Pennsylvania's election for Treasurer was held on November 4, 2008. Democratic incumbent Treasurer Robin Wiessmann had been appointed by Governor Ed Rendell to fill Bob Casey Jr.'s term when he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006; Wiessman's appointment included the condition that she would not run for election in 2008.[1]
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 County results McCord: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 80–90% Ellis: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Candidates
editFour candidates sought the Democratic nomination for the office: John Cordisco, an attorney and former State Representative from New Hope; Rob McCord, a venture capitalist from Lower Merion; Dennis Morrison-Wesley, an investment banker from Harrisburg; and Jennifer Mann, a State Representative from Allentown[2] McCord won the primary by a fair margin and faced Tom Ellis in the general election on November 4, 2008; the Republican Ellis, a Montgomery County Commissioner, was unopposed for the nomination.[3]
McCord had no prior record in elected office, but worked at the beginning of his career on Capitol Hill, specializing in "budget and regulatory issues."[4] McCord worked more recently as a financial advisor and venture capitalist; his website claims that, during his career, he managed $1 billion in assets and has indirectly worked to create more than 1,900 jobs in Pennsylvania.[4] McCord's opponents, especially Cordisco, have accused him of a lack of financial transparency and of risking conflicts of interest were he to become Treasurer.[5]
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rob McCord | 3,104,242 | 54.98% | −6.28% | |
| Republican | Tom Ellis | 2,422,628 | 42.90% | +6.40% | |
| Libertarian | Berlie Etzel | 119,748 | 2.12% | +1.0% | |
| Majority | 681,614 | 12.08% | |||
| Turnout | 5,646,618 | 100% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
- ^ Philadelphia Inquirer: "From Pa. suburbs, 2 run for treasurer," 2 July 2007
- ^ Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Four Dems seek party's nod for state treasurer," 22 March 2008 Archived 9 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Philadelphia Inquirer: "Democrats pick McCord to run for Pa. treasurer," 23 April 2008
- ^ a b Rob McCord for State Treasurer: Bio Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cordisco Campaign, via PRNewswire: "Candidate for Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord's Track Record Managing Commonwealth's Money Called Into Question," 11 April 2008