Vote totals first ballot:
Wagner: 142
Williams: 44
Onorato: 71
Hoeffel: 36
Doherty: not nominated.
Vote totals second ballot:
Wagner: 153
Williams: 48
Onorato: 76
By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspal.com
LANCASTER — None of the five candidates seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination received enough support Saturday for the state Democratic Party’s endorsement, but at least four of them claimed afterward the vote totals were victories for their campaigns.
The vote, taken at the party’s winter meeting, means the candidates will compete in an open primary for the nomination. Members took two ballots, with the candidate receiving the fewest votes on the first, in this case Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, being removed for the second.
Auditor General Jack Wagner received the most votes on each ballot, with 153 of the 301 members present supporting his candidacy on the second. Although the total was a majority, Democratic rules stipulate candidates must receive two-thirds support to earn the party’s endorsement.
Most Democrats thought for months the party wouldn‘t endorse in the gubernatorial race because the bevy of candidates seemed to make gaining two-thirds support impossible. But Wagner’s campaign pushed hard for the endorsement, using last week to unfurl a long list of Democratic county chairmen and women who supported his candidacy.
Falling short of the endorsement didn‘t stop the auditor general from telling reporters that the result was “magnificent.”
“To lead the ballot over two votes and to get the majority, it sends a very strong message,” Wagner said.
He pointed to his widespread support in smaller, more conservative counties as evidence his campaign carries a strong statewide appeal the other Democratic candidates can’t match. In many rural counties, Wagner received the lone one or two votes cast.
“The way I look at it, I won this endorsement today,” he said.
His message was different from the other candidates, who hailed the result as an opportunity to take their message directly to voters in the primary.
“It’s a big bump up for us,” said Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, the front-runner for the nomination. “Once again, It allows us to make the argument to the voters.”
Perhaps the surprise of the day came from state Sen. Anthony Williams, who has formed a gubernatorial committee but hasn‘t officially decided to enter the race. The Philadelphia lawmaker beat Hoeffel on the first ballot, 44 votes to 36 votes, and earned 48 votes on the second.
He also earned more votes than Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty, who in a surprise move wasn‘t nominated for endorsement consideration. Candidates need only two party members to earn consideration.
Beating two candidates who have run a campaign for months “stunned” him, said Williams, who only formed his committee Thursday.
“Obviously, I’m grateful people listened to my message,” he said.
Nearly unanimous support from the Philadelphia committee members was a huge boost for Williams, who appears to have the support of power-broker U.S. Rep. Bob Brady.
Hoeffel didn‘t make the second ballot, but his campaign said the meeting’s result was what he wanted.
“We called for an open primary, and that’s what happened,” said Campaign Manager Lauren Townsend.
Doherty‘s absence from the nomination process immediately sparked speculation he had decided to, as rumored, drop out of the gubernatorial race for the lieutenant governor’s contest instead. But his campaign issued a statement later saying the mayor remains “100 percent committed to running for governor.”
“He has been aggressively seeking the support of party leaders and Democratic voters all over the state and will continue to do so,” said Doherty’s senior strategist Mark Nevins. ” We are pleased that state committee members did not endorse a candidate for governor and, instead, opted for an open process. ”
At first blush, the lack of an endorsement appears to favor Onorato. The chief executive has about $5 million more on hand than the rest of the field combined and, for now, is the only one who could run an aggressive TV ad campaign.
But Wagner’s ability to earn majority support is indicative of the backing he receives from many longtime Democratic officials across the state, ties he cultivated during his long career in politics. The support from conservative counties also gives credence to the claim that Wagner, a pro-life decorated veteran, can earn support from independent and conservative voters.
UPDATED: This story was updated 8:00 p.m. to reflect comment from Doherty’s campaign.
Tags: Anthony Williams, Anthony Williams for Governor, Chris Doherty, Dan Onorato, Jack Wagner, Joe Hoeffel
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I am glad there will be an open primary for Governor. Dan Onorato is the only Democratic Candidate that can and will beat the Republican Challenger. Onorato is young and has fresh ideas for the Democrats and Pennsylvania. I was at DemFest so I saw first hand what was going on.
Dem loose because we can’t pick up our voters in the T. Jack Wagner does. In a General Election Jack Wagner picks up those voters who are frustrated with both parties, the Dems in the T and the East. He is the only candidate who can pull the state together, we know because he has. Plus he has this really new idea of representing the people of PA with a more open, and efficient Government. Just like he has done for years. Hope every voter considers the record of all of the candidates. Not what they say but what they have done. It’s not about promises for the future it’s about ones kept or not in the past. They’ve all held office, you can look at all of the records. Look at where the votes came from at the endorsement meeting. 300 people were in that hotel and I bet they can tell 300 different stories about the weekend, but the votes are the votes within the committee and on election day. Back Jack!
Sy: The Phila. contingency kept Wagner from getting the 2/3 votes needed and this was DONE ON PURPOSE. He received twice the votes of
Oranato and they have been supporting Oranato. We knew that, and then “all of a sudden, Williams jumped into the race last week”. NOT by accident!. Jessie Bloom