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Tom Wolf Gets Head Start In Campaign Advertising For Governor

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- In mid-winter it's hard to think politics. But don't tell Tom Wolf that. He's already running campaign ads for governor.

"I really need to get my story out. That's my strategy. I'm not a career politician," Wolf told KDKA political editor Jon Delano on Friday.

Wolf is a York County businessman who has never run for office, and he's beating his fellow Democrats at the start with a 60-second ad now on TV across the state.

Excerpt from Wolf advertisement:
Wolf: "I was born and raised in central Pennsylvania."
Daughter 1: "Dad joined the Peace Corps and served for two years in India."
Daughter 2: "And then he went to MIT where he earned a Ph.D."

With nearly four months before the May primary, Wolf has the first major TV buy, although Katie McGinty ran a cable TV ad just before the State of the Union speech on Tuesday evening.

Excerpt from McGinty advertisement:
McGinty: "I grew up in a household where hard work was the order of the day. My dad was a policeman and my mom worked nights in a restaurant."

Why such an early start?

Because nobody really knows the eight Democrats who want to take on Gov. Tom Corbett.

"For the most part, all of us need to introduce ourselves to the voters, and the voters have I think a good selection of really qualified, talented people," said Wolf.

But early advertising costs money, and just released finance reports shows who has the cash right now.

Wolf -- a multi-millionaire -- has $11.8 million in cash, while Pa. State Treasurer Rob McCord has $6.0 million, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz has $4.5 million, and former Environmental Protection Secretary McGinty has $1.8 million.

With the exception of Wolf, who has twice the cash of his nearest competitor, don't expect the others on TV anytime soon.

It's still early, and the general rule is once you go on TV, you want to stay on TV. That's what Wolf tells KDKA he intends to do.

RELATED LINKS:
Tom Wolf Brings Business Skills To Run For Pa. Governor (1/7/14)
More Reports by Jon Delano

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