Corman won’t seek another Senate term amid run for governor

The highest-ranking member of the Pennsylvania state Senate said Monday that he won’t seek another term in the chamber in order to focus on his candidacy for the governorship.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre, took himself out of the running for another term representing a State College area district.

He had previously said that he would run for both the governor’s office and his Senate seat at the same time when he announced his candidacy last month.

Corman is among a large cohort of Republicans seeking the gubernatorial nomination in the May 17 primary election. It is his first run for statewide office.

Corman, 57, was first elected to the state Senate in 1998. His father, Doyle Corman, held the seat before him, serving in the Senate from 1977 to 1998.

Corman has made his time as a legislative leader a key part of his campaign message in running for governor, saying that he understands how to work with lawmakers to get things done.

Second-term state Attorney General Josh Shapiro is the presumed Democratic nominee to run for governor.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat first elected in 2014, is constitutionally term limited, and cannot serve a third term in office.