Wolf and Corbett have similar bankrolls at end

In the final two weeks of Pennsylvania's gubernatorial campaign, Democrat Tom Wolf and Republican Gov. Corbett have ended up with roughly the same amount of money to spend - not counting any new fund-raising - which bodes well for Wolf as he continues to lead in the polls.

Wolf reported about $3 million cash on hand and Corbett about $3.2 million, according to Friday's campaign finance reports, the last to be filed before the Nov. 4 election.

"They can neutralize each other's efforts in the home stretch, at least in terms of ad volume," said Chris Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College.

"But the front-runner still appears to be Tom Wolf. And if they have similar resources, it's a lot easier for Wolf if Corbett is trying to make up some ground."

Wolf outraised and outspent Corbett in the six weeks between Sept. 16 and Oct. 20, the filings show. The Democrat brought in $3.3 million - including $100,000 from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg - and spent double that amount.

Wolf's union allies chipped in nearly $500,000 in this period. More than $200,000 of it came from Local 98 of the Electricians union, headed by Philadelphia power broker John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, and the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the largest teachers' union in the state.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania arm of the Democratic Governors Association has given most of its money away - just not to Wolf. It pumped nearly a half-million dollars into Wolf's campaign but transferred more than $3 million to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Maine, U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud.

According to Corbett's filings, he raised $2.9 million, which included a $250,000 check from John S. Middleton, one of the Phillies owners, and spent $4.4 million.

The governor's largest contributor for the period appeared to be the state GOP, which gave him $300,000. Corbett received $50,000 from John A. Catsimatidis, who ran for mayor of New York last year and is CEO of the Red Apple Group; $25,000 from Philadelphia real estate broker Stephen Klein; and $25,000 from the Delaware County GOP.

The Republican Governors Association, which has been Corbett's largest donor, gave him $4 million over the summer. But the latest filing showed the RGA giving $350,000 to the state's Republican Party, not directly to the governor.

Charlie Gerow, a Republican consultant based in Harrisburg, warned that money doesn't determine the outcome of an election.

"If that were true, all we would need to do is hand in our bank statements on Nov. 4," Gerow said. "Money in the last 10 days is not going to be a defining and determining factor. It's going to be how well that money is spent."