HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding news that Governor Ed Rendell has pushed over $75,000 to Dan Onorato’s gubernatorial campaign.

“Ed Rendell’s more than a role model to Dan Onorato, he’s also his benefactor,” Gleason said. “Dan Onorato and Ed Rendell both share a love of higher taxes, bigger government and more spending, so it makes sense that Ed Rendell would bankroll his protégé’s campaign. After eight years of late budgets and out-of-control spending, do we really want to continue the policies of Ed Rendell by electing Dan Onorato?

“If Dan Onorato is serious about the fact that he’s ‘not Ed Rendell,’ as he claims, then will he have the courage to stand up to his ‘role model’ and return all of the campaign contributions that he’s received from Rendell?  I doubt it!

“The fact of the matter is that Dan Onorato is not only Ed Rendell’s protégé – he’s his puppet. At a time when our Commonwealth is in dire need of a new direction, Dan Onorato is promoting the same, tired policies that Ed Rendell has been peddling for years. If you like Ed Rendell, you’ll love Dan Onorato, but if you like fiscal solutions and government reform based on common-sense, Tom Corbett is your candidate for Governor!”

Capitolwire.com is reporting that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato has received more than $75,000 from Rendell’s campaign coffers.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett may not be running against Gov. Ed Rendell, but he is running against some of his cash.

Friday’s campaign finance report from Democratic governor candidate and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato shows an Oct. 7 donation of $50,000 from Rendell’s campaign war chest. The governor also hosted an Oct. 8 luncheon for Onorato, valued as a $1,231.20 in-kind contribution.

Rendell gave another $25,000 from his campaign fund on Thursday – the day he declared the natural gas extraction tax negotiations dead.

Onorato also reported receiving contributions on Sept. 29 from a dozen or so members of the Rendell administration, totaling at least $6,100. Those donating to Onorato include: Colleen Kopp, his secretary for legislative affairs; Donna Cooper, Rendell’s policy secretary; Budget Secretary Mary Soderberg, Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, acting Insurance Commissioner Robert L. Pratter, and press secretary Gary Tuma.  (Under The Dome, Capitolwire, 10/26/10)

In addition to receiving money from Governor Ed Rendell’s Political Action Committee, Dan Onorato also received $20,000 in May from former Rendell Chief of Staff and embattled Chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority John Estey. In August, Onorato refused to state whether or not he would remove the embattled Estey from his position, despite numerous allegations of corruption at DRPA. (Tom Infield, “Onorato Sidesteps Question On DRPA’s Chairman’s Future,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/5/10,)

“It’s certainly interesting that Dan Onorato also received a $20,000 campaign contribution from former Rendell Chief of Staff John Estey just a few months before he refused to answer whether or not he would remove him as Chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority. It just serves as further proof that Dan Onorato is more than happy to carry on the ‘business-as-usual’ style of politics that Ed Rendell has brought to Pennsylvania for the past eight years.”