Tom Wolf wins democratic nomination

Tom Wolf will run against Governor Tom Corbett in November after winning the democratic nomination for Pennsylvania governor on Tuesday.

Wolf, Pennsylvania businessman and former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, ran against three other candidates: former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Katie McGinty, Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord and the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District Allyson Schwartz.

Wolf, 65, is chairman of the Wolf Organization, his family-owned exterior building and kitchen cabinet business. According to his website, he stepped down as CEO of the company to focus on his gubernatorial campaign. 

Corbett, originally from Shaler Township, announced that he would run for re-election in last November. 

A survey by Quinnipiac University in February projected that Wolf beat Corbett by 19 percentage points in the gubernatorial race. 

Corbett’s low approval ratings as governor could give Wolf a chance to unseat the incumbent governor, a rare occurrence in the commonwealth’s recent history. 

Several Oakland residents who voted at the No. 14 fire station on McKee Place said they felt strongly about this election.

Franco Pasquarelli, 29, said the governor should focus on improving Pennsylvanian roads, public safety and the education system.

“I feel like every time I drive through the city, I see another public school closed down,”  Pasquarelli said. “Where are these kids going to school?”

Michael J. Stack III also won the democratic nomination for lieutenant governor and will run against Republican incumbent Jim Cawley in November. 

Oakland resident Bill Halferty, 60, said he was disappointed with the voter turnout on Tuesday.

“If you don’t vote, you can’t complain,” Halferty said. “It’s your right, and you should take advantage of it.” 

Halferty described this year’s election day as “poor.” At 7 p.m. when Halferty voted, he said he was the 36th person to vote at the McKee Place polling station. The polls closed at 8 p.m.

“I used to be number 36 when I showed up at 7 a.m.,” Halferty said. “It’s just not the same anymore.”