A press conference, a luncheon and the faint hope of a budget deal. See who made this week’s list!

Tom Wolf. Governor Wolf is rapidly approaching his one year anniversary in office and it’s been quite the rollercoaster ride. This week, though, may very well have been the most volatile of his Administration. Coming into Thanksgiving it appeared that the budget framework might be unraveling. Then, it was revealed by Harper Polling that Pennsylvanians disagreed with his open policy towards Syrian refugees. The Governor also seemed to sidestep the question of removing Attorney General Kathleen Kane, putting the impetus on the State Senate instead of himself. Finally, he found himself in an argument with the GOP over the funding shortage for domestic violence centers. Nevertheless, a budget deal appears feasible in the next few days. Wolf may yet be able to end Year One with a big victory.

Kathleen Kane. This should’ve been a good week for the Attorney General, given the bad news some of her enemies received. As has usually been the case, however, Kane just can’t help but get into her own way. At a bizarre press conference, Kane announced that she would be appointing a Special Prosecutor to investigate all possibly offensive emails. Not only is it questionable whether the AG even has the authority to do this (her law license was suspended after all), it’s also perplexing why she is taking this action now. Kane knew about these emails for years and has selectively released some of them. She’s also been told she can reveal them all yet for some reason chooses not to. Who knows what the Attorney General is thinking.

Scott Petri. After a slow, steady buildup Scott Petri made it official this week when he announced he’ll be running for the GOP nomination in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional district. While he still faces primary competition, the State Representative should be the favorite to replace Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick in the only competitive seat in the commonwealth. The next few months may not go his way but at this moment, Petri appears to be the front-runner in a wide open race.

Donald Trump. The Donald is once more a lightening rod for controversy. The Pennsylvania Republican Party was proud to make him the guest speaker for their Commonwealth Club event next weekend at PA Society. Unfortunately for Trump, a number of Republican officials don’t want to be seen with him. This could prove to be a problem for someone  who is running for the Republican presidential nomination. Already Sen. Toomey, as well as Congressmen Dent, Meehan and Costello have said they won’t be attending for one reason or another. It will be intriguing, though, to see if Trump mentions these men during the event and what he’ll have to say about them.

Lowman Henry. Speaking of the race for the 2016 Republican nomination for President, Lowman Henry scored a major appointment. The CEO of the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research Institute will be the Pennsylvania Chair of Ted Cruz’s campaign. The Texas Senator has seen gains nationwide and in Iowa lately so he just may be able to make it to PA’s April 26th contest.

Our tweet of the week once again goes to Angry Tom Wolf for coming up with the best quip from the Kathleen Kane press conference.

Is she late for another court appearance? https://t.co/W9W32lvXIV

— Angry Tom Wolf (@AngryTomWolf) December 1, 2015