Wolf and Corbett hold last Pa. gov debate

PITTSBURGH -- Republican Gov. Tom Corbett and Democratic challenger Tom Wolf appealed for voters' support in the last debate of the gubernatorial campaign Wednesday night with Corbett saying he deserves re-election because his work is "not finished yet" and Wolf vowing that he can do the job better.

The candidates fielded a barrage of questions from a three panelists as well as TV viewers who submitted questions through social media websites about issues including taxes, public pensions and election laws. But they broke no new ground in the hourlong debate at WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.

Corbett renewed his attack on unanswered questions about Wolf's far-reaching proposal to overhaul the state income tax to shift more of the cost onto the wealthiest taxpayers, accusing his opponent of "trying to be all things to all people."

"Mr. Wolf wants to spend more money ... the question is how much?" Corbett said. "Whose taxes are going to go up? Whose taxes are going to go down?"

Wolf, a first-time candidate who ran his family's York-based building products company for nearly three decades, reiterated that his goal is to provide level or lower income taxes for workers who make as much as $90,000 a year and increases on those who earn more.

"If you're in the $70,000 to $90,000 range as an individual - and you can double that if you're married - you should not pay any more in taxes. And people making below that would get a break," he said.

Wolf said his proposals may have to be tempered by financial problems that he suggested Corbett is responsible for but which have not come to light.

"I think I've been as specific as I possibly can be," he said.

Independent polls show Wolf leading Corbett, a former two-term attorney general, by a wide margin, although a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed the margin narrowing slightly in Corbett's favor as more Republicans threw their support behind him.

The election is Nov. 4.