Good morning politicos, here’s the Buzz. Tom Smith had a rough day Monday, as does any candidates whose name appears alongside “abortion” and “rape” in national headlines. Also, don’t miss the latest poll numbers on Gov. Corbett, the U.S. Senate race, and PA Attorney General, plus internals from Rep. Jim Gerlach’s campaign.
Smith Makes Abortion Gaffe (Listen to Audio): Republican Tom Smith spoke at the Pennsylvania press club luncheon Monday afternoon The defining moment occurred a few moments after the formal program when, asked about abortion amid a group of reporters, Smith seemed to suggest that having a child out of wedlock was analogous to rape. Updated with further Smith response.
AFL-CIO Airs Ad to Boost Casey (Watch Video): The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO launched a 30 second ad today meant to give Senator Bob Casey a pat on the back for his accomplishments in his first term as Senator.
Gerlach Poll: Gerlach 54, Trivedi 30: Incumbent Rep. Jim Gerlach has a healthy lead over his Democratic challenger, according to an internal poll his campaign released today.
Inquirer Poll: Kane 40, Freed 29: Kathleen Kane continues to lead the race for Pennsylvania Attorney General according to a poll published today by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Inquirer Poll: Corbett Approval Stays Low: Tom Corbett’s job approval remains on shaky ground, according to a survey of likely voters: 52 percent disapprove of his work as Governor while 38 percent approve. More striking, voters strongly disapprove of his handling of the Sandusky case as Attorney General, 61 to 17 percent.
Inquirer Poll: Casey 53, Smith 34: Sen. Bob Casey has a solid lead over challenger Tom Smith, according to a poll published today by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Legislative Election Updates
HD-133: With embattled Rep. Joe Brennan out of the race, Dems have selected Danny McNeill, 65, as their candidate. He’s a former business agent and secretary of Local 36 of the Iron Workers Union, served as Whitehall Township commissioner and appointed township executive. But, as John Micek of the Morning Call notes, it probably doesn’t matter: the Lehigh Valley seat is safely Democratic. The Republican candidate is David Molony.
HD-177: William Dunbar, facing Rep. John Taylor (R-Phila), employed a clever tactic Saturday to highlight his opponent’s support for, “the Republican budgets that cut almost $1 billion from public education.” Dunbar, formerly a staffer for U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and the Director of Children and Youth Programs at United Communities Southeastern Philadelphia, hosted a giveaway for school supplies. “We expected about 100 people to attend,” Dunbar said. “More than twice that number came, but fortunately we had enough supplies for everyone. My intention is to make this an annual event.”
Editor’s note: PoliticsPA.com was down earlier this morning as a consequence of our high traffic Monday. Apologies for the delay.
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3 Responses
The author wrote “budgets,” plural, not “budget.” The 2011-2012 state budget passed by Republicans cut $900 million in education funding. The 2012-2013 budget that passed this year continues the underfunding.
Research is only useful if you actually read the article.
Do your research. There were no cuts to the Philadelphia School District in this year’s State Budget. Dunbar is trying to buy votes. Also, is it legal for a political candidate to use a city tax payer funded recreation center for campaign purposes?
I’m so sick of the media distorting what the GOP says. The news man asked Mr. Smith how he’d deal with a daughter/granddaughter having a child through rape- because Mr. Smith is against abortion for whatever reason. He responded by saying his family has experienced something ‘similar’ to that situation- where his daughter had unexpected gotten pregnant through a relationship that wasn’t in wedlock. He describes how his daughter kept the child- and he was so thankful for that. The only ‘similarity’ he’s talking about is a child that’s now unexpectedly on the way- and how his daughter fortunately decided to raise the child. The Media is grossly distorting this story. Tom Smith for Senate 2012!