Posted on 01/03/2006 10:15:46 PM PST by lunarbicep
Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star and veteran football commentator for ABC Sports, is expected to declare his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor Wednesday.
Swann planned to open a three-day tour of the state at a rally in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, before flying to similar events in six other cities - Erie, Altoona and Scranton on Thursday, and Philadelphia, Allentown and Lancaster on Friday.
Aides declined to confirm the purpose of the tour, but Swann's political committee - Team 88, named after the number on the former wide receiver's football jersey - has been raising money for 11 months. Swann also has billed himself as a prospective candidate as he has courted GOP activists across the state.
"It might be easy to assume" the subject of Swann's announcement, acknowledged his campaign spokeswoman, Melissa Walters, who also referred to the upcoming flyover as an "announcement tour."
Swann, 53, will be the latest Republican hopeful to make his candidacy official. Already declared are former Lt. Gov. William Scranton III, state Sen. Jeffrey E. Piccola and retired business advocate Jim Panyard.
For Swann, Scranton and Piccola, the next milestone along the road to the primary is the Republican State Committee's Feb. 11 meeting to consider endorsing a candidate - a trophy that could be crucial in deciding a contested primary. Spokesmen for all three camps professed optimism about their efforts to line up support among state committee members.
Piccola's campaign spokesman, Dean Ouellette, said the competition is fierce.
Any candidate who claims to have a majority sewn up is "either lying to you or they're lying to themselves," he said.
Panyard, a former director of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association, said he is not competing for the committee's endorsement.
Independent polls have consistently shown Scranton, lieutenant governor in former Gov. Dick Thornburgh's administration, and Swann running ahead of the other two Republican candidates. The same polls show Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, who is expected to seek a second four-year term, leading Scranton and Swann by more than 10 percentage points.
Swann, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001, lives outside of Pittsburgh in Sewickley with his wife and two sons.
I have heard that he is a good public speaker.
Has anyone heard him?
He's probably a moderate conservative, there is some stuff about him at NR's The Corner.
'Our party needs a principled conservative with a vision to get government under control, lower the tax burden on our working families and job creators, and make sure that our children have the opportunity for a quality education that will give them the skills they need to succeed.'
Sounds like a moderate conservative to me, not bad for PA!
It is a huge insult to any person to be expected to put their principles aside for the very reason that they may share the same race of a population that buys into a lie (Democrats are good for Blacks). And I just read a black preacher's message to "his people" (his choice of term) to support the Democrat's inclusiveness policies. Pretty odd considering how the illegals are taking all the jobs that the blacks and non-experienced citizens used to take.
I saw and heard him during his last college football game of the season. His colleagues alluded to the fact that he might not be back and wished him well in future endeavors. They all spoke in code, but Mr. Swann seemed to me like he had already decided to run. I wish him well.
Swann will be up against Rendell backed by the Philadelphia Dem machine. It won't be pretty.
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.