Pennsylvania Senator Dan Laughlin confirmed to Erie News Now Friday night that he's considering a run for Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2022 republican primary election.
He sat down Saturday morning with Erie News Now for a conversation on why he's thinking about it, and what it will take to finalize his decision.
In the office of the Laughlin construction business he ran before being elected to the state senate, Dan Laughlin said he's been thinking about a run for governor for a while. Philosophically, he likes his chances. "From what I understand most of the people running, at least of the names that I've heard so far, would be more toward the right edge of our party and I'm more in the center," Laughlin said, "and I think that provides an option for the voters."
Laughlin said word that he is thinking about a run drew attention a little sooner than he hoped, but now he will be watching to see how much traction his name gets and if he can attract enough funding for a gubernatorial campaign.
In his view others eyeing the race have the ability to spend millions of dollars of their own money. "I'm not that candidate," Laughlin said. "One of the things that I think that I offer though is a choice for the primary voters of basically a blue collar guy who has done fairly well for himself, that started from a housing project, and most of the other candidates, the names I've heard, don't have that life experience," he added.
You might say Laughlin has been testing the waters lately, introducing measures in Harrisburg not traditionally aligned with the GOP platform, from legalizing recreational marijuana, to raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour, and tying it to inflation. "I think somebody could certainly paint that picture, but these were things that were on my to do list anyway, that I didn't feel that as a first term senator that I'd be able to get much traction with."
After his first four and a half years in Harrisburg, Senator Laughlin said he has learned a lot about which things in Pennsylvania run well, and which don't. "And I'll give you a prime example," he said, "our unemployment system is a disaster right now."
The senator believes he can bring his common sense approach to the state's biggest problems, if he decides to run.
Laughlin defeated democrat Julie Slomski just last November to retain the 49th District PA Senate seat, in a race that clearly got under his skin. So is he ready to reenter the ring for an even bigger fight? "I think the last campaign Lisa really tested you know my resolve —granted it was a little bit of a rough and tumble campaign, but I do kind of enjoy the fight if you will, so we'll see where this leads," Laughlin said.
The senator says he should know by the end of June who else may run, and if he will officially enter the race for governor in the republican primary. "If there's a republican rock star that I'm like -- I'd rather have him as governor-- then I'll pull out and support that person, but so far I haven't seen that name yet," he said. Erie News Now asked, "so far you're the republican rock star?" Senator Laughlin replied, "I think so."