Governor candidates Wolf, Corbett sprint to finish through eastern Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's gubernatorial candidates sprinted toward the finish line Friday, going town to town and rally to rally making their final pitches and encouraging their supporters to cast ballots and get everyone they know to join them.

Democrat Tom Wolf and Republican Gov. Tom Corbett are also mounting a new wave of attacks on each other. To try to capitalize on President Barack Obama's sagging popularity in Pennsylvania, Corbett has begun airing radio and TV ads telling voters that Wolf will try to further Obama's agenda.

"Tom Wolf may just be Barack Obama's biggest fan. Like Obama, Wolf's a liberal. Like Obama, Wolf has never met a tax increase he didn't like," says the Corbett campaign's newest ad.

The ad touches on an Oct. 15 rally with Wolf and first lady Michelle Obama as well as this Sunday's rally with Obama and Wolf at Temple University.

Meanwhile, Wolf is hitting back with perhaps his sharpest TV ad yet, calling Corbett "desperate and dishonest" and the author of a $1 billion cut in education funding and a 28-cent tax increase on gas.

Corbett is seeking a second four-year term in Tuesday's election, while Wolf is trying to make Corbett the first governor to lose a re-election bid since Pennsylvania in 1970 began allowing its governors to serve eight years. Pollsters are projecting turnout to be lower than in past midterm elections; turnout was slightly above 50 percent in 2006 and about 47 percent in 2010.

Wolf has held a substantial lead on Corbett since he won the four-way Democratic primary in May, but recent polls show Corbett narrowing the gap.

In recent weeks, Corbett has accused Wolf as profiting as a businessman by slashing jobs, and he has said Wolf plans a huge middle-class tax increase to fulfill his school spending promises.

Wolf has said he wants to restructure the income tax to cut middle-class taxes and shift more of the tax burden to higher earners while cutting local school property taxes. Wolf also said he wants to raise taxes on the state's natural gas industry and close business tax loopholes to restore funding cuts for public schools under Corbett.

He has accused Corbett of giving tax breaks to the rich and balancing budgets on the backs of the middle class, public schools and the poor.

The campaign action Friday and through the weekend was focused on eastern Pennsylvania.

On Friday, Wolf was attending rallies in Stroudsburg, Allentown, Quakertown and Phoenixville. On Saturday, he'll be in Philadelphia, Chester and Media, and on Sunday, he'll join Obama at a rally at Temple.

Corbett was campaigning Friday in Selinsgrove, Chambersburg, Carlisle and Annville, including a lunchtime event with potential presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. On Saturday, he'll hopscotch from Harrisburg to Wilkes-Barre and spend Sunday in southeastern Pennsylvania, including a rally with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another potential presidential candidate.