By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com

Joe Hoeffel will begin airing his first TV ad Wednesday, a negative 30-second spot that criticizes Democratic gubernatorial rivals Anthony Williams and Dan Onorato for “flip-flopping” on key issues.

The message seems intent on highlighting the theme of the Montgomery County commissioner’s campaign: He is the only authentic liberal in the four-man race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

The ad says Onorato has flipped his position on a particularly sensitive issue for the candidate, abortion, saying he was against abortion rights for years before supporting them now. The Allegheny County chief executive has taken pains to highlight the fact he doesn’t think the state’s abortion laws should be made more strict, but he has received the backing of pro-life groups in the past.

The spot also goes after Williams’s support of private schools, saying he supports them instead of public schools. The state senator from Philadelphia has made school-choice a centerpiece of his campaign, support that has helped him raise millions of dollars for his candidacy.

Either criticism could hurt Williams and Onorato with the party’s liberal voters, particularly in the southeast, a bloc Hoeffel has aggressively courted.

“If you want flip-flops, go to the beach,” Hoeffel says, holding a pair of them. “But if you want a govenror who proudly stands up for our progressive values, then I’m your man.”

The fourth candidate in the race, Auditor General Jack Wagner, is not mentioned.

The ad will begin airing in the Philadelphia media market, with plans to push it elsewhere soon, said Hoeffel Campaign Co-manager Lauren Townsend.  Although she wouldn’t describe the ad buy, she did say it was worth 1,000 gross ratings points.

A buy that large in the the Philadelphia market usually costs about $350,000, an amount that could surprise some considering the commissioner had only $100,000 on hand to begin April. That total was far less than each of his gubernatorial foes.

Asked whether fundraising has picked up in the month, Townsend said only, “We’ve been raising money, yes.”

Hoeffel’s ad is the third spot so far in the Democratic primary to be critical of other candidates. Williams began running an ad Monday that sought to contradict Dan Onorato’s alleged record of success in Allegheny County, while pa2010.com reported Tuesday that night the chief executive had countered  with a spot slamming Williams’ support for the 2005 legislative pay-raise.

Criticizing Onorato and Williams makes sense for Hoeffel strategically. Onorato, on the strength of an aggressive ad campaign, has vaulted ahead of all rivals in the polls by as many as 30 points. Williams, though level with Hoeffel in those same surveys, threatens to cut into support in his southeast base.

Leaving Wagner unscathed, meanwhile, can help the auditor general stay strong against Onorato in the west, taking votes away from him there.

Tags: Dan Onorato, Dan Onorato abortion, Dan Onorato for Governor, Joe Hoeffel, Joe Hoeffel for governor

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