Trujillo floated endorsement a month ago, Corbett says

By Alex Roarty, PolitickerPA.com Reporter

HARRISBURG -- Attorney General Tom Corbett said Thursday that "it's a great honor" to receive the endorsement of his 2004 opponent's campaign manager, Ken Trujillo.

Trujillo, who ran Democrat Jim Eisenhower's campaign in 2004 and is now Philadelphia City Solicitor, wrote in The Inquirer that not re-electing Corbett "would be a huge mistake for Pennsylvania."

The attorney general faces Democrat John Morganelli this year in a race expected to very competitive, particularly as the Republican incumbent grapples with an in-state 1.24 million voter registration advantage for Democrats.

Corbett, speaking to PolitickerPA.com after a litany of law enforcement groups endorsed him at a Friday afternoon press conference in the Capitol, said Trujillo's public endorsement this week wasn't a surprise. It was a surprise a month ago, he said, when the solicitor initially reached out to him.

"It's always a pleasant surprise when your former opponent's campaign manager endorses you," Corbett said.

Trujillo's support has helped connect the campaign to several groups inside Philadelphia, including the Latino population, Corbett said.

The attorney general sought to further bolster his bi-partisan appeal Thursday when he touted re-election support he received from three Democratic district attorneys -- Northumberland County DA Tony Rosini, Fayette County DA Nancy Vernon and Armstrong County DA Scott Andreassi.

"Fighting crime and protecting families is not a partisan issue," Corbett said.

Corbett was also publicly endorsed at the press conference by the Pennsylvania State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association.

Gov. Ed Rendell has said repeatedly that all Republican statewide candidates, including the attorney general, are in danger of losing this year because this climate is so favorable to Democrats.

"I can't disagree with that. If all Democrats go into the booth" and vote straight Democrat, Corbett said, I'd lose.

"But that didn't happen four years ago," he added.

Corbett beat Eisenhower by about 110,000 votes in 2004, just 2.1 percentage points.

See also on PolitickerPA.com:

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Alex Roarty is a PolitickerPA.com Reporter and can be reached via email at noreply@politicker.com.

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