That strategy will be a sure loser in the suburbs where both parties need to win, he said. Rendell expects Shapiro to win, especially if Republicans put up a pro-Trump candidate who has to defend the former president's unsubstantiated claims of a fraudulent election. He has also worked to end the opioid crisis and mass shootings. Shapiro boosted his political brand when he took on Pennsylvania's network of abusive Catholic priests and the dioceses that protected them. "He's an excellent fundraiser and he's going to be tough to beat." "Fortunately, the Democrats will have a very good candidate in Josh Shapiro," Rendell said. The presumptive favorite for the Democratic nominee for governor is state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who has not announced his candidacy. Rendell said it's a failed strategy because Barletta won't be running against Wolf on the ballot. "Tom Wolf has blood on his hands," Barletta said in the video. In his campaign launch video earlier this month, Barletta took aim at Wolf, blaming him for high unemployment, business closures and nursing home deaths. As a former Hazleton mayor, he became known for his tough policies on illegal immigration. So far, the Republican candidate for governor with the most experience is Lou Barletta, a former congressman and one of former President Donald Trump's first supporters in Pennsylvania. "Republicans might need to run against Wolf to rally the Trump base in the primary, but they are making a mistake if they do that in the general election," he said. Rendell, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Republicans are running against Wolf's pandemic record in state legislative races in 2020, and it might work in the 2022 Republican primary for governor.īut it won't work in the 2022 general election when the term-limited Wolf is finishing his eight years in office, Rendell said. He did the temporarily unpopular thing, but it was the right thing for Pennsylvania,” he said. “He kept a lot of Pennsylvanians from contracting COVID-19. In Pennsylvania, despite the pushback, Wolf deserves high marks, Rendell said. After the first 21 days, the Legislature gets to decide whether to continue emergency declarations.Īcross the country, 45 states – red and blue – are taking steps to curtail a governor’s executive power in emergencies, according to the National Council of Legislatures. “Pennsylvanians want change, and they made that clear by voting in the primary to restrict the governor’s emergency powers.”Ī little more than half of Pennsylvania’s 2 million primary voters on May 18 chose to remove some of the governor’s authority in extending emergency orders. “His legacy is that he locked Pennsylvanians in their home with his COVID-19 orders, closed schools and tanked the state’s economy,” said Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist and CEO of Quantum Communications in Harrisburg. Republicans say having their party lead the executive branch could help undo what they see as Wolf’s failed policies during the pandemic. “They would make it harder to vote, roll back women’s rights and keep Pennsylvania near the bottom of the list for minimum wage.” Abbott, executive director of Commonwealth Communications and former Wolf press secretary. “We know what would happen because of what Republicans have already tried to do,” said J.J. The fight for 2022īecause Wolf's veto pen has frequently been the only thing to stop legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature from becoming law, both major parties wonder what would happen if a Democrat wasn't in the governor's seat. "In Harrisburg, he has been the backstop on every single bill that would take these rights from women," she said. Mary Jo Daley, D-Montgomery County, described Wolf as "a strong advocate for women and their reproductive rights." Wolf has vetoed bills that banned abortions, expanded gun laws, ignored the dangers of climate change and more.Īs the abortion fight gained attention in Pennsylvania last week, Women's Health Caucus co-chair Rep. "His vetoes have stopped a lot of harm in Pennsylvania." "He's the biggest defender," said former Gov. He's been chided by Republicans for a "lone wolf" approach in which he wields too much unilateral power. "It's true.and an easy headline that I've been a backstop, but if you look at where we are now.Pennsylvania is a much better place," Wolf said during a recent interview with the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capital Bureau. More than a third of those vetoes were on bills introduced last year to undo his pandemic orders. Since he took office in 2014, Wolf has vetoed about 50 pieces of GOP legislation. When Republicans last Tuesday advanced three anti-abortion bills, Wolf vowed to veto them. Tom Wolf has been in office for seven years, but it took only one week to show both the keystone of his legacy and what's at stake in the 2022 election for Pennsylvania governor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |