Joe Scarnati

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U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) speaks as she attends the state funeral of the late Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll at the Capitol rotunda.

HARRISBURG -- The late Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll was remembered at her state funeral Friday as a "transformational" figure who not only cared for all of Pennsylvania's citizens but had the strength to ceaselessly advocate for their needs.

An array of state and national officials gathered in the Capitol rotunda to honor Knoll, who died last week after a four-month battle with cancer. Her casket, carried in to the Capitol and draped in an American flag, will lie in the rotunda until 2 p.m. Saturday.

Knoll was the first female lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania's history, an achievement honored at the ceremony by a longtime friend, Hillary Clinton.

"She shattered that glass ceiling, and she wanted others to do as well," Clinton said.

Even before his No. 2 died of cancer Wednesday night, Gov. Ed Rendell had said he wouldn't be leaving Harrisbug to take a job in the new Obama administration before the end of his term in office.

The passing of Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll would seem to make that a certainty.

If Rendell were to leave, his post would be taken up by President Pro Temp of the Senate, state Sen. Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson County). It seems hard to believe Rendell would hand over the reins of state government to the very Senate Republicans who have stifled many of his legislative initiatives, most recently an expansion of health care.

"I don't see a strong Democrat like Ed Rendell making that choice," Christopher Borick, a pollster and political science professor at Muhlenberg College, told The Patriot-News. "I think it's pretty clear to say that the sad loss of Lt. Gov. Baker Knoll has really put a damper on any conversation about the governer moving on before his term ends."

Will the reduced street money in Philadelphia have an affect on the outcome, or will the increased voter registration in Philadelphia overcome that?

Will an energized and superior ground force for the Democrats be enough to propel John Morganelli past Tom Corbett or is Corbett just too strong?

With PA-3 so close what will be the driving factor, change or will the power of incumbency be just too much for Kathy Dahlkemper?

Are we watching the end of Melissa Hart's political career? The once future-star of the Republican Party will be hurt by back-to-back loses.

Will Jim Gerlach lock down PA-6 in 2010 tonight? A strong win in this political environment by someone who is used to nail-bitters will deter any strong challengers next cycle.

Will Joe Sestak's hoarding of money come back to bite him in a Republican district?

Can Lou Barletta end Paul Kanjorski's career as the polls seem to indicate, or will voter registration trump all when it's all over?

Are we really talking about the possibility of a John Murtha loss? If he does lose will he explode on stage?

Could Jeff Piccola really lose? A strong district and great name ID, but still finds himself in a tough race.

Who would have thought it was possible for a Republican to to be competative in SD-17 in this environment. Could Lance Rogers pull an upset and make it a great day for Senate Republicans?

What happened to Tony Bompiani. Once thought to be competative could Kim Ward really be walking away with this one like many believe?

When SD-47 go into the polls will they see Jason Petrella's name or will they see Mike Veon's face?

Will Joe Scarnati really be able to make Republican gains in the Senate in a Democratic year?

Will Republican make gains in the House and be able to take back the speakers chair or will Democrats be able to make enough pick-ups to take it from O'Brien?

We will know soon enough.    

MINNETONKA, Minn. -- Gov. Ed Rendell received criticism in April that he spent too much time campaigning for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and not enough on running the state. 

State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Warren County) expects a repeat this fall.

"I assume he'll be kept busy until November," Scarnati told PolitickerPA.com, adding that Rendell is clearly "extremely interested" in politics.

Scarnati passed on an opportunity to attack the governor for it.

"You can no more take politics out of government than salt out of the sea," he said.

MINNETONKA, Minn. -- In a brief interview with PolitickerPA.com, state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Warren County) said Gov. Ed Rendell's administration is "winding down."

"As evidence, look at the cabinet secretaries that are leaving," Scarnati said, referring to the departure of Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty and Office of the Budget Secretary Mike Masch.

He added the staff dispersion isn't a slight against Rendell personally, just a reality of any elected official whose time in office is almost up. Rendell has two years left on his second term.

First we at PolitickerPA.com wish the best for Catherine Baker Knoll and will keep her and her family in our prayers.

However, this illness could greatly affect Governor Ed Rendell and his future. If Barack Obama were to win the presidency, an Ed Rendell in the cabinet would be an attractive proposition for the Obama administration. Rendell has been around the block and is a sound political mind that would be a valuable addition to any democratic administration. Rendell has also hinted he would be open to accepting such a position. But CBK’s recent admission of cancer, which she appears to have hidden from the Governor for more than a month, could put a plug in any plans for Rendell to head to DC.

If Rendell were to leave for the administration, Knoll would become Governor and Republican Senate President Joe Scarnati would become the Lt. Governor. Then any health problems which may cause Knoll to leave office would leave a Republican as Governor. While no one wants to think or talk about such a dire situation, it has to go through Rendell’s thought processing. The possibilities of such will likely figure deep into any decision.

HARRISBURG -- Budget negotiations among Democratic and Republican leaders have gone from productive, to disappointing, to non-existent in fewer than three days after they did not meet Saturday.

But the negotiators don't seem worried.

Although they reiterated their displeasure with the other side's budget, each also said Saturday's absence of talks doesn't shake their optimism that a "handshake" agreement can be reached by Monday's June 30 deadline.

HARRISBURG -- With a June 30 deadline looming to resolve Pennsylvania's budget showdown, Republicans emerged from Friday night's negotiations at the Capitol saying they needed between $200 million to $250 million in cuts to agree to a deal.

Democrats emerged from the same meeting saying they've already cut $600 million and accused Republicans of shifting their demands.

The two sides agreed only that the night's talks were disappointing.