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Corbett Starts Post-Primary Season Strong

Corbett PerryGovernor Corbett commenced the post-primary season with an Energy for Families event in Southpointe today. Both Governor Corbett and guest Rick Perry spoke about the energy industry’s unparalleled success in stimulating job creation in Pennsylvania through the action of the private sector.

Governors Corbett and Perry spoke in a tent packed with employees of the natural gas and coal industries situated in Washington County, an area which has benefitted enormously from the development of the local energy resources. According to Christine Toretti, who introduced Gov. Corbett, 40% of the country’s recent boom in economic growth is due to energy; the discovery of Marcellus shale alone has produced $89,000 per year.

When beginning his speech, Corbett asked for a show of hands from people in attendance whose current jobs were due to the development of the energy industry in Pennsylvania. Many raised their hands and enthusiastically signaled their support for Governor Corbett.

Clearly running on his record, Corbett emphasized the role of the private sector in job creation and statewide growth. According to the Governor, in the last three years the energy industry provided 150,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania and 40,000 more are expected this year. Stressing that he drastically reduced the unemployment rate from 8.2% to 5.7% during his time in office, Corbett commented that most of these jobs were due to the development of new energy technologies.

Corbett believes that his challenger, Tom Wolf, previously Secretary of Revenue under Ed Rendell, would be “a blast from the past.” He stated,

“Tom Wolf wants to spend more money, tax more people, and grow Pennsylvania’s government,” he stated. “I don’t want to grow government — I want to grow industry.”

Corbett highlighted that supporting Pennsylvania’s energy industry, rather than taxing it, will allow businesses to take risks and invest domestically rather than abroad. “Local investment creates jobs, providing Pennsylvanian citizens with a means to support their families while also reducing our nation’s dependence on energy imports,” Corbett asserted.

Governor Perry, a staunch defender of domestic energy development, also spoke. He expressed his desire that “Washington allow the states to exist as laboratories of innovation, where they may decide their policies and how best to create jobs for their citizens.” Governor Perry jested that Pennsylvania, as it has moved from the fifth largest energy producing state to the second, will soon be challenging his home state of Texas’ number one spot.

Corbett is clearly beginning the post-primary season aggressively by inviting Governor Rick Perry to speak, and leading with the hotly contested issue of energy. However, a recent Franklin and Marshall poll found that only 5% of Pennsylvanians stated energy as their main concern as November approaches.

Rather than taking a more moderate stance on issues, as candidates typically do after primary season, Corbett chose to associate with Perry, communicating his intent to remain very conservative on social issues.

The Pennsylvania Democrats released a statement criticizing Corbett for appearing with Perry, because of the Texas Governor’s conservative positions concerning both women’s health and same-sex marriage.

“While the gay marriage supporters throughout the Commonwealth celebrate yesterday’s decision, Tom Corbett is setting an unwelcome and far right tone for the rest of his campaign,” they wrote. “Both Tom Corbett and Rick Perry have not only openly objected to same sex marriage, but they have both repeatedly insulted and demonized the LGBT community.”

Choosing not to comment on the main focus of the event, stimulating domestic energy through private investment and creating jobs, the PA Democrats instead decided to attack Governors Perry and Corbett.

16 Responses

  1. According to a news article that ran yesterday, Corbett ran 7% behind Cawley. However at the end of the article they just happened to mention that in 2002, Rendell ran 11% behind!!

  2. Unsanctioned R, I watch very little MSNBC… i pay attention to the policies they vote for and support and those actions make it clear that they are anti-enviroment, anti-education, have very little respect for women, and only care about children until they are born after that they seem to care very little about what happens to them. Sorry but republican politicians are basically in it for themselves, minus a few rare exceptions. 🙂

  3. Adam B must not even know that comparing Texas’s severance tax to PA’s tax structure doesn’t help his argument. I’d trade all of Texas’s business taxes including the severance for all of PA’s corporate tax rates.

  4. “he judge’s decision to remove Guzzardi came after some counties had already printed their ballots.”

    And BGdem watches too much MSNBC (and must be pretty gullible to believe what they type at that)

  5. MEMO TO TOM WOLF:
    ED RENDELL IS A TOXIC WASTE DUMP.
    HE WILL SINK YOU. RUN LIKE THE WIND.

  6. Is someone in the press corps who wears big boy pants going to ask Governor Corbett, why he gave a multi-million Dollar grant to the Second Mile Foundation in 2011?? His answers have not been sufficient for this taxpayer? Why has not one case been brought on the Second Mile Foundation? The Second Mile Took No Action After Being Informed Of Sandusky’s 2001 Shower Incident

    http://deadspin.com/5925419/the-second-mile-took-no-action-after-being-informed-of-sanduskys-2001-shower-incident

  7. Upson Downes, no I’m sure all republicans don’t want that but the republican elected officials they put in office seem pretty hell bent on making sure that’s what happens.

  8. Yes, Sue, Republicans want dead forests, pollution, and dirty water. You forgot uneducated children, pain and suffering for the poor, and something about women.

  9. Thank you Adam!
    Corbett is a lot more like parry on LOTS of issues than he wants independent voters to realize, methinks.

    When our forests are dead, our farms are polluted and our water is poisoned will the Teapublicans blame gay folk?women? Or Obama????

  10. Is that what the official average was, 8%? Some counties varied more than others. Some fared better than others.

    The key to remember is the usually the most loyal and dedicated vote in the primary. They drop off could be much greater than that in November.

  11. Starts post-primary season strong……

    From the information I have gathered, Corbett received 10% to 20% less than the top Republican vote getter in that specific county.

    Corbett has a Republican problem. There is nothing strong about his campaign.

  12. Rick Perry… from the land of the Wild West, where anything goes. Great example for PA… did he stop by PA companies and try to steal them away to Texas?

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