Bruce Castor Will Not Challenge Gov. Corbett In 2014 Republican Primary
by Tony Romeo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Saying Republicans are solidly behind the incumbent, Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor has decided not to challenge incumbent Tom Corbett in next year's Republican primary for governor. KYW Harrisburg Bureau Chief Tony Romeo reports.
His popularity sagging in the polls, and a long line of Democrats queuing up for a chance to oust him from office, at least Governor Corbett won't have to worry about a challenge from an old Republican party rival.
It was back in December that Bruce Castor let it be known that he was mulling a campaign, citing the incumbent's lackluster performance, and has on an almost weekly basis since then sent missives to the press corps criticizing Corbett on various issues.
On his Facebook page Tuesday, Castor said his duties as a Montgomery County Commissioner, and his commitments to his law practice and family make a "massive undertaking such as running for governor impossible" in this election cycle.
But in an interview with KYW Newsradio, Castor admitted his assessment of the political landscape had something to do with it, too.
"I went up and down almost on a daily basis and what I saw was that despite the bad publicity that the governor gets, that there's a solid wall of support among the important Republicans and donors in our state, and I've decided that it's not the time for me to buck that trend," said Castor.
Castor notes he had already gone a week past his self-imposed deadline to decide.
