Politics

Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Corbett Loses To Democrat Tom Wolf [VIDEO]

Giuseppe Macri Tech Editor
Font Size:

Democrat Tom Wolf has defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in the Tuesday midterm elections in Pennsylvania.

Republican Gov. Tom Corbett made history in Pennsylvania’s Tuesday night midterm elections as the first single-term gubernatorial office holder in Pennsylvania in 40 years, losing by double digits to Democratic challenger Tom Wolf and breaking the keystone state’s quadruple-decade tradition of electing governors to two four-years terms and alternating between Republicans and Democrats every eight years.

Wolf, an MIT Ph.D. graduate, former CEO of the largest family owned supplier of kitchen cabinets in the U.S. and former Pennsylvania secretary of revenue under Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell has maintained a double-digit lead over Corbett since the May primaries. The Washington Post declared Corbett “the most-endangered governor in the country” in July of last year. (RELATED: Corbett Rethinks Pennsylvania Natural Gas Tax)

Poll numbers through the end of October put Wolf ahead of Corbett by 11 points. (RELATED: Labor Unions Endorse Democrat For Pennsylvania Governor)

Corbett has come under fire for overseeing a reduction in the state’s education budget since taking office in 2011, and Wolf repeatedly accused Corbett of cutting education funding by $1 billion. (RELATED: Pennsylvania Governor Latest To Turn On Common Core)

The incumbent governor was also plagued by a series of political gaffes that began in 2012, when Corbett commented on a bill in the state legislature requiring women to undergo an ultrasound before terminating a pregnancy.

“I don’t know how you make anybody watch,” Corbett said during a press conference at the Capitol in March. “OK? Because you just have to close your eyes.”

WATCH:

In August of 2013 the Corbett administration filed a legal brief against a county register’s approval of a same-sex marriage license before the later court ruling legalizing marriage equality. In the brief, Corbett’s lawyers said LGBT marriages were “the same as 12-year-olds getting married,” according to PhillyNow.  After releasing an apology, Corbett appeared on a CBS interview, during which he said “a much better analogy would be a brother and sister.”

WATCH:

While speaking in July about reforming Pennsylvania’s archaic alcohol regulation, which mandates state-run liquor stores for the sale of wine and spirits, Corbett implied allowing alcohol sales in grocery stores would give women more time in the evening to get home and make dinner.

WATCH:

Last month Corbett’s final gaffe made it all the way to the desk of Comedy Central “Colbert Report” host Stephen Colbert when it was revealed a photo on the governor’s website was photoshopped to include a black woman — an apparent effort to increase the governor’s diverse appeal.

WATCH:

Follow Giuseppe on Twitter and Facebook