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By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com

Democrat Tom Knox ended his run for governor Friday afternoon, citing family issues and a desire to support former rival Dan Onorato’s gubernatorial campaign.

The announcement, made during a teleconference with reporters, confirmed days of speculation that the Philadelphia businessman was ending his candidacy and endorsing the Allegheny County chief executive. It also is a major shift for the now four-candidate Democratic gubernatorial primary field, which now features Onorato, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, and Auditor General Jack Wagner.

Knox said he decided to drop out of the race last weekend after consulting with his wife, the only other person he discussed his decision with. He said family issues were part of the reason he dropped out of the race, but he declined to say what exactly that meant.

After meeting with Onorato at a Martin Luther King event in Philadelphia and once again on Thursday, Knox decided to offer him his support.

“After checking with Dan Onorato, I am confident he and I share the same motivation and vision for our state,” said Knox, who had made government reform and electric rate reduction his campaign’s tenants.

“The best way to continue my fight and accomplish these goals is it to do what we can to help Dan Onorato become the next governor of Pennsylvania,” he said.

Many Democrats expected Onorato and Knox to go toe-to-toe financially as the race progressed. The western Pennsylvania official had already raised $8 million to close 2009, while Knox had promised to use his personal fortune to keep his campaign well-funded.

Knox said he feared the TV ad campaign they would wage against each other would pave the way for the Republican nominee to win in the fall.

“I was going to spend $10 million; Dan was going to spend $10 million,” Knox said. “We were going to beat each other up. That’s not appropriate to do a in a Democratic primary.”

The former candidate said his campaign will give Onorato’s the money its raised, which he said wasn’t much. But Knox hinted he might give Onorato money out of his own personal fortune.

“I haven’t decided exactly what I’m going to do there, but I’m going to make sure Dan has enough money,” Knox said.

The former candidate denied reports he had cut a deal with Onorato to drop out of the campaign for a position in his administration.

The focus now shifts to the three other Democrats in the race, with many expecting one of them to also drop out of the contest. Knox indicated he only seriously considered endorsing Onorato, and said he would call Wagner, Doherty and Hoeffel to ask they stop their campaigns.

“The only one with the wherewithal to get his message out is Dan,” Knox said.

2 Responses

  1. You have to be kidding me right..? Dan O is a loud mouth with no real ideas or vision. He has ran Allegheny Co. in to the ground and is expected to have a large pension deficit here in the coming years. You watch, Onorato will lose it… Have you gotten one dime of property tax relief..????? The only way to pull out of the looming state pension isue is to vote for someone who can count… Like Tom Corbett. He is principled and focused and provern. Come on, get real… Of are you one of those people that go in to a voting booth with no reall understadning of what you are doing..? You do what people tell you to do..? Like VOTE DEMOCRAT..!!! They are for the people… BULL!!! THey are for themselves and their union cronnies… Event Obama said it… “Government doesn’t creat jobs, small business does.” Three of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life are… 1. Who you marry… 2. What GOD you choose to worship, and who you vote for… Is a daunting task I know, but really think before you vote for Dan O…

  2. I agree, Dan Onorato has the best chance of breaking the 8 year cycle and becoming our Governor. He’s young and has fresh ideas for Pennsylvania. His success is measured by what he has accomplished in Allegheny County.

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