Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Wagner ran for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2002 Democratic primary on a ticket with then-Auditor General Bob Casey, Jr. Despite Democratic State Committee endorsement, he lost to former State Treasurer Catherine Baker Knoll, who became the running mate of the party's gubernatorial nominee, former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell.
In 2004, Wagner ran to succeed Casey as Auditor General and won in a landslide. He became Pennsylvania's 50th elected Auditor General on January 18, 2005. He is responsible for auditing school districts, executive agencies, and state commissions to ensure fiscal responsibility. The legislature is exempt from the Auditor General’s purview. The Auditor General also serves as an ex officio commissioner of the Delaware River Port Authority.
Wagner won re-election by a landslide on November 4, 2008, beating Republican businessman Chet Beiler. Wagner outpolled Beiler 59% to 38%. He earned the most votes of any candidate in Pennsylvania (3.26 million), including Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
On July 20, 2009, Wagner announced his candidacy for Governor, becoming the first Democrat to publicly declare his candidacy for the office. Despite earning the endorsement of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the state's largest newspaper, Wagner finished second in the four person Democratic primary field. Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, who outpolled Wagner by over 200,000 votes, went on to lose the general election to State Attorney General Tom Corbett.
Wagner had been considered a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania in 2010, prior to his gubernatorial announcement.
Read more about this topic: Jack Wagner (politician), Politician
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