The Sharon Herald: Corbett campaign tour stops here

State Attorney General Tom Corbett announced his campaign for the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination Monday night in Pittsburgh, kicking off a 10-day announcement and fundraising tour that landed him in Grove City by Tuesday afternoon.

Speaking at Grove City Country Club to a crowd of local business people, attorneys, bail bonds company owners, and a few professors from Grove City and Thiel colleges, Corbett, 60, said he would restore peoples’ trust in Harrisburg, rein in costs, and promised on-time budgets if he wins the office.

Corbett’s 10-day announcement tour is about getting the message out and also fundraising for an election expected to cost about four or five times what he spent running for attorney general, he said.

Corbett, a former U.S. attorney for western Pennsylvania, was elected to a second four-year term as state attorney general last year. He is so far best known for his ongoing investigations into alleged corruption in the state legislature.

Two former Democratic state representatives and 10 others connected to the House Democratic caucus have so far been arrested in Corbett’s ongoing corruption investigation. He has said more arrests are forthcoming.

Corbett also denied those investigations, which have so far only implicated Democrats, are politically motivated. He said they concern politicians, but aren’t partisan in nature. He has hinted that Republicans could be swept up also as the investigation proceeds.

Besides his corruption-fighting chops as the state’s attorney general, Corbett is running on a platform of fiscal restraint. He said he would control state spending, and suggested budgets should be created two years in advance instead of one.

Corbett said overspending and correspondingly high taxes have made Pennsylvania an unattractive location for businesses. With a 9.9 percent corporate tax, “why would you come to Pennsylvania if you were opening a business?” he asked.

Corbett blasted Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration for the ongoing budget stalemate, saying they should have been at the table far sooner. He promised an on-time budget if he becomes governor.

While Corbett faces the daunting task of a 1.2 million voter lead in Pennsylvania among Democrats, he is also the top Republican vote-getter in Pennsylvania’s history, when he beat his opponent last November by 400,000 votes, he said.

That was in the midst of a Democratic wave brought on by President Barack Obama that swept other Republicans out of power.

Corbett said he thinks he can attract Democratic and independent support.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.