Posted on 11/10/2016 7:28:17 PM PST by lightman
State Sen. Scott Wagner, R-Spring Garden Township, intends to run for governor of Pennsylvania, he said Thursday.
He intends to write "a significant seven figure check" to his campaign, from $1 million to just shy of $10 million. He said he has not yet decided whether that money will be a loan to a committee that could be paid back to him or a direct gift. He said that contribution will not require him to sell part of Penn Waste, a waste and recycling company he owns.
Wagner, who has been publicly considering a run for months, plans to make a formal announcement in January.
Charlie Gerow, a Republican political consultant, said Wagner "will be at the front of the pack" in a Republican primary.
"He will be viewed as the logical heir to the Trump constituency," Gerow said. "And like Tom Wolf did ... he will have a lot of his own money to jump start his campaign."
Wolf, a Democrat from York County, is up for re-election in 2018. When Wolf ran for governor, he contributed about $10 million to his own campaign, launched a statewide TV ad campaign earlier than his opponents and soared to an early lead in the polls that he never lost. Wolf has said he intends to seek re-election.
Wagner, a 61-year-old wealthy York County businessman, was a prominent supporter of Republican Donald Trump during the presidential campaign, and he hosted a rally for Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, in September. Journalists and fellow Republicans have compared Wagner to Trump, because of his blunt style and business background.
"I think a lot of the voters that voted for Trump will vote for me," Wagner said. "The reason that Donald Trump won is people are fed up."
Wagner thinks that frustration paved the way for his own path to the state Senate.
In 2014, Wagner challenged leaders of his own party. He accused them of orchestrating a state senator's resignation and setting up a costly special election as a way of making it harder for him to get elected. So he ran a write-in campaign.
I realize this is a large hill to climb and its never been accomplished before, but Im confident people are tired of career politicians rigging the system to benefit themselves," Wagner said in a mass email in February 2014.
He won the special election as a write-in candidate, receiving more than 10,000 votes, and he was elected to a full-term later that year. In office, he spearheaded a successful effort to replace the Senate majority leader. He has emerged as a frequent critic of government spending, public-sector unions and Wolf.
And this election cycle, he had a leadership position with the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, and helped the GOP flip three seats from Democrat to Republican. The state Senate will have 34 Republicans in the 50-member chamber, which will be the largest Republican majority since the 1949-50 legislative session, according to Republican leaders.
Wagners role with those Senate wins are one reason he had "a great night" on Tuesday, Gerow said.
"Hes proven a couple of things. One, he knows how to run a campaign, and thats important to any potential statewide candidacy," Gerow said. "And hes picked up some very important friends along the way. That doesnt hurt either."
Those relationships with Republicans across the state could be useful in a primary.
I’m a NY freeper but I spent the last 3 weeks of the election campaigning for Trump in Bucks county, PA. I can tell you that quite a few people from NY, NJ, and one from Delaware (who was visiting from Israel) just showed up at the Trump office asking to volunteer. Some came in for a day, some paid for their own motel rooms.
Video from GOP Convention. Wagner predicts Trump will win PA.
http://abc27.com/2016/07/20/sen-scott-wagner-outsider-like-trump-eyeing-run-for-pa-governor/
You are welcome!
I’d vote for a pile of dog crap over Tom Wolf.
First time I’ve been proud of my state in my adult life.
We actually may decide to stay here afterall.
The PA House and Senate have more Republicans than anytime in the last 70 years...And every last one of them is in the teachers union pockets.
You’re welcome.
You’re welcome.
What’s even more amazing is that Hillary came out of Philadelphia with a 450,000 vote lead and somehow Trump still managed to win PA! Not enough is being mad out of this.
Too many of them in the State House of Representatives including many Republicans are PSEA endorsed and not committed to any kind of meaningful pension reform, among other things.
Wagner is the breath of fresh air needed for governor, I wonder if GOPe insiders are encouraging him to run so they can get rid of him in the State Senate?
the GOP now has a super majority in the legislature. Our crybaby governor must be throwing tantrums.
His slogan could be “Wagner will remove the trash from Harrisburg.”
For the first time since 1988 I am proud of my Commonwealth.
A HUGE DITTO to what nutmeg said.
To each and every Trump voter in PA...Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.