By Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor

John Rafferty is out of the Attorney General race, the Montgomery County state Senator confirmed today.

Rumors have circulated for days that Governor Tom Corbett was on the verge of endorsing Rafferty’s opponent, Cumberland County District Attorney Dave Freed. Today, Corbett told Rafferty he was going to pull the trigger.

“The governor has communicated to me that he will be supporting Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed for the Office of Attorney General; therefore, I will be suspending my campaign for the same office,” Rafferty said in a press release. His full statement is below.

Freed was gracious in his response, Capitolwire reported.

“I have gotten to know and like and admire Sen. Rafferty as we both have campaigned and I like and respect him and look forward to working with him on various issues. He has done a great job in the Senate and is a very strong candidate.”

Freed also thanked Corbett: “I’m very pleased to have the support of the governor, particularly since he was attorney general, so he knows better than anyone what it takes do the job and what it takes to get elected.”

The news follows a confusing weekend during which Corbett was a hair’s breadth from endorsing Freed, but had reportedly decided to stay neutral. According to several party and legislative sources, Corbett was actually delaying his decision, in part to see how the two would fare at Saturday’s straw poll in the PAGOP’s central caucus. Freed won that vote by a commanding 77-19 margin.

Corbett and Rafferty have butt heads in the past, especially over issues related to the Delaware River Port Authority.

PoliticsPA called Rafferty the front runner in the race when he announced in late November, based on his strong support from Senate Republicans and SEPA party leaders. But his support began to decay as Corbett and his allies started a firm push against him.

Freed will likely go on to be the nominee. He will face one of three Democrats running: Kathleen Kane, a former prosecutor from Lackawanna County; Dan McCaffery, a former prosecutor from Philadelphia; and Pat Murphy, a former prosecutor from Bucks County.

A high-ranking party source said that Corbett would similarly make his support known for other statewide candidates, including Pa. Rep. John Maher who is running for Auditor General, and Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughn who is seeking a bid for Treasurer.

Here’s Rafferty’s full statement:

“My campaign for Attorney General has afforded me a great opportunity; an opportunity to travel to every corner of our great state and learn firsthand the unique challenges facing the voters. I am humbled by the support I received from each region of our state and value the friendships that have been forged and strengthened during this campaign. I trust that these friendships will persevere through passing political cycles.

While I remain encouraged by the support I have received from members of the Republican State Committee and respect the committee’s endorsement process, I also respect the role Governor Tom Corbett plays as the titular head of our party. The governor has communicated to me that he will be supporting Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed for the Office of Attorney General; therefore, I will be suspending my campaign for the same office. I have gotten to know Dave Freed on the campaign trail. He is someone I like and one who has compiled a strong record as District Attorney.

I would like to personally thank all the members of the Republican State Committee who lent their support to my candidacy. In particular, I sincerely thank the Southeast Republican chairmen who were very early supporters of my endeavor. Additionally, I want to thank Senators Joe Scarnati and Dominic Pileggi and the rest of my senate colleagues who lent their unwavering support to my effort. Lastly, I want to thank my campaign chairman, Bob Asher. Bob is transcendent in the world of Pennsylvania Republican politics and provided instant credibility to my campaign.

I have always enjoyed representing the citizens of the 44th District in the State Senate and plan to remain serving in that role. As Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, I look forward to reviewing the governor’s comprehensive transportation funding plan that will jumpstart our economy and improve the poor conditions of our roads and bridges. We also have many other important issues to address this session. I will continue to aggressively pursue solutions and speak with an independent voice to make our commonwealth more “job friendly” and a safer place to live and raise a family.”