Sen. John Rafferty (R-Montgomery) said Wednesday he was dropping out of the race for Attorney General after Gov. Tom Corbett said he would soon endorse Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed, for that post.
Freed, who, according to Capitolwire.com, is now expected to be unopposed for the Republican State Committee endorsement and possibly unopposed in the April primary, will vie with the winner of the Democratic primary for that office: Philadelphia attorney and former prosecutor Dan McCaffery, Lackawanna attorney and former prosecutor Kathleen Kane and former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (R-Bucks).
Sen. Rafferty released a statement acknowledging Corbett’s endorsement and praising Freed and thanking his supporters, especially southeastern party officials and state Senate leaders who tried to dissuade Corbett from endorsing Freed.
Corbett had planned to endorse Freed last week, but waited until this week to make it clear he would do so, after he was lobbied by Rafferty supporters.
Sen. Rafferty's complete statement follows--
“My campaign for Attorney General has afforded me a great opportunity; an opportunity to travel to every corner of our great state and learn firsthand the unique challenges facing the voters. I am humbled by the support I received from each region of our state and value the friendships that have been forged and strengthened during this campaign. I trust that these friendships will persevere through passing political cycles.
"While I remain encouraged by the support I have received from members of the Republican State Committee and respect the committee’s endorsement process, I also respect the role Gov. Tom Corbett plays as the titular head of our party. The governor has communicated to me that he will be supporting Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed for the Office of Attorney General; therefore, I will be suspending my campaign for the same office. I have gotten to know Dave Freed on the campaign trail. He is someone I like and one who has compiled a strong record as District Attorney.
"I would like to personally thank all the members of the Republican State Committee who lent their support to my candidacy. In particular, I sincerely thank the Southeast Republican chairmen who were very early supporters of my endeavor. Additionally, I want to thank Senators Joe Scarnati and Dominic Pileggi and the rest of my senate colleagues who lent their unwavering support to my effort. Lastly, I want to thank my campaign chairman, Bob Asher. Bob is transcendent in the world of Pennsylvania Republican politics and provided instant credibility to my campaign.
"I have always enjoyed representing the citizens of the 44th District in the State Senate and plan to remain serving in that role. As Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, I look forward to reviewing the governor’s comprehensive transportation funding plan that will jumpstart our economy and improve the poor conditions of our roads and bridges. We also have many other important issues to address this session. I will continue to aggressively pursue solutions and speak with an independent voice to make our commonwealth more “job friendly” and a safer place to live and raise a family.”
