Guilty pleas, money and the New York Times. See who made this week’s list!

Rob McCord. Last week was bad, this week was much worse. Just hours after we posted last week’s rankings, the ex-State Treasurer said that he was pleading guilty to federal charges and revealed he had threatened potential donors with political payback. Later, we found out he was pleading guilty to two charges of extortion. While it remains unclear what McCord’s ultimate punishment will be, his fall is an extraordinary lesson in political ambition. Last week we described McCord’s future as “murky at best”. That now looks like too optimistic a diagnosis.

Anthony Williams. Money is the mother’s milk of politics and in a race where there may be less of it than usual, it becomes even more important. So Anthony Williams got a double dose of great news this week. First, it was revealed he has the most cash on hand from 2014 of any candidate. Then, we found out Williams is receiving $250,000 worth of help from an independent expenditure group. Therefore, at this moment, the State Senator is far ahead of his opponents in the race for cash.

Jim Kenney. The long process is finally over and Kenney is officially in the mayoral race. The entry of the ex-Councilman has shook up the race a bit, especially since Kenney appears to be trying to fill the void left by Trujillo’s departure (he has even hired some of Trujillo’s former staffers). The only candidate with Council experience now in the race, Kenney could have a very real shot if Williams disappoints.

Lynne Abraham. In the zero-sum game of an election for Mayor, the gains of the two candidates mentioned above come at the expense of another. Now, the former District Attorney has to deal with Kenney possibly elbowing her out as the Williams alternative and Williams having the money edge. Additionally, Abraham had some friendly fire come her way from former Gov. (and human quote machine) Ed Rendell. Finally, the Inquirer pointed out that she changed her long-held views on marijuana decriminalization, raising charges that she flip-flopped.

Rick Santorum. For a time, the former PA Senator threatened Mitt Romney’s claim on the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Santorum’s second run, however, is not looking as strong, even in his home state. He finished tied for fourth (8%) in support among Republicans in the latest Quinnipiac poll. Even worse, just 56% of the PA GOP have a favorable opinion of the man who should be their favorite son. Finally, Santorum currently trails Hillary Clinton by twenty points (54% to 34%) in a head-to-head matchup.

PA’s National Relevance. Three times in the last month, Pennsylvania has found itself the focus of a feature piece in “the paper of record”, the New York Times. Last month, it was Tom Wolf, on Tuesday it was Kathleen Kane and Thursday, Jake Corman. This is a stark reminder of just how frantic Keystone State politics have been recently. Let’s hope it stays that way.

The tweet of the week goes to Philadelphia Daily News reporter Jason Nark, who said what needed to be said concerning Jim Kenney’s mayoral announcement.

@JimFKenney You are Jim.

— Jason Nark (@JasonNark) February 4, 2015