Tom Wolf (politician)

Tom Wolf
47th Governor of Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2015
Lieutenant	Michael Stack
Preceded by	Tom Corbett
Secretary of Revenue of Pennsylvania
In office April 25, 2007 – November 30, 2008
Governor	Ed Rendell
Preceded by	Gregory Fajt
Succeeded by	Stephen Stetler
Personal details
Born	Thomas Westerman Wolf (1948-11-17) November 17, 1948 York, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Frances Donnelly (1975–present)
Children	2
Residence	York, Pennsylvania (personal) Governor's Residence (while in office)
Alma mater	Dartmouth College (A.B.) University of London (M.Phil) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ph.D)
Religion	Episcopalianism (Formerly United Methodism)
Signature
Website	Government website

Thomas Westerman "Tom" Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is a politician and businessman and is the 47th and current Governor of Pennsylvania, since taking office on January 20, 2015. A Democrat, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 gubernatorial election. Previously, Wolf served as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue from April 2007 until November 2008 and as an executive in his family-owned business.

Early life and education

Wolf was born on November 17, 1948, in York, Pennsylvania, the son of Cornelia Rohlman (née Westerman) and William Trout "Bill" Wolf, a business executive. Wolf was raised in Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania, which was named after his ancestor, the town's postmaster. He was raised Methodist but is now affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

Wolf graduated from The Hill School, a boarding school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, in 1967. He went on to receive an A.B. in government, magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1972, an M.Phil. from the University of London in 1978, and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981. While a student at Dartmouth, Wolf joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in India. He met his wife, Frances, at school and married her in 1975. They have two adult daughters.

Business and early political career

After graduating, Wolf began working for the Wolf Organization Inc., a building materials company owned by his family based in York, as a forklift operator. He purchased the company in 1985 with two partners. During the administration of Governor Robert P. Casey, Wolf served on an economic development board and on the Pennsylvania Legislative Commission on Urban Schools.

After selling his company to a private equity firm in 2006, Wolf was nominated in January 2007 by then-Governor Ed Rendell to be the Secretary of Revenue of Pennsylvania. He served in that position on Rendell's cabinet from his April 2007 confirmation by the Pennsylvania State Senate until resigning in November 2008. He had planned to run for Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2010 election, but ultimately did not in order to repurchase the Wolf Organization, which was facing bankruptcy. Wolf continued to serve as an executive in The Wolf Organization until his election as Governor. He served as chairman and chief executive officer until stepping down from the latter position in December 2013 to focus on his gubernatorial campaign and from the board altogether in December 2014 following his election.

Wolf serves as Chair of the York County United Way, the York County Community Foundation, the York College Board of Trustees, and as Chairman of the York County Chamber of Commerce. He has also been active in the York Jewish Community Center, the Memorial Hospital of York, and a regional public television system.

Governor of Pennsylvania

2014 election

See also: Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2014

On April 2, 2013, Wolf announced his candidacy for Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2014 election. He pledged $10 million of his personal wealth toward the primary election, with an intent to raise at least $5 million from supporters throughout the state. He was the third person to announce candidacy, following John Hanger of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Max Meyers, a minister from Cumberland County, but at least four others were expected to join the race.

By March 2014, several polls suggested Wolf was the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination following an extensive television campaign as well as field operative Brendan Murray's effort in traditionally Republican central Pennsylvania. A Franklin & Marshall College poll conducted in late February 2014 showed Wolf with a 27-point lead over his nearest competitor, Allyson Schwartz, and a Harper poll showed him leading Schwartz by 26 percentage points, as did an additional Franklin & Marshall poll in late March 2014.

In late April and early May, Wolf faced attacks from fellow candidate Rob McCord over his association with controversial former York, Pennsylvania, mayor Charlie Robertson. Allyson Schwartz also accused Wolf's campaign of plagiarizing his "Fresh Start" plan from an energy equipment company. Despite the attacks, a Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll suggested Wolf continued to lead with 38% to Allyson Schwartz's and Rob McCord's respective 13% and 11%.

Wolf takes the oath of office as Governor on January 20, 2015

In the May 20 primary, Wolf defeated Schwartz, McCord, and Katie McGinty, to win the Democratic nomination for Governor. As such, he faced incumbent Governor Tom Corbett in the November general election. Heading into the final two months of the campaign, a number of polls indicated a varying but consistent advantage for Wolf over Corbett. Although Corbett slightly narrowed the deficit as the election approached, Wolf maintained a persistent lead in the race. On November 4, Wolf was elected Governor with 54.9% of the vote.

Tenure

Governor Wolf as he signs an executive order to ban fracking in State Parks on January 29, 2015 while others look on

Wolf assumed office as the 47th Governor of Pennsylvania upon the expiration of Tom Corbett's term on January 20, 2015, with the inaugural ceremony occurring in front of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. Upon taking office, Wolf opted not to move into the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence, instead commuting from his home in York; however, a spokesman for Wolf indicated that the residence would still be used for official events and other functions. Shortly after being sworn in, Wolf signed two executive orders banning gifts to state employees and requiring a bidding process for outside legal contracts. Wolf also restored a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", in state parks and placed a moratorium on the death penalty within Pennsylvania.

Wolf proposed the first budget of his tenure in March 2015, which includes an increase in education spending, reductions in property taxes and the corporate tax, and a new severance tax on natural gas. Six months into his tenure, in July 2015, Wolf was named by the websites OnTheIssues and InsideGov as the most liberal incumbent governor in the United States based on a rating of public statements and press releases among other measures; Wolf rejected this assessment, arguing that his policies are directed by practicality rather than ideology.

On July 1, 2015, Wolf vetoed a budget submitted to him by the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania General Assembly, ensuring a budget dispute between the governor's office and the legislature during Wolf's first year in office. This marked the first time a Pennsylvania Governor vetoed a budget bill in its entirety since Milton Shapp did so in 1976. Wolf argued the budget was not balanced, disputing a claim by Republicans that the budget would provide increased funding in certain areas without raising taxes. A point of dispute in the budget process is the proposed privatization of Pennsylvania's wine and liquor sales, which Wolf opposes.

Electoral history

Democratic gubernatorial primary results, 2014
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Wolf	488,917	57.86
	Democratic	Allyson Schwartz	149,027	17.64
	Democratic	Rob McCord	142,311	16.84
	Democratic	Kathleen McGinty	64,754	7.66
Total votes			845,009	100

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2014
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Wolf	1,920,355	54.93
	Republican	Tom Corbett (Incumbent)	1,575,511	45.07
Total votes			3,495,866	100
	Democratic gain from Republican

External links

• Governor Tom Wolf — Official government site

Party political offices
Preceded by Dan Onorato	Democratic nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania 2014	Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Tom Corbett	Governor of Pennsylvania 2015–present	Incumbent