Published by Politics PA, by Brittany Foster

February 1, 2014

After the caucus leaders delivered their reports, one after another enthusiastically and unanimously endorsing Governor Tom Corbett and Lt. Governor Jim Cawley for reelection, the full committee took their vote.

Corbett and Cawley were the only nominations for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively, and were endorsed unanimously by a voice vote of the committee members.

Cawley took the stage first after the endorsement, walking up to “Eye of the Tiger” and a standing ovation.

“This year, we know what’s at stake. We know that all of us, and all of the citizens of Pennsylvania have a very clear choice. The choice is simple: do we want to return to the old days of lavish government spending and deficits? The days of late budgets and uncertainty?,” Cawley asked. “Or do we want to continue down the path that you and I and our fellow Pennsylvanians have been forging these last three years?”

“Make no mistake, we are in a war of ideas and we need to build a core of Corbett captains to fight that war,” he continued, rallying the committee leaders in the room “You are going to be the boots on the ground.”

The Rocky music continued for Corbett’s entrance.

“You can’t forget the past, but we have to deal with the future,” he began. “We made the promise that we wouldn’t borrow from future generations so we could spend now. And I kept my promise.”

“I’ve gotten a personal lesson in civics, and it’s not at all like it was in the book,” he joked, when talking about teaching social studies as his first job outside of college.

“Did you want us to control spending?” he asked the audience, who responded with a resounding ‘Yes.’… “Well that’s what we’ve done. We reduced the state budget for the first time in 40 years, yeah you can clap on that. You don’t change the game plan at halftime when you’re winning.”

He discussed the merits of the transportation bill, spending wisely on education and the need for bipartisan work to create jobs.

“Jobs are not Republican or Democrat – they’re not partisan at all,” he said.

Before the official nominating process, the committee heard reports from congressional and state legislative leaders.

“Democrats want to erase, as they always do, the good work that Tom Corbett and Jim Cawley have done,” Rep. Tom Marino said, as he delivered the Congressional Report. “We need to tear the tent down and open our party to everyone. You know what Republicans have trouble with? Women. Women need to get more involved in politics.”

State Senator John Rafferty addressed more of the policies at the state level in the State Senate report, particularly a controversial one.

“Yes, we did a transportation bill – $2.4 million. I’m going to spend a moment on that because some of my colleagues are taking heat over that. When the Governor said lets to a transportation bill, I did what you’re supposed to do. I traveled across the Commonwealth. We put together for the first time in this Commonwealth, a comprehensive transportation bill that will create 40,000 jobs,” he said. “We did that because the Senate and House worked together. Tom Corbett weighed in and we were able to get it through the House with a big vote, the Senate with a big vote and to the Governor’s office where it was signed into law.”

The Governor’s potential primary challenger, conservative, anti-establishment Republican Bob Guzzardi loitered outside the committee meeting today and in the lobby of the dinner last night.

(Brittany Foster, PA GOP Endorses Corbett-Cawley at Official Meeting, 2/1/14)