Onorato upset by rival's comment
HARRISBURG — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato's campaign cried foul Friday over what it said was Republican candidate Tom Corbett urging supporters to suppress voter turnout in heavily Democratic Philadelphia.
Corbett's campaign said he was merely urging his backers to do a better job than Onorato of turning out the vote on Election Day.
In a video posted on the website of the Delaware County Daily Times, Corbett is seen telling supporters at a gathering in Upper Darby on Thursday that Democratic Party leaders are hoping for a 50 percent turnout in Pennsylvania's largest city.
Corbett, the state attorney general, then says, "We want to make sure that they don't get 50 percent. Keep that down. But we want to get 100 percent all across the state. I don't get elected if we only have Republicans. We need to have Democrats. We need to have independents. So I'm going to ask you to go out there and work hard on getting those individuals to come out and to vote."
The Onorato campaign focused on the phrase "keep that down" and accused Corbett of trying to orchestrate voter suppression.
"The attorney general's job is to protect our right to vote and make sure that every vote counts, so why is Tom Corbett instead telling his Republican activists to 'keep' the vote down in the city of Philadelphia?" Onorato campaign spokesman Brian Herman asked in a statement.
Seventy-eight percent of Philadelphia voters are registered as Democrats.
Corbett campaign spokesman Kevin Harley said Corbett's comments were unfairly taken out of context.
"He's talking about turning out our vote and Onorato not turning out his vote — nothing more," Harley said. "This is a desperate candidate who is trailing in the polls, trailing at fundraising."
Independent polls have shown Corbett leading Onorato, the elected executive of Allegheny County, through most of the general-election campaign. A Franklin & Marshall College poll released Wednesday showed Corbett 15 points ahead.
More in Pennsylvania News
