Three Democrats also running for office that GOP has held since 1980
By Eric Boehm | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — A state senator has jumped into the race to be the state’s next top prosecutor and defended the way Gov. Tom Corbett handled the investigation into child sexual abuse allegations at Penn State during his tenure as attorney general.
State Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, announced his candidacy for the office of state attorney general on Wednesday morning in Harrisburg. Rafferty said he wanted to “build upon the success” of Corbett and current Attorney General Linda Kelly, who was appointed by Corbett to serve the remainder of his term — including their investigations into child predators and political corruption with grand juries.
He said the office should be investigating corruption in all levels and branches of state government.
Corbett has come under fire for the length of time — more than two years — between when his office began investigating accusations of sexual misconduct by former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky and when charges were filed on Nov. 5.
Questioned about how he viewed Corbett’s handling of the case, Rafferty said his experience as a prosecutor taught him to take the time necessary to collect evidence, but to move an investigation forward in as timely a fashion as possible.
He added that he would support expanding the jurisdiction of the attorney general’s office to investigate state universities, but such a move would require support from the county district attorneys.
The Penn State sex abuse case ended up in the attorney general’s office after then-Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira referred it to the state office over concerns about a conflict of interest in 2009.
Rafferty is the first Republican to officially enter the race, but Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed also is expected to compete for the nomination, according to Republican Party spokeswoman Valerie Caras.
Three Democrats have already declared as candidates in the race: Lackawanna County District Attorney Kathleen Kane, Montgomery County attorney Dan McCafferty, and former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, of Bucks County.
Kane has made several public appearances to discuss the Penn State investigation, but has declined to criticize Corbett's handling of the case, saying she does not have enough information about the inner workings of the office to know if mistakes were made.
Nat Binns, Murphy’s campaign spokesperson, said Wednesday that Rafferty would need to “buy a pair of running shoes” to outwork the former prosecutor and congressman.
Binns also questioned Rafferty’s position as a member of the Harrisburg establishment for nearly 20 years.
“Voters know that with a Harrisburg insider like Sen. Rafferty, they are going to be getting more of the same,” Binns said.
In an emailed statement, McCafferty called Rafferty a good man and a dedicated public servant. McCafferty said he was looking forward to the campaign "and a free exchange of ideas to protect Pennsylvania's families."
Rafferty stressed his experience with both prosecution — as a deputy attorney general from 1988 to 1991 — and in the Legislature as a former chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee. He currently is the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
Corbett was the last elected attorney general, winning statewide elections in 2004 and 2008.
In his re-election, he garnered more than 3 million votes, the highest total ever by a Republican candidate in Pennsylvania. That victory helped springboard him into a successful gubernatorial run two years later.
By comparison, he won only 2.1 million votes in capturing the governorship in 2010.
Kelly was Corbett’s hand-picked successor after working under Corbett in the attorney general’s office and the Allegheny County district attorney’s office.
With no incumbent in the race, Democrats may have a chance of winning the office for the first time since it became an elected position more than three decades ago.
Rafferty said he had a single conversation with Corbett about a potential endorsement, but no commitment has been made.
Former Gov. Ed Rendell has already jumped into what figures to be a highly political attorney general election, and endorsed Murphy in October.
Rafferty picked up a key endorsement on Wednesday as well, gaining the support of the Pennsylvania State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, an organization of active and retired law enforcement personnel.
“John has stood strong with law enforcement and with the victims of crime and against injustice,” said Les Neri, president of the lodge.
The Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association, which represents active and retired firefighters in the state, also endorsed Rafferty on Wednesday.
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