Short version of this analysis: Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro is an empty suit.

Guy Ciarrocchi: Shapiro: A Man Without a Constituency, Brand, or Record Shapiro needs to “pick a lane.” Otherwise, he could be a candidate without a constituency … and even an ex-governor.

The Real Josh Shapiro vs. His Fake PR Image

 

Something is seriously wrong with John Fetterman

Something is seriously wrong with John Fetterman: I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on television.  I'm an ordinary woman who's survived enough of the Earth's revolutions around the sun to know when someone is not well — and in this case, that someone is the Democrats' Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman.  First, the guy is not recovering well from his stroke.  Second, he has a growth on his neck that looks as if it's going to hatch an alien.  Yet this is the best the Democrats can do in Pennsylvania.

Radical Socialist Fetterman refuses to debate Dr. Oz

Editorial: Pennsylvanians deserve Fetterman-Oz debate

A tale of two rallies ... Donald Trump, Joe Biden visit Pennsylvania

President Trump and Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden held rallies in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania this week.

More than 10,000 people attended Trump’s rally in Montoursville, many lining up hours before the event to get into the rally. I don't even know where Montoursville is and I've lived in Pennsylvania for almost 50 years.

Contrast that with Joe Biden’s rally in Philadelphia, where the former vice president announced he will set up his campaign headquarters. A couple hundred people attended Biden’s rally and that includes paid campaign staffers and paid union members.

Nobody is being paid to attend Trump’s rallies, which have “sold out” all across the country. He's a rock star and the enthusiasm from supporters is genuine.

But the Mainstream Media keeps telling us that Biden has Pennsylvania locked up – just like the media told us Hillary Clinton had Pennsylvania sown up in 2016. And the pollsters have nearly every Democratic candidate beating Trump in the Keystone State. Yes, these are the same pollsters who guaranteed a Hillary Clinton win in Pennsylvania.

If anything, the enthusiasm for Trump has grown in Pennsylvania since the 2016 election.

Lowman S. Henry: Bluer Blue, Redder Red

By Lowman S. Henry
Guest Columnist

On the surface it would appear the power dynamic in Pennsylvania state government changed little as a result of last week's General Election.  Governor Tom Wolf was re-elected and Republicans retained solid control of both the state House and the state Senate.

Back from where we started?

Not quite.  The 2018 election cycle saw the continuation of two trends: the drift of Democrats into the arms of the socialist Left, and a Republican power shift from the Philadelphia suburbs to the more conservative central and western parts of the state.

Governor Tom Wolf has often (and for good reason) been labeled the most liberal governor in America.  To the degree that Lieutenant Governors matter, the state's new second banana will push him even further in that direction.  Lt. Governor-elect John Fetterman is a Bernie Sanders-style socialist. He replaces the hapless Mike Stack, a Philadelphia pol more interested in the power dynamics of politics than ideology.

Wolf titled to the far Left to win his first primary four years ago and clearly felt at home.  He went on to propose tax hikes that exceeded those offered by governors in all 49 other states combined and has remained a staunch advocate for Left-wing policies ever since.  Fetterman, and the avowed socialists who upended traditional Democrats in the primary to claim seats in the General Assembly, are certain to fortify his position.

As liberal policies made the city more and more unlivable Philadelphia Democrats fled to the suburbs.  There they have continued voting into office candidates who espouse the very same policies that destroyed the city.  As a result, the four counties surrounding Philadelphia which had for decades been the epicenter of Republican power in the state have trended Democrat.

If there was a "blue wave" this election year it crashed ashore in those counties.  The numbers could change a bit as the official count progresses, but Republicans lost 13 state House seats and four state Senate seats in that region.  It is rare for more than three or four incumbents to lose statewide in a given election cycle, so the GOP wipeout in southeastern Pennsylvania can rightly be described as a blue tidal wave.

Continuing the westward shift of the statewide GOP, Republicans partially offset their losses in the southeast by flipping three Democrat seats, one in Bucks County and two elsewhere in the state. Republicans held historically high majorities in both state legislative chambers.  Thus the losses left them in solid control, but with margins closer to the historical average.

What the election did do was to shift the ideological center of both the House and Senate Republican caucuses away from southeastern liberalism into the mainstream conservatism that is popular in the balance of the state. 

While legislative Democrats voted in lockstep with their leadership, Republican legislative leaders had the more difficult task of moving conservative policies advocated by their caucus majority, while trying to appease their southeastern members.  The goal was to hold onto those southeastern seats - it didn't work.

The end result is absent the need to protect its members from suburban Philadelphia because - well, they are no longer there - legislative Republicans are now free to stand firmly against the socialist policies Governor Tom Wolf and Democrats are sure to pursue.

This means Pennsylvania's divided state government has become even more divided.  The first battle will come in a matter of weeks when Governor Tom Wolf proposes his next state budget.  It is sure to be chock full of tax hikes and new spending.  Republicans effectively blocked the more radical elements of his agenda during the governor's first term.  A more conservative majority should be able to do so in the years ahead.

Thus have voters across Penn's Woods put into effect all the elements needed for epic policy and budget battles which are likely to end in gridlock. Given the fact that most legislation that actually passes expands the dependency state at the expense of taxpayers gridlock may be the best outcome.

Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute and host of the weekly Lincoln Radio Journal.  His e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org

Republican Scott Wagner Releases First TV Ad For Pennsylvania Governor

Tony Phyrillas returns to 'Journalists Roundtable' on Pennsylvania Cable Network

Seated from l-r: Tony Phyrillas, Michael Rellahan, Brian Lockman and Phil Heron.

"Journalists Roundtable" host Brian Lockman sits down with Pottstown Mercury Editor Tony Phyrillas, Delaware County Daily Times Editor Phil Heron and West Chester Daily Local News Courthouse/Politics Reporter Michael Rellahan to discuss changes to Pennsylvania’s Congressional districts, growing concern over the Sunoco Mariner East 2 pipeline and the Pennsylvania governor’s race. "Journalists Roundtable" is a weekly 30-minute program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network, which is carried on cable systems across Pennsylvania. The most recent episode was taped Wednesday at The Mercury in Pottstown and will air Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m., and again on Sunday, April 22, at 9 p.m. Check your local listing for the Pennsylvania Cable Network channel in your area.

How Pa. can dig out of fiscal hole ...

PA Gov. Tom Wolf's fiscal window dressing

Lowman S. Henry: Wolf's fiscal window dressing

Strong GOP turnout delivered Pa. for Donald Trump

Republican voters 'outperformed' Dems at polls in Pa.

PA Gov. Tom Corbett sitting on $3.5 million war chest

His term doesn't end until 2014, but Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Corbett already has a big advantage over any potential Democratic challengers. Corbett is sitting on a $3.5 million war chest and hasn't really started fundraising yet for a possible second term.

Gov. Corbett ends 2012 with $3.5 million war chest

Pennsylvania Dems See Gov. Corbett As Vulnerable in 2014

Pennsylvania Democrats are salivating at the prospect of taking on Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in 2014, but Corbett has not done a bad job in his first two years as governor.

Considering the fiscal mess left by former Gov. Ed Rendell, a free-spending Democrat, Corbett has had his hands full trying to restore fiscal sanity to the Keystone State.

And his efforts to privatize the state lottery and liquor systems could pay off big dividends for state taxpayers.

While Rendell kicked the can down the road on two pressing issues - public pension reform and transportation - Corbett said he is willing to tackle both problems, which has made him unpopular with the core constituency of Democrats - labor unions.

Corbett's poll numbers are down and there's even talk of a primary challenge from his own party by Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr., but don't bury Corbett so quickly.

Granted, Corbett  is the victim of lousy PR by his own staff and he continuously battles anti-Republican Harrisburg press corps that fawned over Rendell for eight years, but don't write off Corbett's political future just yet.

The only reason Democrats did so well in the 2012 elections for three state row offices was having Barack Obama at the top of the ticket. They won't have that luxury in 2014.

An if Corbett continues to sign balanced budgets on time - something Rendell was unable or unwilling to do over eight years - Pennsylvania voters will be willing to take another look at a second Corbett term when 2014 rolls around. 

Pennsylvania Dems Search For Right Candidate To Challenge Vulnerable Corbett - NationalJournal.com

Conservative Newspaper Endorses Liberal Bob Casey!

What a back-handed endorsement of ultra-liberal Sen. Bob Casey Jr. by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, which is probably the most conservative newspaper in Pennsylvania: "Despite our policy differences with Casey, we prefer the Democrat we know to the Republican of convenience."

Apparently, the newspaper doesn't trust businessman Tom Smith because he spent most of his life as a registered Democrat before he switched to the Republican Party and defeated several better-known candidates for the right to challenge Casey.

Pretty harsh words against Smith. Wasn't Ronald Reagan a Democrat before he saw the light?

The race still comes down to far-left Casey, who has rubber-stamped the failed Obama agenda over the past four years or a "conservative Democrat" who is pushing fiscal restraint, smaller government and accountability.

The Tribune-Review editorial says Casey is a nice guy who has treated Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, a conservative idol, with respect, but the bottom line is that Tom Smith's platform is a lot closer to Toomey's than it is to Bob Casey's.

Sending Mr. Smith to Washington as part of a Republican majority in the Senate would go a long way to repairing the damage Barack Obama has done over the past four years.

Suspicious

Should Pennsylvania Republican voters be concerned that the state's two leading liberal newspapers (Philadelphia Inquirer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) have both recommended Steve Welch as the GOP nominee to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr.?

Both papers will endorse Casey in the fall, so are they steering voters to a weak Republican candidate?

Welch is a former Democrat has has publicly admitted to voting for Barack Obama. How can he criticize Casey's voting record (98% with Obama) ?

Pa. Republicans waving white flag against Sen. Bob Casey Jr.?

Tom Smith and Steve Welch, two of the leading candidates seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. are former Democrats.

Welch has admitted publicly that he voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

Another candidate, former Berks County state Rep. Sam Rohrer, has had to defend his voting record in the Legislature over 18 years, including a controversial vote in 2005 to raise the pay of state politicians.

Even though Casey is vulnerable for his support of the Obama agenda (98% support for Obama), he has plenty of money stockpiled and is favored to win re-election because of the GOP’s struggles to find an opponent who can unify the GOP base.

Pa. Republicans to pick challenger to Sen. Bob Casey Jr.

Chester County Treasurer Ann Duke to run for Pennsylvania auditor general

After less than one-year in office, Chester County Treasurer Ann Duke has set her sight on a bigger political office: Pennsylvania Auditor General.

From the West Chester Daily Local News:

"In these tough economic times, it is crucial that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely. I will bring the same commonsense, fiscally conservative reforms I have implemented in the Chester County Treasurer's office to the office of auditor general. We need a principled conservative reformer in the auditor general's office, and that is why I am running."

Read the full story at the link below:

County treasurer talks about her run for state auditor - dailylocal.com

The current auditor general, Democrat Jack Wagner, is prohibited by the state Constitution from seeking a third term.

For more information about Duke's campaign, visit her website, http://anndukeforag.com/

Sen. John Rafferty says he's best qualified for PA Attorney General

While he has enjoyed serving in the state Senate and has accomplished more than most legislators in the past nine years, state Sen. John C. Rafferty Jr. said his dream job has always been Pennsylvania attorney general.

And when the last elected attorney general, Tom Corbett, stepped down in January to assume the office of governor, Rafferty couldn’t pass up the opportunity to seek the state’s top law enforcement office.

Rafferty, who represents parts of Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties in the state Senate, became the first Republican to announce his candidacy for Pennsylvania attorney general on Wednesday.

"I've been called 'the law enforcement guy' in the Senate if not in the whole General Assembly," Rafferty said in a telephone interview. "It's a logical step. I look at public service as a noble profession. I plan to run on my qualifications."

Rafferty said his background in private business, as a local government official, his work in the Philadelphia district attorney's office, three years as a deputy state attorney general and nine years in the Legislature put him ahead of all the other candidates.

"The key element to government is protection of public safety," Rafferty told The Associated Press in announcing his candidacy at the Harrisburg headquarters of the Pennsylvania State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Touting his record as a law-and-order legislator, Rafferty has already picked up endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania State Lodge, and the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association.

He anticipates receiving the endorsement of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association.

As attorney general, Rafferty said he would vigorously fight crime and use the grand jury system to prosecute cases involving sexual abuse of children, political corruption and Medicaid fraud.

Rafferty, 58, of Collegeville, said he intends to remain in the Legislature during the campaign for attorney general.

He is currently chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and formerly was chairman of the Law & Justice Committee, on which he continues to serve.

"I've enjoyed representing the 44th Senate District tremendously and have received a lot of support and encouragement from constituents to seek the office of attorney general," Rafferty said.

Rafferty has traveled across Pennsylvania since the beginning of the year seeking backing from Republican State Committee members.

He believes he can continue to be an effective legislator while spending time on the campaign trail.

"I'm not turning my back on my Senate work," Rafferty said.

Rafferty earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, his master's degree from Beaver College, and his law degree from Temple University.

Before his election to the state Senate in 2002, he spent three years as a deputy attorney general and served on the Montgomery County Board of Assessment Appeals, the Methacton School District board and the Lower Providence Board of Supervisors. He also spent nearly a decade as general manager of a recreation center.

Although he is clearly the front-runner, Rafferty may face competition for the GOP nomination in the April 24 primary.

If Rafferty can win the Republican nomination, he would be a heavy favorite to become the state's next attorney general. Republicans have won every contest for attorney general since it became an elective office in 1980.

Rafferty said the recent legislative redistricting process played no part in his decision to run for attorney general.

The borders of the 44th Senate District will change under the current plan under review, dropping Pottstown but adding Phoenixville and expanding into parts of Chester County and eastern Montgomery County.

If Rafferty wins the attorney general's office next November, a special election would be held to complete the remainder of his Senate term, which runs to the end of 2014.

The current attorney general is Linda Kelly, who was nominated by Corbett and confirmed by the state Senate to complete the remainder of Corbett's term, which runs to the end of 2012. Kelly agreed not to seek a full four-year term when she was confirmed.

John Rafferty to announce bid for PA Attorney General

State Sen. John Rafferty, R-44th Dist., plans to announce Wednesday he will seek the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania Attorney General.

The announcement is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Pennsylvania State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, located at 2949 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA.

Rafferty is serving his third four-year term in the state Senate representing the 44th District, which stretches across Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties.

If he wins the race for attorney general next year, a special election will be held to complete the rest of Rafferty's state Senate term, which runs to the end of 2014.

Rafferty serves as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and is a member of Appropriations, Banking and Insurance, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, and Judiciary committees.

Before running for the Senate in 2002, Rafferty was an attorney in private practice, focusing on education, real estate, zoning and business and estates law.

Before that, he served as Deputy Attorney General for Pennsylvania from 1988 to 1991, where he he was responsible for the Criminal Law Division and Grand Jury Investigations.

Rafferty is the first Republican in the race, joining three announced Democrats: Kathleen Kane of Lackawanna County, former Congressman Patrick Murphy of Bucks County and Dan McCafferty of Montgomery County.

Since the attorney general's office became an elected position in 1980, no Democrat has won the office.

The current attorney general is Republican Linda Kelly, who was nominated by Gov. Tom Corbett to complete the final two years of his term after Corbett was elected governor in 2010. Honoring a "gentleman's agreement" in the state Senate, which had to confirm Kelly's appointment, she agreed not to seek a full term as attorney general.

Sam Rohrer to Announce Run for U.S. Senate

Conservative Sam Rohrer, who served in the Pennsylvania Legislature for 18 years and ran for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania governor in 2010, plans to announce Monday he will run for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania in 2012.

The announcement is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, at the Governor's Ballroom of the Radisson Penn Harris in Camp Hill, Pa.

Rohrer, a leader of the state's conservative movement and tireless proponent of the elimination of Pennsylvania's onerous property tax, challenged Tom Corbett in the Republican gubernatorial primary last year.

While Corbett won the nomination and eventually was elected governor, Rohrer made a surprisingly strong showing considering the party establishment (and money) went mostly to Corbett. (Rohrer routed Corbett in Berks County by an 80%-20% margin, and Rohrer beat Corbett in Lancaster County by a 52%-48% margin).

Rohrer, who retired from the Legislature at the end of 2010 to take the post of state director for Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania, will run for the Senate seat held by first-term Democrat Bob Casey Jr., one of the most liberal members of the Senate and a close ally of President Obama.

Pennsylvania's other Senate seat is held by conservative Republican Pat Toomey.

For more information on Sam Rohrer and his bid for U.S. Senate in 2012, visit www.RohrerforSenate.org