Three former PA Governors Endorse Corbett in Hershey

Corbett and Ridge at a 2012 rally in Harrisburg
Corbett and Ridge at a 2012 rally in Harrisburg

The triumvirate of Republican governors is convening today to endorse Governor Corbett, dispelling rumors that the PA GOP is fractured.

Dick Thornburgh, Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker will announce their support for Corbett-Cawley at the Hershey stop of the “Promises Kept Re-Election Tour.”  Ridge and Schweiker will appear in person with the candidates, whereas Dick Thornburgh has prepared a taped endorsement.

Ridge and Thornburgh endorsed Corbett-Cawley for the previous governor’s race in 2009, before Corbett defeated Sam Rohrer in the GOP primary.

Thornburgh was the first Republican governor in Pennsylvania elected to serve two consecutive terms (the state constitution once forbade governors from running for a successive term). He won the 1978 and 1982 elections. In 1988, Ronald Reagan named Thornburgh as his Attorney General. He continued to hold this title into the George H.W. Bush administration, until he ran for Senate in 1991.

Recently, Thornburgh has made headlines for criticism of former FBI director Louis Freeh’s report about Joe Paterno’s involvement in the Jerry Sandusky Scandal. A majority of Pennsylvania voters say Tom Corbett did not do enough in the Sandusky investigation as the state’s attorney general.

Ridge is the last Republican governor in Pennsylvania to win re-election. In 1998, he defeated Democratic candidate Ivan Itkin 57.4% to 31%, winning every county except Philadelphia. Ridge enjoyed a much higher approval rating in the year before his second gubernatorial election than Corbett has today.

Ridge’s 1998 campaign manager, Leslie Gromis-Baker, is now Tom Corbett’s campaign chief of staff. Corbett also borrowed his new communication director, Lynn Lawson, from the Ridge campaign. Lawson was Ridge’s campaign press secretary.

Ridge left his second term early to lead the Department of Homeland Security, and his Lieutenant Governor, Schweiker, served out the final year.

Last month, a Franklin & Marshall poll revealed only 20% of voters believe Corbett deserves re-election. Although Pennsylvanians largely have rejected their governor, Corbett has racked up endorsements from Republican leaders across the state and Washington. In September, Rick Santorum became the first notable politician to endorse Corbett. Pat Toomey and Newt Gingrich have also declared that they support Corbett’s re-election.

Corbett’s campaign kickoff followed weeks of rumors that some Republicans wanted him to step aside. State Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) has called the governor “One Term Tom.”

The campaign will hold the event at the Hershey Volunteer Fire Department at 5:30pm.

 

8 Responses

  1. Tom Corbett sent legislators and staff to jail for mixing state work with campaign activities. How can he justify his own actions?

  2. I know it must come as a surprise to some of liberals who read this but Tom Corbett did what he said he would do…make us live within our budget! No money borrowed for more giveaways…no new taxes to support failing school districts. Living within our means, WOW what a welcome change.

  3. I am surprised Tom Corbett asked an endorsement from Tom Ridge. Ridge is an obvious and notorious RINO. My genealogist tells me TOM RIDGE is full of RINO blood. More signs: Ridge went to school at HARVARD not a Catholic university in TEXAS. Furthermore , Tom Ridge would never ask morally bankrupt women to submit to invasive ultrasound scans and close their eyes and enjoy it. Tom Corbett stop tongue-kissing RINOS.

  4. Dear Mr. Fabregas: Maybe Tom Corbett can exercise some leadership for once and stop this health care nonsense. Maybe, Corbett can call a summit of Peduto, Highmark and UPMC on Jeff Romoff’s Gulf Coast yacht, if he’ll lend it to the State, like he lent his BI lobbyists to COS Gromis Baker.. We can call the historic accord the Gold Coast Yacht accord. Of course such an accord may cut into the alleged Highmark account of John Brabender for ads and strategic political advice.////////http://trib.me/HEos50
    Not to rain on Bill Peduto’s parade, but here’s one word that ought to give him pause: UPMC. One of the biggest headaches that awaits …

  5. This won’t help Corbett. He pissed off too many people!

    The bigger question is can the Dems win back Senate/House. Senate maybe. House probably not to maybe.

  6. Wow, I use to have great respect for Dick Thornburgh. But if he endorses TC for re-election (without a gun to his head), then he’s become officially senile. TC should be in jail, and already recalled.

  7. Dog bites man. This should hopefully put to bed the made up rumor that some other establishment type (Gerlach, Dent) was going to swoop in and kick Corbett out before the Dems get a chance to.

    These events Corbett’s doing have the air of preaching to the choir, and I’m not sure how that gets him to 50% + 1. Then again, if you have a 20% re-elect number you probably do need to do some preaching to the choir.

  8. Now this is newsworthy? Would have been more newsworthy if one of those three has beens had the guts to stand-up and call One Term Tom out.
    In any event, will this be another event in the GOP echo chamber, invited guests only…some tour!
    November 2014 is not coming fast enough.

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  • Will tonight's U.S. Senate debate affect your decision?


    • No. I've already decided on how to cast my vote. (81%)
    • Yes. Anxious to hear from both candidates (19%)

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