Guess Who's Running for Governor?
Summary: Pittsburghers struggle to name all the Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates. Reporter: Jon Delano, KDKA Channel 2 Airtime: 3 minutes, 11 seconds on May 13 Highlights: * When anchor Stacy Smith sets the scene for last week's election: "[P]eople will be casting their votes in Pennsylvania's primary election. ... But how many people know the names on the ballot from which they will be choosing on Tuesday?" * When Patrice King Brown states, "When it comes to the race for governor, the answer we found may surprise you." Or maybe not. * When Delano posits, "Here's a question for voters: Can you name all six candidates for governor? There are four Democrats and two Republicans. We went out to Grant Street -- you know, where all those government people work -- just to see if anyone really knows who's running for the state's top job." * When Delano reports, with a tongue-in-cheek sense of urgency, "The election is just days away, but many still don't know all the candidates." * When a young woman wearing a Duquesne University shirt rationalizes, "I'm not a law student, and I've been focusing on finals." * When a young man mispronounces -- intentionally, I hope -- the one name in local politics that is familiar: "Ravenshhhtahl, maybe?" * When Delano says, "Then there was this woman, who tried really hard." She takes a stab (or two): "Dan Onorato. Sp...eestak? Is that his name? ... Besides Dan Onorato there's ah, Mark Critz, I think ... Arlen Specter ..." * When Delano prefaces, "And there's that ollld familiar name," before a middle-aged man says with great conviction, "Of course, the incumbent governor." Of course. But as Delano is obliged to point out, "That's Ed Rendell. He's not running again. Eight years is enough." * When Delano remarks, "Locals like Onorato, Wagner and Corbett are better known. ... But some [voters] don't even like the locals." He asks an older woman, "Can you name any of the candidates for governor next week?" She shouts, "No! No! None! No." Delano then asks, "What about our county executive?" And she replies, "Who? Oh, go away!" Delano presses, as she pushes his microphone away, "What about our auditor general, Jack Wagner?" "No, not him either." Then she dashes off. What We Learned: In this city, running for the bus takes precedence over running for governor. Unanswered Question: Who are the six Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates? News Value: 8. Now you know the rest of the story. If you get a chance, go to KDKA's website and watch this. It's a hoot.
