Well, it looks like the Republican primary is starting to go negative, if not dramatically so.
I got an e-mail from the campaign of Jim Gerlach, congressman from Chester County, who is taking on Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett for the right to run as next year's Republican gubernatorial candidate.
Gerlach's campaign seems to be implying that Corbett is hypocritical for not stepping down as attorney general while he's running for governor, despite stating in a 1996 interview that he believes state attorney general should be an appointed office to eliminate any appearance of impropriety.
I have no problem with attack ads, as long as they're relevant and accurate. If your opponent's done something wrong and the electorate ought to know it, hey, go nuts.
But frankly, I think this particular criticism is kind of a reach. Absent any indications that Corbett has demonstrated conflict of interest, I'm not too worried about him keeping his job for now.
That bieng said, I was pretty impressed with Gerlach when he spoke at the York County Republican Victory Dinner at the Holiday Inn in West Manchester the Thursday before last.
Gerlach's not a flashy speaker. After a rather lame joke and the obligatory reference to his difficult upbringing, much of his discussion involved minute detailing of his policy proposals.
And that's exactly what impressed me. When it comes to political candidates, I tend to gravitate toward the one who'd look more at home in a back office going over reports and accounting sheets than in front of a podium, stirring up the crowd with his lofty rhetoric.
"Hey, if you elect me, here's what I want to do ..." Now that's my kind of campaign speech!
Anyway, here's the press release:
