HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — The legislative session ended on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, as the state Senate moved forward with articles of impeachment against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
The end of the session also marked the final day for longtime Senate leader Jake Corman, who spoke with abc27 before heading home to Centre County.
Corman was elected to the Senate in 1998; His interview with abc27 — his final task.
“Arguably since 1977, when my father was sworn in, but yeah it’s been a long time. It was the right time for me to say my goodbyes and let other people take over,” Corman said.
Corman acted as a committee chair, a majority leader, and president pro temp. He said he accomplished everything he could in the legislature, so he decided to run for governor.
“Knowing that Josh Shapiro would be such a good candidate, and difficult to defeat, we needed somebody that people could coalesce around. Obviously, they didn’t coalesce around me, and we got a candidate that had a difficult time taking on Josh Shapiro,” Corman added.
The candidate Corman was referring to, fellow Senator Doug Mastriano, was called extreme and marked a third straight gubernatorial loss for the GOP.
“Clearly when you keep losing you should do some soul searching and find out what you’re not doing to resonate better. And I would recommend the Republican party do that, it’ll be someone else, not me,” said Corman.
Corman came to the Senate as a single man, and his proudest achievement is his wife and three children.
“Harrisburg can be tough on families and tough on marriages, and the fact that we were able to stay grounded and raise kids the way we did, I’m very proud of them.”
Corman is also proud of standing up against the NCAA in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, keeping the $60 million fine in Pennsylvania.
“Just lashing out and holding people responsible that weren’t, I thought it was unfair,” Corman said.
However, Corman also disagrees with the national perception that his small community knew of Sandusky’s actions and chose to be silent. “I don’t think anyone knew. You can never convince me that Joe Paterno, and Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, would have covered up a sexual predator. They were all family men, and would never have done that. Now, did they make a wrong call? I think they all admitted they made a wrong call as far as how they handled it.”
Corman admitted that one of his darkest days was then Lt. Governor John Fetterman didn’t follow Senate rules. “That always will be a difficult spot for me and him, but he’s well-meaning, well-intended, and I wish him well in Washington.”
What next for Corman? His daughter is in college and his two younger sons will be there soon.
“I got to keep working. Hopefully, I can use my 24 years here and contacts around the state to earn a living somehow.” Corman said. When asked about the possibility of lobbying, Corman replied, “I don’t know, we’ll see.”
When asked if he received lobbying offers, Corman said, “We’ll see.” When asked if he will be in Harrisburg, he said, “Who knows.”
Corman said he is excited about the changes of leadership in Harrisburg, especially the first woman president pro temp of the Senate and likely the first woman speaker of the house.