House Speaker Mike Turzai To Run For Pennsylvania Governor
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WEXFORD, Pa. (AP) - Republican House Speaker Mike Turzai, the Pennsylvania Legislature's most prominent budget hawk, is running for governor.
Turzai told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he'll seek the Republican nomination in May's primary election to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is seeking a second term.
The 58-year-old from suburban Pittsburgh enters what's now a four-person Republican primary field.
As House majority leader and then speaker, Turzai has helped drive austerity in state budgeting this decade.
He's been a constant adversary of Wolf, particularly in the two drawn-out budget fights since Wolf became governor in 2015.
Also running are York County state Sen. Scott Wagner and two first-time candidates from the Pittsburgh area: lawyer Laura Ellsworth and former health care systems consultant Paul Mango.
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