Republican candidates for governor clash on the issues

HARRISBURG » Three candidates are seeking the Republican nomination in the May 15 primary election to run for Pennsylvania governor — commercial litigation attorney Laura Ellsworth, former health care systems consultant Paul Mango and state Sen. Scott Wagner — and contest the re-election campaign of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. A look at where they stand on some key issues:

ABORTION

All three said they oppose abortion rights and support legislation vetoed by Wolf last year. The bill banned elective abortions after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, compared with 24 weeks in current law. It kept in place exceptions under current law for when a mother’s life or well-being is at risk, but it did not add exceptions for rape, incest or fetal abnormalities.

Opponents said the bill effectively outlawed the most common method of second-trimester abortion. The bill’s sponsor disputed that.

BUDGETING

Wagner would institute a private-sector concept called “zero-based budgeting” in state government that he said he expects will reduce costs by $1.5 billion to $4 billion.

Mango would work to reduce the state workforce to 50,000 or 55,000 employees. The number of employees under the governor’s jurisdiction is currently about 72,800, according to the governor’s office. Mango also said he would end the diversion of hundreds of millions of dollars in highway construction funds to underwrite state police costs.

Ellsworth would eliminate a system in which state agencies support themselves through regulatory fines and task every agency with reducing expenses 3 percent every year.

CAMPAIGN FINANCES

Mango opposes limits on campaign finance. Ellsworth supports limits on campaign donations and Wagner is open to the idea.

DEATH PENALTY

All three support the death penalty and would sign death warrants. Ellsworth’s campaign said she supports the death penalty in situations in which it has a deterrent effect. Mango’s campaign said he would sign a death warrant for those who commit the most heinous crimes.

Wagner said he would pursue a mandatory death penalty for any school shooter who kills someone, although legal analysts said laws like that have been unconstitutional for decades.

ECONOMY

All three said they would seek to address the need for skilled labor through Pennsylvania’s schools and colleges and to reduce taxes and government regulation.

Ellsworth said she would create a 10-year business plan, with input from the private sector, to guide budgeting and economic development. She also would ask the state’s big pension systems to invest in Pennsylvania’s economic development programs.

Mango said he would travel aggressively beyond Pennsylvania’s borders to attract business to the state.

ETHICS

Wagner supports banning former lawmakers from lobbying and prohibiting lobbyists from doing campaign work for politicians.

Mango supports “payto-play” legislation limiting political contributions from government contractors. Mango also would prohibit lobbyists from doing campaign work for politicians, prohibit elected officials or their businesses from winning government contracts and double a “revolving door” lobbying ban to two years and expand it to cover all state government entities.

Ellsworth would impose a “no nepotism” rule for lobbyists.

GUN VIOLENCE

None of the three supports more restrictions on gun ownership or gun sales or an expansion of background checks. Mango and Wagner oppose an expansion of background checks on gun purchases, although Ellsworth said she supports “more universal background checks” to adequately capture adjudicated instances of mental illness and dangerous conduct. Mango said the state needs to add resources to screen, diagnose and treat mental illness to ensure people who

sufferers don’t have access to guns.

LABOR UNIONS

Wagner and Ellsworth support “right to work” legislation, a measure that would prohibit labor unions from collecting dues from employees who refuse to join the union or pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment. Mango said he would not support a blanket “right to work” law and would draw the line at unions representing private-sector trades, firefighters and police.

LGBT RIGHTS

Wagner and Ellsworth support current legislation in Pennsylvania that’s designed to bar discrimination in employment, public accommodation and housing because of someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Mango said that he opposes discrimination but that the legislation would compromise religious freedom of conscience and the privacy and security of children in public bathrooms and school locker rooms, claims the bill’s backers say are baseless.

MARIJUANA

None of the three supports the full legalization of marijuana. All three support Pennsylvania’s 2016 legalization of medical marijuana.

MEDICAID

None of the three would end Pennsylvania’s 3-yearold expansion of Medicaid’s income guidelines under former President Barack Obama’s federal health care law.

All three said that the program must become more efficient and that they would seek a federal waiver to institute a work requirement for able-bodied adults on Medicaid and possibly other changes. Mango also would seek a federal waiver to establish a high-risk pool for the sickest enrollees and health savings-style accounts for others.

MINIMUM WAGE

Mango and Ellsworth oppose raising it from the current federal minimum of $7.25. Wagner said he would support raising it to around $9.50 an hour.

OPIOID EPIDEMIC

Wagner would seek to reinstate mandatory minimum sentences for drug dealers, limit the number of pills in opioid prescriptions and increase state funding to lengthen in-patient addiction treatment stays.

Ellsworth supports training more narcotics agents in the Pennsylvania State Police and taking a “two-strikes” approach that would require someone revived with naloxone twice to enter an in-patient treatment program.

Mango would seek to reinstate mandatory minimum sentences for drug dealers and organize communities into task forces, but said the state should focus resources on prevention, not treatment.

PENSIONS

Mango and Wagner said they support a move to a full 401(k)-style benefit for new state government and public school employees, rather than the traditional pension benefit or a hybrid.

Wagner would push to fire pension system investment managers over lackluster returns. Ellsworth would privatize the statecontrolled wine and liquor store system and use the proceeds to help pay down the pension debt. Mango would lower obligations by reducing employee ranks through early buyouts and attrition and by fighting the abuse of voluntary overtime.

PROPERTY TAXES

Mango and Wagner each support the elimination of school property taxes under the design of current legislation that would raise rates on Pennsylvania’s personal income tax and sales tax to make up for disappearing property tax revenue.

Ellsworth opposes eliminating property taxes, saying it would destroy local control over school funding and destabilize school finances. Ellsworth says property taxes should be frozen for people who have paid them for 35 years.