Patrick Murphy snags AFL-CIO endorsement

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Endorses Patrick Murphy

(Philadelphia, PA) – Today, Iraq war veteran and former prosecutor Patrick Murphy issued the following statement after earning the endorsement of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, which represents 900,000 working families:

"I'm honored to earn the support of so many hard working Pennsylvanians. My dad was police officer for 22 years, so I grew up in a union household. And I understand that working families are struggling right now. There is a clear contrast in this race. I've always fought to defend the rights of workers to organize for better wages and working conditions, and as Attorney General I will continue to protect workers and the middle class. But my opponent has refused answer questions about her company's fiercely anti-union positions. Pennsylvanians need to know that their Attorney General will always fight for them. My record is clear. Unfortunately, my opponent's is not.” Murphy said.

Most endorsements are only good for a press release unless it brings money or boots on the ground. This one brings both. So which endorsement is more helpful, this one or President Clinton's ? It may help if he campaigns for Kathleen Kane but his recent track record of backing PA candidates hasn't worked out the way they wanted just ask Chris Doherty, Joe Sestak and Paul Kanjorski.

I've been told that Kane is on TV with a bio spot but I haven't seen it and it's not on her website or YouTube channel yet. I'll post it when I get the link.

President Clinton backs Doherty

Former President Bill Clinton has endorsed Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty in the PA Senate 22nd district race. It is unheard of for a former President to get involved in a local primary election.

Clinton was a successful President who left office with the country at peace with the finances in order. In 2000 there was a budget surplus that his successor blew all to hell so maybe the Teabaggers who are all worried about the deficits that Bush gave us should want him back in the White House.

The message from the Doherty camp crowing about it:


There won't be a bigger endorsement in the state senate campaign than this:

Former President Bill Clinton is supporting Mayor Doherty in the May 18 primary!

Starting today, we're launching a campaign to highlight President Clinton's support.

So, please listen to his endorsement here, then forward this e-mail to three of your friends right now to help spread the word.

As you know, the Clintons have always had a special connection to Scranton. Secretary of State Clinton's family hails from the area, and both of them have made several trips to Northeast Pennsylvania on various campaigns over the years.

As the president says in his endorsement, Chis Doherty "helped to turn the city [of Scranton] around," and "he'll bring the same energy and dedication to all of Northeast Pennsylvania" as he works to bring good paying jobs into the district and to clean up Harrisburg.

We couldn't be more proud to receive President Clinton's support.

Listen to the Big Dog

Chris Doherty for Govenor, Lt. Governor, Congressman, State Senator or whatever

This guy has now become a joke.

Elect me to something!

From Borys

Scranton mayor to run for state Senate, not governor

Chris Doherty for Governor

pa2010 is reporting that Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty is running for Governor of Pennsylvania. He has been mentioned by the great mentioners (including me) for many other offices including Congress and Lt. Governor. He will cruise to reelection to Mayor of Scranton as both the Democratic and Republican nominees and will use this race to raise money for the next campaign.

A few weeks ago Doherty put out a letter saying he was pro-choice which signaled he was looking at a run for another office. The abortion hotheads reacted predictably.


Docs Letter:

I’ve been mayor of Scranton for the past eight years, but outside of northeast Pennsylvania, people are still just getting to know me.
So for the last several weeks I’ve been traveling around the state, talking to people about the challenges we face and how we can work together to help create more jobs, grow our economy, and get Pennsylvania working again.
One question I get a lot is about my position on a woman’s right to choose. People look at me and they see a guy from Scranton who was one of 11 kids, a father of six and an active member of his church. They put those pieces together and they’re surprised when I tell them, I’m pro-choice.
I support a woman’s right to choose because, in my view, this is an extremely private, personal matter and every woman should have the right to decide for herself, with the input of her family, her doctor, and her faith. It is not an issue where government should decide. It is a private, personal choice.
Sometimes I get hypothetical questions about how I’d react to what the Supreme Court may or may not do or to a bill that doesn’t exist. To those questions I can only say that my position won’t change. I won’t support a bill that takes away a woman’s right to make her own decision.
Like any candidate, I’ve had occasion to fill out questionnaires on the subject. Such questionnaires are often worded in ways that fail to accurately reflect my position. The fact is, I support a woman’s right to choose. At the same time, I respect the rights of others to disagree, in some cases very passionately.
The right to passionately and intelligently advocate for your beliefs is one of the principles on which our country was founded and, as mayor, I have issued a proclamation acknowledging those who exercise that right on the other side of this issue. Supporting a woman’s right to choose while respecting the rights of others to disagree are not mutually exclusive positions. In fact, a shared bond of respect on this and most issues would serve us well as we work toward a common future.
And that common future will most likely be defined by the choices we make on Pennsylvania’s economy over the next several years, not by social issues. During the last eight years in Scranton, we’ve helped create thousands of new jobs and generate $500 million in new investment. We’ve enjoyed tremendous success by keeping our government focused on the things it can do best: creating jobs, growing the economy, and keeping our communities safe.
Pennsylvania’s next governor will face significant challenges and he or she would do well to keep the Pennsylvania government focused on the things it can do best—get Pennsylvanians working again and put the state’s economy back on the right track.

This is good news for the Corey O'Brien for Congress campaign. I still expect another Lackawanna County Democrat to get into the 2010 primary to split the anti-Kanjo vote.

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, state Auditor General Jack Wagner and Philadelphia payday loanshark Tom Knox are all expected to seek the Democratic nomination, former Senate candidate Joe Hoeffel is also considering the race.

The "if "went out of the speculation today when I got this email:

CHRIS DOHERTY ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN TEAM AS HE PREPARES FOR 2010 PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR'S RACE

Scranton, PA - Today Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty unveiled his campaign team as he prepares to runfor governor in 2010. The Doherty team is comprised of seasoned Pennsylvania and Washington, DCcampaign veterans, each with a proven track record of winning big elections."This is a winning team," declared Doherty. "They've elected presidents, governors, senators, and Members of Congress. They know Pennsylvania and they know what it takes to get the job done here.I want to put Pennsylvanians back to work and this is the campaign team that will help me do it."The Doherty campaign team includes:Corey Platt, Campaign Manager. Corey comes to the Doherty Team after two cycles in Missouri. In2008 he managed Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes's race in MO-06 and in 2006 he was the political director for the Missouri Democratic Party where he helped elect Claire McCaskill to the United States Senate. He has worked for numerous other campaigns and organizations in California, Arizona,and the Midwest.Julian Mulvey and Tad Devine, Media. Devine Mulvey is a strategic communications firm with extensive experience helping clients win campaigns in the U.S. and around the world. Their approach is centered on crafting clear messages, producing compelling media, and executing a disciplinedc ommunications strategy. They have helped elect dozens of statewide candidates and crafted the media strategy that helped elect Chris Carney (PA-10) to Congress in 2006, Bob Casey, Jr auditor general in 1996 and 2000, and Lynne Abraham district attorney in 1997 and 2001. Tad Devine served as a senior advisor and strategist to Senator John Kerry's campaign for president in 2004 and to Vice President Al Gore's campaign for president in 2000.Margie Omero, Polling. Margie Omero is President and founder of Momentum Analysis, a public opinion research firm. Omero's clients include the DNC, the DCCC, labor unions, and campaigns around the country from City Council to US Senate. She worked on both the campaigns of Congressman Chris Carney (PA-10) and Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3). Omero is a blogger at pollster.com, and was named one of "50 Politicos To Watch" by The Politico online journal.Steve Stenberg, Mail. A partner at the Strategy Group, Steve combines years of campaign experience with localized direct mail strategies to help Democrats win in both blue and red states. In 2008,Steve produced direct mail for the Obama for America campaign while also serving as a lead consultant to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's independent expenditure efforts.Mark Nevins, Communications. Based in Philadelphia, Mark is a founding partner of the Dover Group,a full-service campaign strategy firm. Mark has extensive experience in Pennsylvania politics having served as communications director for Hillary Clinton's 2008 Pennsylvania primary campaign,as Pennsylvania communications director for Kerry/Edwards 2004, and as an advisor to congressional candidates all over the state. The Dover Group is also assisting the Doherty campaign with its fundraising and finance programs.

Chris Doherty for Governor

Borys is reporting that Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty is looking at running running for Governor of Pennsylvania next year. He won both nominations in the primary so with his reelection as Mayor being assured he can concentrate on moving up the ladder.
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Shooting for the Guv's spot is a bit of a surprise to most of us but Dan Hirschhorn of pa2010.com called it last week. I've sounded some false alarms about Doherty running for Congress in the past but this sounds like the real deal. State Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney confirmed that he is raising money for a run and has been polling statewide.

Other Democrats looking at the race are Tom Knox and Jack Wagner . GOP contenders include Tom Corbett, Jim Gerlach and Pat Meehan.

Round three?

Kanjo at work


Congressman Paul Kanjorski has been a whirlwind of activity since he was reelected. The Picture above is from the signing ceremony with President Obama enacting the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. He wrote several provisions of the law that also included protections for Credit Unions. He teamed up with Congressman Chris Carney to get the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights enacted into law. I think that this law is a good start but much more has to be done. I suspect that the banks will raise other fees to make up for lost revenue. Here is some good advice. Just like Dan Flood before him Kanjo keeps bringing home the bacon. $3 million for the Luzerne County Transportation Authority to buy hybrid buses and other equipment through the stimulus bill, $10 million for the Pocono Medical Center, $138,000 for the Hazleton General Hospital and a bunch of money for new fire trucks in the area. My favorite is $950,000 to help fix up Coal Street Park in Wilkes-Barre although they should have included a new swimming pool for the kids in addition to a new facility for the Penguins.


Borys reported in Sunday's Scranton Times that Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta might take on Kanjorski a third time. He lost a close one last time after getting clobbered in 2002. The last time I talked with Mayor Lou he was looking at Lt. Governor run but things change. My analysis, for what it is worth, is that Barletta would easily win the GOP nomination and be Tom Corbett's running mate. The few times I have talked to Barletta I got the impression that he would rather be an executive instead of a legislator. Borys also speculated about the future of Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty wondering if he would run for Congress or Lt. Gov, etc. I previously reported that Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien is running for the seat.

On a side note the Scranton Times recently changed it's online format demanding money to read it's articles more than a day old. Since the same company owns the W-B Citizens Voice we can expect that it will follow shortly. The only work around that I can think of right now is to save an article that interest me on a Word Document or Google Doc then reference it later but that is a lot of work. The Times-Leader has been charging for stories more that 7 days old for a long time. I wonder how many people actually pay them to read old news?

Corey O'Brien for Congress?

A few weeks ago I was contacted by an outfit called Accountability Now who wanted to know if I knew of someone that would be willing to take on Congressman Paul Kanjorski in the Democratic primary next time out. I told them I thought it would be a suicide mission for any sitting office holder but threw out a few names of politicians that might be interested in going to Washington if and when Kanjo retired. Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty, former W-B state Rep Kevin Blaum and Nanticoke's JohnlYudichak came to mind.




This past week a few people have told me that Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien is gearing up for a primary challenge to Kanjo in 2010 for the 10th CD seat. . In fact I have found out that Jimmy Siegel, a big Democratic media gun, has been contacted by O'Brien. I'm not still convinced that O'Brien will make the race. I sent an email to him asking for comment. If he answers I will let you know.

Update: Corey got back to me. He neither confirmed or denied my report. We will get together later this week. I asked him if he was running for Congress and he said "I am seriously considering it.



Stay tuned.

Kanjo responds

"There is absolutely no truth to this idle rumor. I am vigorously campaigning for reelection, as my schedule reflects, and am very confident the voters of the 11th District will return me to Congress so I can continue standing up for them on the important issues of our times." --Paul Kanjorski

Chris Doherty for Congress? Part Deux

Pennsylvania 11th District Congressman Paul Kanjorski has had a bad few weeks courtesy of Fox News and YouTube.

Now the rumors have started again. From the inbox:

My xxx is a xxx with Congressman Kanjorski in DC... He told me today that 1) the Congressman will not be on the ballot in November and 2) he wants Chris Doherty to replace him. I don't know the Democratic party procedure for dealing with this sort of thing but presumably the Congressman will get his way because his/ the DCCC's internals are low and Rahm Emanuel and co. would be happy to have Kanjo out of the picture.

According to xxx, Kanjo already mentioned this scenario to Doherty, but Doherty wouldn't commit to anything--he just said something like, I'm running for reelection and don't think about hypotheticals.

It started with Kanjo giving an honest assessment of what happened in 2006 then Politics in Northeast Pennsylvania found this about the surge in Iraq.

The Fox News piece rehashing the Cornerstone thing got NEPALibWatch all excited.

Then there is this:

Congressman Kanjorski doesn't apologize to anyone





This has come up before:

Chris Doherty for Congress


Rumors and gossip

Tom Ryan for Mayor of Scranton

I usually don't wander north of the border but this guy caught my eye thanks to Politics in NEPA.

His website is lacking specifics but has an amusing video and asks what his campaign slogan should be. The choices are:

1. Babies should be born in hospitals...not prisons.


2. I will find Paul Sorvino's movie.


3. Scranton, it's better than Throop.


4. Tom Ryan, because Scranton needs him.

Vote Tom Ryan

Unless I missed it Doherty Deceit has not mentioned him and Scranton-At-Large has been speculating about other possible candidates to run against Mayor Chris Doherty.


A YouTube video tells us more about him or maybe not.


Vote for Tom Ryan! Coming soon to Scranton PA

Rumors and gossip

I sit here in my little corner of Luzerne County and throw out some speculation and it gets all kinds of attention. If any of it's wrong I will post a correction, after all I don't want to violate any of Bernie's ethics rules.

My previous post about Joe Peters running in the 10th CD was picked up by Stanley at Keystone Politics in KP's Delegation '08 Blog but LVDem is not impressed by him noting that he got creamed in his AG run. The Yonk thinks he will cruise to victory but I doubt that my friend. 2008 is going to be another big year for the Democrats. His biggest fan is Bill Fitz who considers himself the kiss of death in these sort of things. He also posted it at PAWaterCooler.com which is hottest new PA website according to the Politico. Christopher Hackett, of One Source Staffing Solutions, has also been mentioned as the "true conservative" considering a run. But after the Mueser brothers catching flak about giving to Democrats his $5000 donation to Luzerne County Democratic Commissioner Greg Skrepnak will need to be explained. But just like Pride Mobility, One Source has to pay to play.

In the 11th CD it seems that Scranton Times columnist Chris Kelly reads Gort42 and cites my Chris Doherty post -without attribution: While supporters decried Judge Munley’s decision as a bitter defeat, it was the best possible outcome for Mayor Fife (Barletta), who some fans have dubbed “St. Lou.” His enhanced martyrdom will be invaluable next year when he’s running against Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty for the congressional seat now occupied by Rep. Paul Kanjorksi. GrassrootsPA points out a story of the the chairman of National Republican Congressional Committee knocking down Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta's door to get him to run against Kanjo. Lou is so coy. Another rally in support of Lou's law is planned for Nanticoke this Sunday. And just to add to the fire:

I drove past Senunas' Bar in W-B yesterday afternoon ...and spotted John Yudichak having a drink with Jim and Evie McNulty. I have a tendency to read into things, but I know Big Jim has done work for him in the past, and he's up for re-election next year ... but why meet at a bar that's not in his district or near South Scranton, where McNulty lives and has his office. Yudichak has always had ambitions to run for higher office, and I wonder if he's thinking about running for ether state senate against Musto or congress against Kanjo. It would be really interesting (and good for Kanjo) if both Doherty and Yudichak ran.

Chris Doherty for Congress?

Normally I wouldn't even post a rumor like this until I could check it out further. But I'm pressed for time because I'm busy packing for the dog's vacation and will be gone for a week. If it's wrong no harm done but if it's right you read it here first.

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I got an email:

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Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty is preparing a run for Congress against Paul Kanjorski. Also, Doherty has an agreement with Lacka. Cty. Commissioner Bob Cordaro NOT to raise a dime for Washo-O'Brien in exchange for Cordaro steering donors Chris's way for his primary campaign against Kanjo. This info is 100% accurate. I heard it from Tim xxx and Sarah xxx

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I'm just as sceptical as you are about this. Kanjorski has over a $1 million cash on hand according to his latest FEC report. Unless he retires I think it would be a suicide mission but one of my favorite political prognosticators disagrees:

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He'd beat him big time. He'd carry all of Lackawanna County and those Dems from Luzerne who are dying for an alternative, any alternative. A Kanjo-Barletta race gives him the edge because no one wants to vote for Lou except his crowd. Kanjo wins by default. BUT if Doherrty takes on Kanjo, that gives folks a choice in the primary and neutralizes Barletta in the general.

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I don't think so.

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Another view:

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For the last several years, Chris has been wanting to run for Congress--even though it makes less political sense than other offices. ...He is planning on running on the corruption issue (grant for Kanjo's nephew). However, Doherty is refusing to raise money for Washo and O'Brien because he has a deal with Cordaro that he'll stay out and Cordaro will funnel donors to him in exchange (heard that from Cordaro himself).

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I've never heard of any animosity between Doherty and Kanjorski, quite the opposite. And Doherty running against corruption will get some howls from these people. Corruption has never been an impediment to our local Congressmen. If I recall both Dan Flood and Joe McDade were reelected after an indictment.