WEST LAWN — With a message of low taxes and resisting what he calls an overbearing federal government, state Rep. Sam Rohrer has declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor.
“I really believe that this election will be driven by the heart and the soul of the people of the state – not just the heart and soul of the Republican Party but the heart and soul of citizens who love freedom, who love their families and who love to work in a state that doesn’t tax them to death,” the nine-term lawmaker said at an event billed as “Pennsylvania Townhall” meeting Tuesday evening at a firehouse in Berks County.
Rohrer, 54, is a fiscal conservative who says tax reform and fiscal management will be central themes of his campaign.
In the Legislature, Rohrer has unsuccessfully championed a plan to replace local property taxes with broader-based levies such as income or sales taxes. He is the ranking Republican on the House Finance Committee.
He faces competition in the GOP primary from state Attorney General Tom Corbett and U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach.
Rohrer is a graduate of Bob Jones University in South Carolina. He and his wife have six children.
