Pennsylvania is one state that is ripe for the picking by a Democrat, and Tom Wolf is the man who will do it. Consider the
latest polling from PPP: the incumbent Republican governor, Tom Corbett is trailing Democrat Tom Wolf by a whopping 25 points. Ouch. Since
last fall, Corbett has been deep, deep underwater in his re-election bid, and there's damned good reason for that. Corbett, another Republican in the 2010 tea party class, has been a disaster for Pennsylvania.
The evidence: Pennsylvania ranks 46th out of 50 states in job growth under Corbett; his $1.1 billion in cuts to education has decimated the state's school system, and nearly shut down Philadelphia's schools last fall. The state has suffered under Corbett economically, and on top of that, Corbett has been a national embarrassment for the state.
Remember the forced ultrasound debate, when Corbett told women who would be subject to the procedure to just "close your eyes" and deal with it? Or how about when he equated gay marriage with incest? And then there's the distinction he brought to the state by being labelled one of the country's worst, most unethical governors. All topped off by his three-year delay in investigating child molestation allegations against Jerry Sandusky, a rather prominent state employee, when he held the attorney general seat. An investigation of that delay by Attorney General Kathleen Kane will be released soon, and is expected to be another body blow to the struggling Corbett.
Yet, Corbett still has a lot of friends. A lot of wealthy friends. He's raised $2.8 million in the second fundraising cycle this year, dwarfing the candidates in the Democratic primary and outpacing his own previous fundraising. Which is why we can't take his eventual defeat for granted, and are throwing our support behind his Democratic challenger, Tom Wolf. And who is Tom Wolf? A solid progressive, who saved the family business—after having bought it, because the family doesn't believe in inherited businesses—after the crash in 2009 and instituted profit sharing with its 250+ employees. [Read the timeline of the Wolf business here.] He believes in investment in education (with a master's from the University of London and a doctorate from MIT, he has good reason to), in preserving the safety net, building the state with good infrastructure jobs, and in marriage equality and women's right to safe, legal abortions. Oh, and he has governmental experience, too. He was Gov. Ed Rendell's secretary of revenue.
In short, Wolf is pretty much the polar opposite of Corbett, and the guy who can put Pennsylvania back in the blue column. Please chip in with $3 to help Wolf counter the millions Corbett's tea party pals will put into the race.