Corbett assumed the office of governor on January 18, 2011, succeeding term-limited Democrat
Ed Rendell. As governor, Corbett maintained a
conservative profile; he endorsed
Mitt Romney in the
2012 United States presidential election, enforced tax cuts, and cut spending.
Economy According to data from the federal
Bureau of Labor Statistics, between January 2011, when Corbett took office, and June 2014, Pennsylvania gained a net 124,800 jobs during that period. This ranked Pennsylvania 47th in the nation for job creation – ahead of only New Mexico (1 percent), Alaska (1.58 percent) and Arkansas (1.91 percent). Economist Tara Sinclair noted that Pennsylvania suffered fewer job losses during the recession from 2008–2010, so it might be expected to experience a "less robust recovery". In addition, government employment in the state declined 7 percent during Corbett's term. In 2012, Corbett crafted a proposal for Shell Oil that would give the company
tax incentives worth over $1.6 billion over a 25-year period and exempt the company from most state and local taxes if it built a
polymer manufacturing plant in
Beaver County. Proponents argued that the investment by taxpayers would pay for itself over time by boosting the economy. Shell produced two studies that purported to show economic benefits, but independent researchers found the methodology in the studies to be inadequate.
Budget Corbett became governor on January 18, 2011. One of his first actions was the proposal of a new state budget that would decrease spending by 3 percent. The proposed budget received significant criticism due to its cuts in state-supported higher education by 50 percent. Under the new budget, funding granted to the 14 universities of the
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and state-related universities
Penn State,
Pittsburgh,
Temple, and
Lincoln would be cut in half, totaling $625 million. Corbett has said, however, that he will not attempt to limit collective bargaining, as have Republican Governors
John Kasich of Ohio and
Scott Walker of Wisconsin. Corbett's 2013–14 budget included a $90 million increase to basic education, as well as increases to programs that help people with mental and physical disabilities.
Public opinion Polling reflected that most Pennsylvanians disapproved of Governor Corbett's job performance, including his decision to privatize the
Pennsylvania Lottery, but supported Corbett's desire to sell off state-owned liquor stores and fix Pennsylvania's ailing transportation system. Governor Corbett and his wife were criticized for accepting gifts as reported in the
Philadelphia Daily News. Some politicians have claimed that the governor violated the code of conduct of his office. An August 2011 poll by the
Quinnipiac University Polling Institute found that the governor's statewide approval rating was 44 percent. In October, after the state's response to
Tropical Storm Lee, another Quinnipiac poll found that Corbett's approval rating was 50 percent, up six points from August. In 2013,
Franklin & Marshall College commented on the fact that Corbett was the least-popular governor in their poll's 18-year history. Their August 2013 poll found that only 17 percent of voters thought Corbett was doing an "excellent" or "good" job, only 20 percent thought he deserved to be re-elected and 62 percent said the state was "off on the wrong track". In November 2013,
Public Policy Polling announced that Corbett was the most unpopular governor in the country, with 65 percent of registered voters and 51 percent of registered Republicans disapproving of his job performance.
Natural gas Corbett maintained that Pennsylvania should not institute a natural gas extraction tax, due to its already high corporate net income tax. In February 2011, Corbett repealed a four-month-old policy regulating natural gas drilling (including
hydraulic fracturing) in park land, deeming it "unnecessary and redundant" according to a spokesperson. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party called the repeal a "payoff" to oil and gas interests which donated a million dollars to Corbett's campaign. According to Corbett, "had they not given me a dime, I would still be in this position, saying we need to grow jobs in Pennsylvania". On February 17, 2012, Corbett signed The Marcellus Shale Law (House Bill 1950). The law subjected natural gas drillers to an impact fee to offset any environmental or community impacts of drilling. In 2012, the law generated over $200 million for Pennsylvania municipalities, much less than the estimated amount of an extraction tax. The law also changed the zoning laws applicable to
Marcellus Shale well drilling, more commonly known as hydraulic fracturing. Some provisions are that all municipalities must allow Marcellus Shale well drilling in all zoning districts, including residential and municipalities may not limit hours of operation. Water and wastewater pits must also be allowed in all zoning districts, including residential. Compressor stations must be allowed in industrial and agricultural zoning districts and towns may not limit hours of operation. Gas processing plants are allowed in industrial zoning districts and hours of operation cannot be limited. Gas pipelines must be allowed in all zoning districts, including residential. one of which transports natural gas from Pennsylvania to export terminals in Maryland, from which it will be shipped to Europe and Asia. Others contend that the pipeline's purpose is to transport the gas to Maryland and D.C. markets. There were concerns that exporting natural gas will result in more jobs going overseas, leading to increased unemployment in Pennsylvania and other states as gas prices rise globally. The Marcellus Shale Law (House Bill 1950) also contained a provision that allows doctors in Pennsylvania access to the list of
chemicals in hydraulic fracturing fluid in emergency situations only, but forbids them from discussing this information with their patients. The information can only be used for emergency medical treatment, and the doctor must immediately verbally agree to keep the information confidential and later sign a document to that effect. The bill also reduced the legal responsibility of vendors, service providers, and operators regarding the identity and impact of contents of the hydraulic fracturing fluid they use.
Other issues On January 30, 2013, Corbett unveiled his plan to privatize Pennsylvania's state-run wine and spirits stores. Corbett estimated the sale of retail and wholesale licenses would raise an estimated $800 million to $1 billion. His administration pledged to use this money for an educational block grant used toward school safety, enhanced early education programs, individualized learning and science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses and programs.
2014 gubernatorial campaign Corbett formally announced his candidacy for reelection on November 8, 2013. Corbett was considered vulnerable, as reflected in his low approval ratings. An August 2013
Franklin & Marshall College poll found that only 17 percent of voters thought Corbett was doing an "excellent" or "good" job, only 20 percent thought he deserved to be reelected, and 62 percent said the state was "off on the wrong track".
The Washington Post ranked the election as the most likely for a party switch, and the majority of election forecasters rated it "likely Democratic". Despite Corbett's unpopularity and speculation that he would face a primary challenge, he was unopposed in the Republican primary. Attorney and conservative activist
Bob Guzzardi announced a run against Corbett, however the state Supreme Court ordered Guzzardi's name struck from the ballot due to his failure to file a statement of financial interest, leaving Corbett unopposed for the Republican nomination. In the general election, Corbett faced Democratic nominee
Tom Wolf, a businessman and former Secretary of the
Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Polling indicated a very difficult path to reelection for Corbett; he had trailed Wolf in every single poll taken since March 2013.
RealClearPolitics reported an average lead of 10.8 percent for Wolf. HuffPost Pollster's model estimated that Corbett would lose to Wolf 54.2 percent to 36.8 percent and reported that the probability of Wolf beating Corbett was 99 percent. On November 4, 2014, Corbett lost to Wolf in the general election. by 344,844 votes (55% to 45%). Under the 1968 constitution, he is the first incumbent governor to lose a bid for re-election. Out of 19 Republican governors, Corbett and
Alaska's
Sean Parnell were the only governors who lost their positions during the 2014 election cycle. == Post-gubernatorial career ==