Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Both NBC and Fox News are reporting that Republican Tom Corbett has defeated Democrat Dan Onorato in the Pennsylvania governor's race. This keeps the "eight-year cycle" in tact. Since 1954, the governor's office has changed political hands every eight years. The cycle has withstood 14-gubernatorial elections and a change to allow governor's to serve two consecutive four-year terms.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett appears to be building a solid lead in his bid for the governor's office, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll released today. The poll shows the Republican supported by 47 percent of likely Pennsylvania voters to 32 percent for his Democratic rival, Allegheny County executive Dan Onorato. About a fifth of voters remain undecided. A September poll by Franklin & Marshall showed Corbett with 36 percent to Onorato's 32 percent. In New York, the latest poll shows Democrat Andrew Cuomo with a 20-point lead over Republican Carl Paladino less than a week before the election of the state’s next governor. The Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters shows Cuomo's lead at 55 percent to 35 percent, with 11 percent saying they might change their minds before Election. Another 7 percent are still undecided. http://www.fandm.edu/fandmpoll http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x271.xml

Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett holds a 54 - 39 percent lead over Democrat Dan Onorato, the Allegheny County Executive, in the race to become Pennsylvania's next governor, fueled by a 56 - 29 percent margin among independent voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters released today. http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1502 Republican Carl Paladino is narrowing the gap between himself and Democrat Andrew Cuomo in the New York governor’s race, according to a Quinnipiac poll, that says the race is now 49 percent for Cuomo to 43 percent for Paladino, with a 3.6 percent margin of error. The poll conducted last week surveyed 751 likely voters. Seven percent of voters remain undecided and 21 percent of those who name a candidate say they might still change their mind. http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1318.xml?ReleaseID=1504

U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak is within striking distance of U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, trailing the long-time incumbent 47 - 39 percent among likely primary voters, compared to his 53 - 32 percent gap April 7, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. In the Democratic primary for Governor, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato has 36 percent to lead a pack of largely unknown candidates, none of whom tops 9 percent, the independent Quinnipiac University survey finds. Another 37 percent are undecided and 60 percent of likely primary voters who express a choice say they might change their mind. "The Senate race is closing and could be headed for a close finish, while the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination is moving in the opposite direction," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "With only two weeks until the May 18 primary, Onorato can feel somewhat confident, wh...

State Representative Sam Rohrer will formally announce his decision to run for governor during a statewide webcast at 6:30 this evening. The Berks County Republican will join Attorney General Tom Corbett and Congressman Jim Gerlach in seeking the GOP nomination. Democrats who have announced their candidacies are Auditor General Jack Wagner, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, former Congressman and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty. Live updates will be posted at http://samrohrer.org Rohrer was in Bradford in August of 2007 for a House Game and Fisheries Committee hearing on deer management.

Another person plans to officially launch his campaign for Pennsylvania governor today. Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty is scheduled make the announcement at noon, making him the fifth Democrat to throw his hat into the ring. The others are state Auditor General Jack Wagner, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel and Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox. On the Republican side, state Attorney General Tom Corbett and Congressman Jim Gerlach have announced that they're running.

Former Governor Tom Ridge endorsed Republican Tom Corbett’s campaign for governor. Read more at PoliticsPA.com . Retired US Congressman John Peterson has endorsed Jim Gerlach for governor. Peterson says Gerlach "shares our rural values" and has experience in creating jobs and capping state spending. Read more at Gerlach's Web site . The Democratic side is more crowded and includes state Auditor General Jack Wagner, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox, former Congressman Joe Hoeffel and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty.