Rohrer Wants To Debate Corbett Before Endorsement

Attorney General Tom Corbett’s poll numbers, fundraising efforts and key endorsements make him the favorite for the Republican gubernatorial nomination this year, but State Representative Sam Rohrer says those facts won’t knock him out of the party’s primary.
Roher is staking his claim as the conservative candidate in the race for Republican nomination.
When the Republican State Committee meets next month, it’s expected to officially endorse Attorney General Tom Corbett’s campaign for governor. Rohrer says that’s the wrong decision, and argues an open, contested primary is the best way to make sure the eventual nominee supports conservative issues.

"By pursuing a top-heavy, not a bottom-up, approach to candidate selection, Republicans are missing the best opportunity they ever had to build a strong ideas-driven party. By pandering to conservative groups instead of embracing their policy solutions, they are becoming a social club, not a vehicle for advancing key ideas."

The Berks County lawmaker says he’s worried an uncontested primary would let the eventual GOP nominee cater to independent moderate voters, and only pay lip-service to the party’s core conservative base. The Berks County lawmaker, who’s running on a platform of eliminating property taxes and reducing government spending, says he wants to debate Corbett before the state committee meets, though he concedes that likely won’t happen.