GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Scott Wagner Wants To Be Pa.'s 'Blue Collar Governor'
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner was in Pittsburgh on Friday, pressing the flesh at the Central Diner in Robinson.
The candidate, who earlier sat down with KDKA political editor Jon Delano, makes no apologies he wants to shake things up in Harrisburg.
"I'm a guy who wants to get things done. I can be described as a disrupter, or like a bull in a china closet. Yeah, I am a bull in a china closet because when I go in there I want to get things done," he said.
A self-made millionaire in the waste management business, Wagner dropped out of college to start a company.
"You know, I consider myself a blue collar guy. I've had a lot of great opportunities, started eight to nine different businesses," Wagner said.
Like Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, Wagner got into politics late in life, winning a remarkable write-in election to the state Senate four years ago.
Wagner says he wants to help blue-collar Pennsylvanians left behind.
"Listen, I'm a blue collar guy. I believe that 75 percent of Pennsylvanians are blue collar," Wagner said. "Can you imagine having a blue collar governor who's fighting for the blue collar folks out there?"
Wagner has called Harrisburg a swamp and been critical of both Republicans, who control the legislature, and the governor.
"Harrisburg is really dysfunctional," he said.
Wagner says education will be the cornerstone of his administration, and he says the increased funding under Wolf has been misdirected.
"That money has not been hitting the classrooms. It's going to pension costs, to wage and benefits increases. It's not going in the classroom," he said.
When it comes to school safety, Wagner says every school must install metal detectors.
"Every school needs a single point of entry. Jon, when I came into your building, I had to check in. Doors are locked. I couldn't get through those doors," he said. "We need to have a single point of entry in every school and, unfortunately, we're going to have to put scanners in."
A strong supporter of President Trump, Wagner says this race is not about Trump.
"This is about Scott Wagner and the people of Pennsylvania," he said.
