10/3 Ups & Downs

The second gubernatorial debate, more email revelations and a battle for party leadership. See who made this week’s list!

 

Up Arrow1Tom Wolf. After a less-than-stellar performance in the first contest, Wolf made sure to show up for the second gubernatorial debate. The Democratic nominee was actually able to land several blows this time. He also got the news yesterday that Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved the PA-Gov race from “Likely Democratic” to “Safe Democratic”.

 

 

Down ArrowTom Corbett. It was not as happy a week for the Governor. The second debate was more of a draw than the first, and Corbett really needed another victory. Then, the negative attention Jobgateway.pa.gov received after the fact overshadowed the debate to an extent. Finally, his DEP Secretary was forced to resign after it was revealed that he had sent pornographic emails with state accounts.

 

Down ArrowSeamus McCaffery. Speaking of that email scandal, we found out this week that it extends all the way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Specifically, to Associate Justice Seamus McCaffery, who the Morning Call reported received or sent 54 such messages. Considering that Chief Justice Castille warned that anyone involved in the scandal would have to “pay the piper” (and the two judges’ contentious relationship), things could get even worse for Justice McCaffery.

 

Down ArrowDominic Pileggi. One of the primary responsibilities of the State Senate’s Majority Leader is to maintain cohesion in the party ranks. Freshman Sen. Scott Wagner, however, has not made that task easy. Now, Wagner has openly and directly declared that he intends to fight to depose Dominic Pileggi from the position. While it’s unclear what Wagner’s odds of success are, this has to be a most unwelcome development for Sen. Pileggi. Especially since the GOP leader is still fighting to hold onto the majority in November. This battle could ultimately provide fireworks well into the new year.

Up Arrow1FreshStartPA. When the Tom Wolf-affiliated PAC was first created out of the ashes of an internal Democratic Party battle, there were a lot of questions about how effective the organization would be. Those questions have been effectively answered over the course of this election cycle as FreshStartPA basically overtook the Democratic Party. It’s greatest accomplishment, however, was this week when their opposition research led to Brad Bumsted’s piece on the racy postings on Gov. Corbett’s jobs website. When you can win the news cycle on a debate day, you know you’ve made it.

The tweet of the week goes to Adam Bonin for pointing out that you should always proofread your tweets beforehand.

We’re also including a special trolling tweet of the week from former Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to current Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.

2 Responses

  1. There is of course no such office as “Associate Justice” on the Pennsylvania Supeme Court, but when the likes of McCaffrey are being elected that may not much matter.

  2. Corbett should get a double down arrow for wanting to view the emails and the wedding dress ad. That was putrid.

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