unchanged

Less than three months before the primary, the political landscape in the race for governor remains mostly the same as voters wait to learn more about the candidate, according to a new poll.

The Franklin & Marshall College survey released Wednesday showed Attorney General Tom Corbett with a comfortable lead over state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) in the GOP primary, while the Democratic contest is still wide open. Corbett leads Rohrer 26 percent to four…

February 24, 2010 at 10:27 am | Comments (6)

Guv candidates debate urban issues

PHILADELPHIA— Four candidates for governor came together just one block north of city hall here Thursday night to field questions about issues confronting Pennsylvania’s cities in what was one of the first gubernatorial debates to feature candidates from both parties.

The event, featuring Democrats Joe Hoeffel, Dan Onorato and Jack Wagner, as well as Republican Sam Rohrer, was sponsored by he Coalition for Essential Services and Philly Neighborhood Networks and held at Arch Street Methodist…

February 19, 2010 at 9:00 am | Comments (5)

LEFTOVERS: More on the 12th, Cook downgrades Kanjorski, Rohrer on the ‘rebellion’

The pieces are almost done coming together in the 12th Congressional District. Friend-of-the-site Alex Roarty reports that wealthy Crown America Mark Pasquerilla is seriously considering a run. Though he has been a Murtha supporter in the past, Pasquerilla is a registered Republican whose ability to self-fund a campaign could rival that of fellow GOPer Tim Burns.

Alex also tells us that state Representatives Jeff Pyle (R-Indiana) and Dave Reed (R-Indiana), as well…

February 18, 2010 at 11:30 pm | Comments (3)

In Rohrer’s rival event, messaging and field strategy intersect

As his primary opponent was celebrating an endorsement from the state Republican Party Saturday, state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) was celebrating an achievement of a different sort: his gubernatorial campaign’s increasingly central role in building, fostering—and if he has his way, harnessing—a local political movement that exists very much outside the party structure.

For months now, Rohrer and his supporters have vowed that their grassroots energy will overcome the political strength of a state GOP…

February 14, 2010 at 5:01 pm | Comments (1)

Between candidate forums, Morris calls Specter a ‘doddering old fool’

Former Clinton administration adviser turned conservative pundit Dick Morris headlined a dinner of state Republican Party insiders Friday night, delivering a scathing critique of Democrats in Washington full of punch lines targeting local incumbents and rooted in a belief that Pennsylvania can lead the way toward a Republican return to power.

“You can free us from Arlen Specter, who you inflicted upon us in the first place,” Morris said in targeting the Republican-turned-Democrat early and…

February 12, 2010 at 10:16 pm | Comments (43)

GOP guv hopefuls talk taxes, Marcellus

PHILADELPHIA— Republican gubernatorial candidates Sam Rohrer and Tom Corbett came here Tuesday evening to field questions from conservative activists on the economy the development of the Marcellus Shale.

Their appearance at a candidates’ forum sponsored by a coalition of Tea Party groups afforded Corbett an opportunity to court some of the party’s base before Republican State Committee meets this weekend, when it will almost certainly endorse him. Rohrer, meanwhile, was able to take on the…

February 9, 2010 at 11:07 pm | Comments (14)

Corbett leads guv primary, but vast majority undecided

Attorney General Tom Corbett holds a comfortable edge in the Republican primary for governor, but most voters are still undecided less than four months before primary day, according to a new poll.

The Franklin & Marshall College survey released Wednesday showed Corbett—widely considered the party’s presumptive nominee—garnering 23 percent of the vote, compared to only 5 percent for state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks). Almost 70 percent of voters are undecided in the race.

The depth…

January 27, 2010 at 9:16 am | Comments (2)

Rohrer wants to debate Corbett before GOP endorsement meeting

State Attorney General Tom Corbett seems to be marching confidently to the Republican nomination for governor, but state Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) says not so fast.

Rohrer, the conservative underdog who has been building a grassroots campaign, called on Monday for the state Republican Party to hold a televised debate between him and Corbett before it makes an endorsement at its meeting next month, The Associated Press reports. Speaking before the Pennsylvania Press Club in…

January 25, 2010 at 4:19 pm | Comments (0)