Free Republic

You would think that with Pennsylvania’s Republican roots, which have run especially deep over the last several decades, freshman Democratic senator Bob Casey would be vulnerable in 2012. You would be wrong, and the reason is simple civics. Incumbents don’t lose unless they’re challenged by viable, first-tier candidates, as the Senate elections in Nevada and Alaska proved. And, as of now, there are none to challenge Casey. Whether that changes in the next year is anyone’s guess, but the mere fact that the GOP finds itself in this position speaks volumes about how it builds its “bench.” Translation: it doesn’t....

After a more than a year of nonstop campaigning, fundraising and crisscrossing state travel, Dan Onorato can console himself that he was just one of many Democrats swept under in a national Republican wave year. It is what happened at home that must concern him. The Allegheny County executive lost his home county in the governor's race to Republican Tom Corbett, an indignity in a county where his party has 2.3 times as many votes. That has to be on his mind -- and those of possible GOP or Democratic rivals -- as he considers running for an unprecedented third...

Republican Tom Corbett handily won the governorship last night beating Democrat Dan Onorato. The unofficial tally with 53 districts -- 40 in Philadelphia and 13 in Delaware County -- to go was 2,136,683 votes to 1,783,581. With Republicans retaining control of the state Senate and winning the state House, Pennsylvania can make the elephant its official mascot for at least the next two years. The senate race was much closer than expected and not called until after midnight when Democrat Joe Sestak conceded to Republican Pat Toomey. The unofficial tally as of midnight was 1,993,704 votes for Toomey to 1,916,284...

Republican Tom Corbett has defeated Democrat Dan Onorato in the race for Pennsylvania governor.

A TALE OF TWO STATES Ed Rendell and Jon Corzine drove Pennsylvania and New Jersey into the ground. Chris Christie—and now Tom Corbett—are poised to bring both back from the dead Day and night, black and white, right and wrong. All describe what New Jersey is versus what it was. The difference? Simple. It’s Chris Christie versus Jon Corzine. One presided over a legacy of abject failure, driving the state into near bankruptcy, while the other has taken the bull by the horns — read: upending Business As Usual — and is winning the day. Since Jon Corzine got trounced...

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A major police union and other law enforcement associations are backing Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett's bid for governor.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- For the first time in the general-election campaign, the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race between Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Dan Onorato is too close to call, according to a poll released Wednesday. The statewide survey by Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster shows Corbett, the state attorney general, backed by 36 percent and Onorato, the elected executive of Allegheny County, with 32 percent among voters who said they are likely to cast ballots in the Nov. 2 election. About one-third remained undecided. In August, the same pollster gave Corbett an 11-point lead over Onorato and had about one-third...

Republican Tom Corbett said Democrat Dan Onorato is a "career politician" who will only "tell you half the story." Onorato said Corbett signed a "hokey" pledge not to raise taxes.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll released, today , has Republican Pat Toomey up 47-37 percent among likely voters over Democrat Joe Sestak in the Pennsylvania Senate race. Among registered voters, a category historically more favorable to the Democrats, Toomey is up 40-37 percent. Meanwhile, the latest Rasmussen Poll has Toomey up 45-39 percent among likely voters with Toomey ahead 48-42 percent if leaners are factored in. In the governor's race, Reuter/Ipsos has Republican Tom Corbett head of Democrat Don Onorato 49 percent to 34 percent. In other election news, Sestak has launched his first attack ads in which he accuses Toomey to...

Perennial swing state Pennsylvania is swinging far to the right this election cycle according to a brand new poll. GOP candidates for Governor and US Senate have healthy leads over their Democratic opponents and an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians believe their state (currently under Democratic rule) is on the wrong track.

Perennial swing state Pennsylvania is making a slow and steady turn to the right this election season. Fueled by dismal approval ratings for their current Democratic governor and senator and a strong backlash against President Barack Obama's handling of the immigration issue, voters in the Keystone State are sounding off against the Obama party and the Obama agenda and they're putting their money where their mouths are.

Gubernatorial Candidate Said Unemployed Want To Collect Checks.

In a reapportionment case, Erfer v. Com. (794 A.2d 325 (2002)), the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania specifically held that the Commonwealth retained jurisdiction over all elections within the state, not just those for state office. Further, when discussing equal protection under the Pennsylvania Constitution, the court held, “The issue is whether the reapportionment plan has denied voters of a fair chance to influence the political process. This inquiry focuses not on the effects of a single election, but on the election process itself.” I find that instructive: What better argument can be made for denying a voter his or her...

Republican State Attorney General Tom Corbett is near the critical 50% mark in his race against Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato for governor of Pennsylvania. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Pennsylvania, taken Wednesday night, finds Corbett earning 49% support to Onorato’s 36%. Four percent (4%) prefer another candidate in the race, and 10% remain undecided. Both men won their parties’ respective primaries on Tuesday. Last month, Corbett posted a 45% to 36% lead over Onorato in a hypothetical match-up. In surveys stretching back to December, Corbett, who has long been viewed as the likely...

Harrisburg, Pa. - The state attorney general's office has issued a subpoena threatening officials of the social networking service Twitter with arrest unless they reveal the names of two bloggers who have been critical of Attorney General Tom Corbett and his public corruption investigation. The subpoena orders Twitter's custodian of records to provide "any and all subscriber information" pertaining to the accounts "bfbarbie" and "CasablancaPA," including name, address, contact information, creation date, and Internet protocol address. The accounts have criticized Corbett's use of grand juries, suggesting he used the investigations for political gain and to go after political opponents. The...

In the latest sign that the purple state of Pennsylvania is turning red, a new Quinnipiac poll shows Republican candidates leading in both the senatorial and gubernatorial races. Next month's special election to fill the late Congressman John Murtha's (D) seat is a toss up and President Obama's approval rate in the Keystone state is plummeting.

The idiocy of some people never ceases to amaze. For the latest example, just look how the political hacks reacted to the recent week of Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett. First, Corbett’s office was successful in prosecuting former state representative Mike Veon and two others in the Bonusgate scandal, bringing the total number of felony convictions in that corruption investigation to 10. Veon and his cronies were convicted on numerous charges related to using taxpayer money for political campaigns. Taxpayer money is, in fact, the people’s hard-earned cash that is sent to Harrisburg for the purposes of good government. Using...

March 23, 2010, 12:01PM On the day that President Barack Obama signed health care reform legislation, Attorney General Tom Corbett, a Republican candidate for governor, was slammed by Democrats for his decision to join a lawsuit that calls the bill unconstitutional. Pennsylvania's top law enforcement officer, whose Bonusgate prosecution against state legislators and staffers resulted in mixed verdicts Monday night, said the suit "seeks to protect the citizens of Pennsylvania whose rights will be violated when the health care reform legislation ... is signed into law by President Obama.' "It is wrong for candidate Corbett to use the office of...

As the health care bill makes its way to President Obama's desk, the battle has moved on to the Senate, state legislatures, the court system and the campaign trail. Attorney General Tom Corbett plans to join 10 other attorneys general in suing to overturn the legislation, two Republican state lawmakers have introduced bills that would make it illegal to force people to buy health insurance, and the Senate is girding for a weeklong battle to pass a series of changes to the health care bill Obama is expected to sign today. "I don't imagine the Republicans are just going to...

Thrilled with twin victories this month, Republican governors are looking to lead a party-wide resurgence in 2010 and shape the GOP for years to come. Republicans boast of a strong crop of gubernatorial candidates who could be future party leaders, $25 million in the bank a year before the elections and a difficult environment for Democrats, particularly in financially ailing swing-voting states like Ohio and Iowa. "Next year's going to be a good year for Republican governors," predicted Haley Barbour, Mississippi's governor and chairman of the Republican Governors Association. "In states where there are Republican governors, people can see if...