Pa. newspapers make endorsements

Associated Press

Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett won the endorsement of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sunday while Democrat Dan Onorato got the nod of the Philadelphia Daily News and The (Scranton) Times-Tribune.

The Post-Gazette said after eight years of Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, Corbett “offers the best chance of a fresh approach from top to bottom.”

The paper said it disagreed with Corbett on some issues, especially taxing natural gas drilling and challenging the new federal health care law. But the Post-Gazette said “what is pivotal is the need to change the culture of Harrisburg,” and Corbett had already done so with corruption probes that have let to charges against officials of both parties.

The Philadelphia Daily News said Onorato’s experience as executive of Allegheny County has given him experience in streamlining government and also cited his support for a gas extraction tax. The paper lauded Corbett’s corruption probe but said the results “haven’t led to any strong articulation of reform in Harrisburg.”

The Times-Tribune praised Onorato’s efforts to eliminate row offices in his county and praised his calls for changes to the state’s corporate income tax and public pensions.

The Express-Times of Easton last week also endorsed Onorato, saying he made the better case for “changing the state’s poisoned politics and leading a divided government.” The paper cited his cost-cutting efforts in Allegheny County and his support for a gas drilling tax.