Corbett Slipping Already???

Last night, there was a State Senate Special Election in PA. The Democrat, Judy Schwenk, won a previously Democratic state, in a district that Corbett had done well in, despite heavy involvement from Corbett. Democratic State Chairman Jim Burn released this statement:

"Congratulations to Judy Schwank, a state Senator who will fight for the middle class in the spirit of Senator Michael O'Pake," said Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Jim Burn. "Democrats worked together to ensure a victory in a difficult district, and I applaud the effort of everyone involved. This was a successful, all hands on deck effort with a strong focus on grassroots.

During her campaign, Judy Schwank focused on creating jobs, getting the economy back on track and standing up to Tom Corbett and his budget that will likely increase property taxes and tuition for middle class families.

Tom Corbett has spent his early days in office attacking the middle class while fighting for his largest donors and other corporate special interests. Today's election was a referendum on Tom Corbett and his record. In this early test, Tom Corbett and his budget have been roundly rejected by voters."

Meanwhile, Corbett's allies are taking to making things up, as is pointed out by LVI.

It's too bad that the Morning Call saw fit to publish the following false claim from Michelle Griffin-Young of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce in an unfortunate op-ed supporting Tom Corbett's budget cuts:
It is time for Pennsylvania to change its ranking of 47th in the nation for job growth. As the governor said, "government is not meant to be the answer for jobs. The private sector is."
Perhaps Ms. Griffin-Young is unaware that Pennsylvania ranked third in the nation in number of jobs created, but there's no excuse for the Morning Call not to have fact-checked this whopper. Here's Steven Herzenberg from the Keystone Research Center:
While far too many Pennsylvania families are struggling in the aftermath of the worst recession in decades, the state’s economy is rebounding better – and faster – than most states.

In 2010, the Commonwealth added more than 65,000 jobs, ranking third among the 50 states in the number of jobs created. On a percentage basis (adjusting for the size of each state’s economy), Pennsylvania’s job growth was 1.2% — exceeding three-fourths of all states.

Don't let things like facts and statistics get in the way of a GOP talking point.

Sounds to me like Tom Corbett isn't off to the start he hoped for. With potential opponents like Joe Sestak and Rob McCord waiting in the wings, he increasingly looks like a one-term Governor to me.