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JPZenger

(6,819 posts)
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 08:53 AM Jun 2014

Millions in natural gas industry $ - Corbett's lifeline and also his albatross

Last edited Mon Jun 9, 2014, 11:27 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20140608_Natural_gas_industry_money_pouring_into_Pa__governor_s_race__mostly_to_Corbett.html

If you look at Corbett's official list of donors, you will not see large numbers of gas industry executives. That is because they are being told to donate to the Republican Governors Association, who is then spending the money to benefit Corbett. Does this sound a little like money laundering?

Phila. Inquirer article.

Excerpts:

"The donations from the shale gas industry have become "a lifeline" for Corbett, but increasingly an albatross as well, said Chris Borick, a political-science professor at Muhlenberg College. "He needs every resource he can get given his poor standing in the polls and a very uphill battle for reelection," Borick said.

And yet the support is placing Corbett in a tough situation as the state faces a large budget shortfall. "He's pushing it," Borick added. "Corbett is inching toward an untenable position where his stance on this issue goes more and more against what the public would like. At the same time, the high support from the shale gas industry leaves him in a difficult position for finding compromise."

Corbett was elected in 2010 after campaigning with a pledge to enact no new taxes, including one on the fracking industry. His campaign had received nearly $1.3 million from the oil and natural gas companies, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. That figure does not include funds from the industry that was filtered through the Republican Governors Association, which gave Corbett $6 million during his first campaign, the institute stated."



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In a recent 3 month period alone, $1.6 million was funneled through the Republican Governors Association accounts to pay for Corbett's re-election campaign. That was the majority of his contributions for the period.

So how many Pennsylvanians do you think are actually funding Corbett's campaign?

http://roxborough.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/corbett-reports-28m-in-fundraising

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