Progress Pittsburgh

Yesterday the Triadvocate (the blog from the folks at Triad Strategies) had a post about which of the candidates in PA is leading in tweets and followers.   They have a detailed list of candidates in PA for many offices with how many followers and tweets have been posted.  Also, Huffington Post links to a LA Times article about congressional representatives who use twitter.

So we thought it might be helfpul to create a Twitter list and ticker for the candidates for PA governor.
You can see all of the candidates Twitter accounts that are included below here: http://twitter.com/progresspgh/pa-gov-2010-candidates

Governor Ed Rendell has set a Special Election for the May 18th Primary Election Day to fill the unexpired term of the late Democratic Congressman John Murtha of Johnstown…Republicans and Democratic Party officials each will nominate a candidate for the May ballot to fill out the term…in addition to the election for the rest of Murtha’s term, voters will be asked to select Democratic and Republican candidates for the November election to a full term for the Congressional seat…if the Party leaders are good at their jobs, they will figure out a way to pick a candidate to fill the seat ’til January – a man or woman who stands a good chance of winning the Party Primaries on the same day…this is going to be very interesting…

Mary Beth Buchanan – former U. S. Attorney for Pennsylvania’s Western District – has filed papers to run as a Republican against incumbent Democratic CongressmanJason Altmire…she has yet to make a formal announcement…three others – Bob Klein, Keith Rothfus and John Vinsick – already have announced intentions to seek the Republican nomination…

Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty holds a news conference this morning to announcehe is dropping out of the Democratic Primary for Governor and instead seek the Party nomination to succeed the retiring State Senate Floor Leader Bob Mellow…the Democratic contest for the gubernatorial nomination continues forward without formal Party endorsement…State Auditor General Jack Wagner won a majority of the endorsement votes but fell short of the required two-thirds of the votes for endorsement…more and more the race is looking like a struggle between Wagner and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato…

Harrisburg Online is a publication of Greenlee Partners, LLC. (It tends to be conservative-leaning but provides good information.)

Joe Hoeffel just released a new web ad (included below) on Health Care today.  Here is a look at the 4 candidates in the race for the Democratic nomination and the health care related information from their campaign websites

Chris Doherty – no mention of health care on his website

Joe Hoeffel – has a page of information about health care

Dan Onorato – 2 mentions of health care on his issues page

As Governor, Dan will create the new jobs we need, drive down the cost of health care and higher education, and bring real reform to government.

Health care costs are too high, a college education is moving out of reach for middle-class families and property taxes in many parts of the state are out of control. As County Executive, Dan has cut property taxes twice and changed the system to prevent unfair reassessments in the future. Allegheny County is one of only a handful of counties that has not raised property taxes in the past seven years.

Jack Wagner – no mention of health care on his website

14th WARD CLUB TO HOST GUBERNATORIAL FORUM

The 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club will host a Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Forum on Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the Wightman School Community Building, 5604 Solway Street, in Squirrel Hill.

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and the Pitt College Democrats are co-sponsoring the event. KDKA-TV Political Editor Jon Delano will be the moderator.

All of the Democratic candidates for Pennsylvania governor have been invited to participate, and three candidates have confirmed their attendance: Chris Dougherty, Joe Hoeffel and Jack Wagner. Audience members will pose questions, and the candidates will have an equal opportunity to inform voters of their views. The panel discussion will begin at 1:30.

This event marks the first Pittsburgh-area forum for candidates vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor. The primary election will be held on May 18.

With more than 18,000 registered Democrats, the 14th Ward is the largest ward in the City of Pittsburgh and second largest in the state. The ward includes all or part of Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, North Point Breeze, Regent Square, Park Place, and Swisshelm Park.

The club, which is not affiliated with the Democratic Committee of Allegheny County, formed in the mid-1960s and is the oldest, continuously operating independent Democratic club in the country.

Thirty-seven years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that women have a constitutional right to privacy that includes a legal right to terminate a pregnancy for any reason during her first trimester and in order to protect her health after that.  With a U.S. Supreme Court today where George W. Bush filled the seats of Sandra Day O’Connor and William Rehnquist with  John Roberts and Samuel Alito, the ability of Roe v. Wade to withstand being overturned has never been so much in danger.  If this decision were overturned, abortion-rights would be in the hands of each state.  Pennsylvania is a neither a state that has passed a trigger law that would outlaw abortion if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, nor have we passed a law to ensure that women’s rights are protected.

It is with that background on Roe v. Wade’s anniversary that the Hoeffel Campaign sent out a release announcing that Kate Michelman is endorsing Joe for governor and will head his Women for Hoeffel committee.  Michelman is the former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

The full text of Michelman’s endorsement letter is below the fold.

More »

Joe Hoeffel Statewide Campaign Kick-off in Pittsburgh

Tuesday January 26th
Pittsburgh
8:30 am – 9:00 am
City-County Building Portico
414 Grant Street

Related blog posts…

• Hoeffel, Onorato battling for progressive vote (progresspittsburgh.net)
• Race for PA 2010 – POLL – Onorato for Governor (progresspittsburgh.net)

Dear friends,

     I wanted you to be among the first to know that I am going to
officially announce my candidacy for Governor with a three-day tour
across Pennsylvania beginning Tuesday, October 6th.

     I have been preparing for this announcement for some time now:
from my nearly two decades of experience in elected office to my
conversations with Pennsylvanians from across our Commonwealth over
the last two years.

     I decided to run for Governor because Pennsylvanians need real
change. Wall Street’s economic crisis has crippled Main Street. Too
many families are struggling to make ends meet as industries collapse
and jobs disappear. Students are forced to find affordable education
elsewhere and choose not to return. And amidst these challenging
times, our leaders in Harrisburg are focused on petty partisanship
rather than finding innovative solutions to Pennsylvania’s problems.

     When I was growing up, my hometown of Pittsburgh was facing
similar challenges. Steel mills were closing, hardworking families
couldn’t find jobs and our politicians were out of touch. When I ran
for City Council in 1991, I never imagined what we would be able to
accomplish – but I knew we could do better.

     From that first campaign to my current position as Allegheny
County Executive, we have seen Pittsburgh undergo an amazing
transformation. Once a symbol for America’s declining manufacturing
sector, Pittsburgh is now a hub for 21st century jobs. We’ve been
picked as one of the best places in the country to live and work.
We’ve been able to keep property taxes stable for seven years. There’s
obviously more to do, but we have built a record of real
accomplishment.

     I believe that Pittsburgh’s renaissance can be replicated across
Pennsylvania. We can stimulate our economy by investing in green
technology. We can put Pennsylvanians back to work by creating
next-generation jobs in innovative fields. We can provide every child
with a quality education by making college more affordable.

But I can only do this with your support. I hope you can join me at
one of my eight stops.

DAY 1 – Tuesday, October 6 – Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
Philadelphia City Hall
Second Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
9:30 AM

Harrisburg
Riverfront Park
100 Block of South Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
12:00 PM

Pittsburgh
IBEW Local 5 Hall
5 Hot Metal Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Doors open at 5:00 PM

DAY 2 – Wednesday, October 7 – Johnstown, State College and Wilkes-Barre
Johnstown
The Pavilion
Corner of Park Place & Main Street
Johnstown, PA
10:00 AM

State College
Penn State University
HUB-Robeson Center
Room 129A
State College, PA
12:00 PM

Wilkes-Barre
River Common
North Union & North River Streets
Wilkes-Barre, PA
5:00 PM

DAY 3 – Thursday, October 8 – Allentown and Erie
Allentown
Allentown Brew Works
812 W. Hamilton Street
Allentown, PA 18101
12:00 PM

Erie
Perry Square Park
Corner of South Park Row & Peach Street
Erie, PA
4:30 PM

     Thank you again for your support as I take this next step.
Together we can make the change that Pennsylvania, our families and
our children need.

Sincerely,

Dan Onorato

Posted via email from progress pittsburgh’s posterous

Here is an email that was just send out by Dan Onorato’s campaign. Not really sure what the point of this email is – maybe something like – hey you should be excited about the G20! Also interesting that the header is “DAN ONORATO: Democrat”

Dear friends:

This week, Pittsburgh’s renaissance will be on full display as my hometown hosts leaders from the 20 largest economies as the G-20 meets there. We’ve worked very hard to prepare for the two-day meeting and I am excited for Pittsburgh to receive the recognition it deserves.

But even before the meeting starts, being selected to host the G-20 has already given Pittsburgh an opportunity to shine and show the world how far it has come since the difficult days of the 1970s. As the <em>Washington Post </em>wrote on Sunday, “As locals know, the ‘Burgh’s latest incarnation, clean and green, pulls its rivers, hills and past into a handsome present.” The city’s rebirth has been featured in magazines, newspapers and radio and television shows across the country.

This is a big week for Pittsburgh and the entire southwestern Pennsylvania region. As a Pittsburgh native, city resident and as Allegheny County Executive, I could not be more proud. We could not have gotten here without the hard work of thousands of people. Everyone owes them a debt of gratitude.

Sincerely,

Dan

P.S. I will have some big announcements coming up in the next few weeks, but until then, thank you for all the support you have given me already and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Well since the race for PGH 2009 is creeping along – the only headlines there are – Luke Ravenstahl skips meetings to go to training camp – and Dok Harris seems to be getting alot of blog coverage – we thought we would take a moment to see how people are feeling about the 2010 Governor’s race.  The PG’s early returns links to a Patriot News article which  mentions who is in the race or thinking of getting into the race

Hoeffel is exploring a Democratic primary bid against Auditor General Jack Wagner, the only declared candidate; Allegheny County Exec Dan Onorato; Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox and Scranton Mayor Christopher Doherty.

The Seenter has heard conflicting thoughts about Dan Onorato – some people love him and think he has been great for Allegheny County.  Others in the region can’t stand him and are fed up.  What do you think about of Dan Onorato for Governor of PA?

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Please feel free to leave a comment about who you would like to see as the next Governor of PA.