Ridge endorses Corbett for governor

Former Gov. Tom Ridge on Thursday endorsed state Attorney General Tom Corbett’s gubernatorial bid, giving Corbett a boost from one of the state’s most visible Republicans.

“I share Tom Corbett’s vision for a 21st Century Pennsylvania,” Ridge said in a statement. “He understands that a competitive business environment is necessary to grow family-sustaining jobs. He believes in responsible and competent government. He is committed to removing the onerous regulations and red tape that burden our…

September 24, 2009 at 4:35 pm | Comments (2)

Sestak calls Ridge’s terror-chart revelation ‘a disappointment’

Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) on Friday waded into the controversy over former Gov. Tom Ridge’s recent admission that the notorious Homeland Security threat-level may have been politicized, decrying what he called the subjugation of the national interest in favor of the Bush administration’s electoral survival.

“That the security of the United States can be a political football is unacceptable,” Sestak said on MSNBC.

“This is really politics about winning political campaigns,” Sestak added.

August 21, 2009 at 5:29 pm | Comments (10)

Ridge not looking to run for president in 2012—unless GOP comes calling

Former Gov. Tom Ridge was the king of political TV Thursday night after advance copies of his new book, The Test of Our Times, were released. Ridge asserts that during his tenure as the nation’s first head of Homeland Security, he questioned whether an attempt by White House officials to raise the terror threat was more about politics than protecting America.

Ridge resigned after the 2004 election and has since then denied politics played a…

August 21, 2009 at 4:47 pm | Comments (7)

Ridge out; who’s in?

Well we certainly picked a good month to start a new Web site didn’t we? Just as the Specter-is-hot-Specter-is cold-Specter-is-hot-again story was beginning to peter out Tom Ridge decides to run . . . and then not to. What will be next, a replay of Casey-Scranton, with one of the original Casey’s granddaughters standing in? What is Richard Thornburgh doing these days, anyway?

The most entertaining aspect of all this is that—for a party that…

May 8, 2009 at 9:49 am | Comments (0)

Ridge: ‘We’re a little bit too doggone shrill’

Explaining his choice not to run for Senate Thursday, former Gov. Tom Ridge called it the “toughest personal political decision I ever had to make.”

Ridge made his comments on MSNBC’s Hardball, only hours after he had announced his intentions.

During the interview, he also called for the Republican Party to more tolerant and civil in its debate, saying at one point the GOP needs to “reduce the decibel level—we’re a little bit too doggone…

May 7, 2009 at 6:45 pm | Comments (2)

Ridge ‘opens the door.’ Who will go through it?

By deciding not to run for Senate, former Gov. Tom Ridge has given license to as many as half-a-dozen lower-level Republicans who had been circling the primary race. The only question now: Who will dive in?

“I think it opens the door for other candidates, and I think you’ll see them emerge pretty quickly,” said longtime GOP consultant Charlie Gerow.

The party establishment had been encouraging Ridge to run with the hope of…

May 7, 2009 at 1:34 pm | Comments (2)

Gerlach aide says Ridge decision doesn’t change much

A political adviser to Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-7) had no immediate reaction this afternoon to former Gov. Tom Ridge’s decision not to run for Senate. Even so, speculation among political insiders immediately turned to Gerlach, who has been considering the race while also exploring a gubernatorial run.

“I don’t think it really changes much,” Mark Campbell told pa2010.com. “I know we continue to explore those possibilities.”

May 7, 2009 at 1:19 pm | Comments (0)

BREAKING NEWS: Ridge won’t run for Senate

After much speculation, former Gov. Tom Ridge today announced that he would not seek the GOP nomination for Senate next year.

In a statement, Ridge said he had been heartened by the support and encouragement he received from within the party and that it had been a difficult decision for him. He expressed a desire to still be involved in the party’s development.

“To those who believe that the Republican Party is facing challenges, they…

May 7, 2009 at 12:37 pm | Comments (24)

Ridge: A stronger force to compete with Specter

Tom Ridge, the former Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security, is flirting with the idea of running for Senate against Arlen Specter. If Ridge decides to run for Senator, Specter will have to work harder to win the seat.

In a recent Quinnipiac poll, Specter is shown to currently lead against Republican Pat Toomey by 53 – 33 percentage points.

If Ridge decides to run for Senator, however, Specter will only have a 3 percent…

May 7, 2009 at 11:58 am | Comments (0)

Asher: Ridge would be an ‘excellent candidate’

State Republican big-wig Bob Asher says former Gov. Tom Ridge would make an ideal Senate candidate for the party, and has made moves to encourage him into the race, Capitolwire reports (subscription only).

Asher, an RNC committeeman, had a poll commissioned through his political action committee. The poll, conducted by Specter’s old pollster and circulated among reporters yesterday, showed Ridge beating Senator Arlen Specter in a potential general election matchup,…

May 6, 2009 at 12:35 pm | Comments (3)