9/5 Ups & Downs

A bad answer from Chaka Fattah, some bad polls for Tom Corbett and bad news for Philly’s DNC hopes. See who made this week’s list.

Down ArrowChaka Fattah. “I’m not a lawyer,” that was Rep. Chaka Fattah’s initial response to questions about whether he knew about a $1 million illegal campaign loan handled by his Chief of Staff. While the Congressman later denied any wrong-doing, it’s never a good sign when the answer to a question about knowing of an illegal activity isn’t a simple, “No.” It’s unclear how long this saga will last, but it is becoming increasingly clear it won’t end well for the Rep. Fattah.

Up Arrow1Tom Wolf. Another week, another pair of polls showing Wolf in the lead. While the margins differed widely (from 11 to 30 points) nevertheless both showed the Democrat with over 50% of the vote. All the while, Wolf is touring businesses around the state with an enthusiasm that indicates he’s ready for more challenging work.

Down ArrowTom Corbett. A “near-automatic pickup” for Democrats. That’s how the National Journal described the Governor’s race this week and it’s not hard to see why given the recent polls. We also learned this week that Tom Steyer’s NextGen Climate PAC is moving on from Pennsylvania because they feel like they don’t need to attack Gov. Corbett anymore. We’d like to give the Governor an up arrow for the show of support from the RGA, but the truth is it’s September and mixed results aren’t going to cut it anymore. At this point, any week that isn’t a win for the Corbett campaign is a loss.

Up Arrow1State Senate Dem Candidates. In what must have been a carefully coordinated effort, four different Democratic candidates for State Senate seats premiered their first TV ads this week. John Kane (SD-26), Deb Kula (SD-32), Kim Rose (SD-6) and Mark Aurand (PA-40) all attacked their Republican opponents by linking them to Gov. Corbett. The first three talked about the Governor’s education spending while Aurand took on Corbett over the gas tax. Suffice to say, it’s clear what the Democratic strategy to take back the State Senate will be.

Down ArrowPhilly’s 2016 DNC Bid. Ed Rendell is probably the biggest booster of the City of Brotherly Love since Ben Franklin. That’s why it was so concerning to hear he feels that Brooklyn is the favorite to land the 2016 Democratic National Convention. According to the ex-Gov, New York’s financial advantage is insurmountable but he feels Philadelphia has the logistical edge. We still have several months to wait until we know whether Philly will win a valued place in the 2016 presidential election.

Up Arrow1Bill Peduto. Not only does the Mayor of Pittsburgh get to appear on Chuck Todd’s debut episode as host of “Meet the Press” but he’ll be following the President of the United States. Tough to top that.

 

For tweet of the week there really is no other choice but the conversation that got the whole state talking. After the release of the latest F&M poll, Corbett-Cawley Campaign Manager Mike Barley launched a John Lennon-esque salvo against undisputed top PA politico Terry Madonna. Click the tweet to view the whole timeline.

9 Responses

  1. Mike Barley is such a mealy mouthed hack. There are a dozen Republican politicos they could have picked who’d have run a far better campaign. Then again, Gov. Corbett was never much good at picking the right people, or, rather, he was always pretty good a picking albatrosses (Kevin Harley, anyone?).

  2. The amazing news for the week is that somehow, someway, the Brabender team got sent another check for 3.5 million dollars after micromanaging Tom Corbett into being the least likely to succeed incumbent Governor, Senator or Congressman in the nation! Always be Closing. It reminds me of the Santorum campaign for Senate re-election and for President. At some point, you have to ask like Alec Baldwin: “you call yourself a salesman, you son of a bitch?”

  3. hopefylly no wun is gonna pretend their me again anyways this artical is full of lyes guvenore corbitt is comin from behiind to bite wolfe in the rear hes doing everythin right gay marriage mediacad xpansion markelus shal all wolfe has is sum stupid beatup jeep and as I keep sayin in penna the way it works is one party get to be guevnor 8 yrs at a time then the other partie get to be guv for 8 yrs, thats the way it is in penna

  4. “We also learned this week that Tom Steyer’s NextGen Climate PAC is moving on from Pennsylvania because they feel like they don’t need to attack Gov. Corbett anymore. “-PPA

    I feel this speaks volumes!

    Pandy.. Out of cash, no way! They still have all that shell, cyber /charter school, RGA, and Second Mile money.

    I am just wondering what stuff they will sling on the wall during the debates…..Benghazi, guns, taxes, Delaware, Obama, Benghazi, 911, Satan, pensions,taxes, cancer, common cold,taxes,liberal, and Benghazi!

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