A wild card is Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, If shes running voting

[larrymeyer]

A wild card is Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, if shes running voting is almost mandatory. An Ed Randell stooge

http://www.examiner.com/a-1129659~Pa...ania_Headlines

Pa. voters to fill 3 statewide row offices in 2008


Filed under: HARRISBURG, Pa. , MARK SCOLFORO , Row Office Races
Dec 30, 2007 11:25 AM (7 hrs ago) By MARK SCOLFORO, AP

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Map, News) - Contests for the three statewide row offices up for election in 2008 - treasurer, auditor general and attorney general - are still taking shape just three weeks before candidates will start to collect the signatures needed to make the ballot.

Auditor General Jack Wagner and Attorney General Tom Corbett both intend to seek re-election, but Treasurer Robin Wiessmann agreed not to run for another term before being appointed to the post in April.

The row offices can be a way to build a political name - Sen. Bob Casey served as both auditor general and treasurer before being elected senator - but this year's candidates will have to contend with a presidential contest expected to dominate news coverage and commercial airtime.

"My guess is we will have a relatively low turnout for the primary," said John F. Cordisco, a lawyer and former state lawmaker from Bucks County who is pursuing the Democratic nomination for treasurer. "Now the general (election), obviously, will be just the opposite."

On the Republican side, bond lawyer Tom Ellis, leaving office as Montgomery County commissioner, is the sole candidate to surface thus far.

"I think we need someone who understands the process, understands the finance world and knows what's a good product, what's a bad product and has demonstrated that expertise," Ellis said.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta said he decided not to seek the GOP nomination.

"I'm still fighting the illegal immigration battle here," he said. "Hazleton's battle has become a national issue. The office of treasurer, as important as it is, doesn't fit into what I'm doing or what I'm trying to do. Congress might."

Corbett, the Republican incumbent attorney general, plans to run on a record that includes aggressively prosecuting large-scale drug rings and gangs as well as establishing units to focus on child predators, people who abuse the elderly and corrupt public officials.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, trying for a third time to get the Democratic nomination for attorney general, might not face opposition.

Morganelli said Corbett's office should have been more aggressive in pursuing civil claims.

"Tom's done a good job on the drug work and things of that nature, which is pretty much standard fare, but a lot of the AG's offices across the country are a lot more active," he said.

Two potential Democratic opponents decided not to run: Chris Casey, the senator's brother; and Jim Eisenhower, who lost narrowly to Corbett in 2004 and to Mike Fisher four years earlier.

A wild card is Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, who is being coy about her future plans beyond her announced intention to not seek re-election to her current job in 2009.

Eleanor Dezzi, Abraham's political adviser, said Democrat Abraham was weighing a run.

"She's considering a lot of things," Dezzi said. "People that she highly respects have brought not only this but other things to her to think about, because they know she is not retiring."

Wagner, the Democratic auditor general, is - like Corbett - considered a potential candidate for governor in 2010, and neither man is committing to serve a full term if re-elected.

Wagner expects to frame his re-election campaign around the work his office has done on such issues as Megan's Law compliance, low income heating assistance, the state's student loan agency and school security issues.

"When you run for an office the first time you talk about what you hope to do. I believe our record is out there to be judged by every Pennsylvanian," Wagner said.

Republican State Committee spokesman Mike Barley said the party leadership has been speaking with people interested in running for auditor general, but he declined to name them.

"We will have a candidate, we're just trying to determine who that will be," Barley said. "I think they just want to take the holidays to think about it and talk to their families."

The GOP state meeting is Feb. 9. Its new rules require a vote first to see if the party will endorse, and if that passes a second vote will be held to determine who gets the endorsement

[Montanya]

Wow well now is a good time to take some of these people like the Sheriff who revoked Greg Rotz's LTCF to task with the AG if he wants to run on a platform of trying corrupt officials. Lets get some of these cases where someone is hassled because of a LTCF in front of AG Corbett and make him put up or shut up.