Every week, PoliticsPA will give you a taste of the buzz, rumors and gossip floating around Pennsylvania’s political wags. This week’s edition focuses on Corbett’s fundraising, Doherty playing hardball and the plethora of competitive congressional elections in Pennsylvania.
Republican gubernatorial front-runner Tom Corbett doesn’t have a great reputation for fundraising, but the attorney general seems to be doing fine so far this cycle. Brian Nutt, his campaign manager, said over the weekend that Corbett had about $3.2 million on hand at the start of the year after raising more than $4 million in 2009. Corbett, because of debts owed from his re-election campaign for attorney general, began this cycle in the red.
Speaking of the attorney general, he used an odd anecdote during Saturday’s PSEA gubernatorial forum that clearly didn’t sit well the crowd of educators. Corbett relayed told audience that one local factory owner he met recently, who he declined to identify, said he was planning to move his operation to Costa Rica because workers there had better math skills than their American counterparts. The anecdote sparked a loud murmur in the audience.
Corbett stressed the story relayed the impression of only person, but told reporters afterward he probably shouldn’t have brought it up.
“It probably was not the forum to do that, but it’s something that popped into my mind,” he said.
PoliticsPA made a trip to Scranton on Thursday to visit with Democratic gubernatorial darkhorse Chris Doherty (read that story here). The Electric City mayor is an affable guy, but according to one political analyst, opponents shouldn’t underestimate his ability to play rough. Doherty has been through wars against local political foes in the city, according to Muhlenberg College pollster Chris Borick.
“In terms of him engaging in a camp, he seems like a friendly guy from NEPA, but he’s also capable of going through some difficult and heated battles and coming out on top,” Borick said. “So don’t underestimate him as someone able to play hardball.”
Pennsylvania has 19 Congressional Districts, and, by PoliticsPA’s count, nine of them appear poised for a competitive election this year. That includes races in the 3rd (Dahlkemper). 4th (Altmire), 6th (Gerlach), 7th (open), 8th (Patrick Murphy), 10th (Carney), 11th (Kanjorski), 15th (Dent), and 17th (Holden).
The count does not include the 12th Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. John Murtha reigns. That could change if, as the Washington Post wrote Tuesday night, Murtha retires, as some have discussed.
Republicans will note with delight only two of the congressman listed are aligned with the GOP.
Tags: Chris Doherty, On Background, Tom Corbett
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Is Corbett stupid enough to believe the story about Costa Rica? Wages in Costa Rica are about 1/4th or less than they are in Pennsylvania. That’s why people move factories, not because of math skills. Tom Corbett for Governor? It doesn’t add up.