By Kevin Zwick , Staff Reporter
Capitolwire
HARRISBURG (April 9) – The natural enemy of the Wolf was Allyson Schwartz on Wednesday night.
From beginning to end, U.S Rep. Schwartz gave York businessman Tom Wolf a taste of front-runner status, questioning him on various fronts: the bank loan used to partially fund his $10 million campaign contribution, his “unconventional candidate” business background, and his sometimes wonky explanations of policy issues.
Five minutes into the debate, Schwartz turned to Wolf and told him being governor is really different than running a business, taking a shot at Wolf who later on touted “a compelling vision” that drove him through various points of background like the Peace Corp, academics and turning around a business.
“It’s different. This is just really hard work,” Schwartz said pressing again on Wolf’s background and recalling her own legislative work. “…It took persistence and not always everybody liking you to get it done.”
The debate, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents Association and Widener University School of Law, featured Schwartz, Wolf and former DEP Secretary Katie McGinty. State Treasurer Rob McCord did not participate due to a scheduling conflict.
Schwartz pressed harder on Wolf’s bank loan he used to fund about $4 million of the $10 million he used to fund his campaign, while noting she was the only candidate not to self-fund her campaign.
“It concerns me, it really does,” Schwartz said, turning to Wolf again and asking him to answer questions about the loan. “I think the public deserves to know.”
Wolf, who is enjoying a comfortable lead in recent polls, seemed to be trying to keep the peace enjoyed among the Democratic field that had been solely focused on bringing down Gov. Tom Corbett – he offered mostly collegial responses.
“We do have to figure out a way to allow open access to candidates who want to run for public office who don’t start with great name recognition or a long career in politics,” Wolf said, acknowledging he should offer answers.
“In my case, I had the ability to fund a campaign, I had the ability to borrow $4 million from the bank,” he said, using private resources, not corporate resources. The remainder of the $10 million came from cash and liquidated assets, his campaign said. His financial statement shows he received a 3.1875 percent interest rate on his M&T loan.
“I did this in a way that allowed me to get my story,” he said, later saying he was “playing by the rules of the game.”
