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An historic change in Pennsylvania's governor's office and the campaigning leading up to Democrat Tom Wolf's victory was the focus of a political year in which a pair of Lehigh Valley legislators also saw their congressional roles rise.

Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's defeat came at the end of a campaign with no real shifts in momentum. A February poll from Quinnipiac University showed Wolf thumping Corbett with a 19-point lead, an advantage that barely fluctuated until the contest's final days.

The most significant tussling came in the Democratic primary, or at least until Wolf began airing his now well-known television ads showing his Jeep and his daughters. Among those seeking the party's nomination was Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who attempted to end a streak of Lehigh Valley politicians vying unsuccessfully for statewide office.

But the streak remains. Pawlowski was the first Democrat to pull out, ending his bid in February after he had trouble raising enough money to field a competitive campaign.

"Every time I sat down to make fundraising calls, another issue would come up that would require my attention," Pawlowski said at the time. "I found out the hard way that gubernatorial campaigns are all about raising that money and concentrating on it."

Wolf, a York County businessman with substantial personal funds available to jump-start his campaign, didn't have that challenge. He was able to hit the airwaves early, giving him a lead in public opinion polls that other Democrats weren't able to overcome.

Corbett, struggling to reframe how Pennsylvanians viewed cuts to education spending and with few major legislative achievements to tout, attacked Wolf's tax proposals as vague plans that would take more money out of taxpayers' pockets. He regained some ground, but not enough to prevent him from becoming the first governor in 40 years to fail to win re-election.

In his election-night concession speech, Corbett said he promised during his first gubernatorial run to do what is right for the state and that he knew some might not like his decisions. "I said I may be a one-term governor and I am, but I am proud of what we did," Corbett said.

Corbett's departure leaves U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey as the state's top Republican office-holder. The Lehigh Valley politician also can expect a clearer path for his priorities in Washington, where he'll return in January as part of the new Republican Senate majority.

Toomey was stymied in his effort to pass tougher background check rules for school employees, a proposal that he said would better protect students from sexual predators. The bill stalled in a Senate committee, but Toomey says he'll keep pushing next year when power flips to the GOP.

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Political winds shift in Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley's power in D.C. rises in 2014

Top Congressional Democrat Asks Sony for Hack Details
The top Democrat on the powerful U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has asked Sony Pictures Entertainment to hand over details of what he d...

By: WochitGeneralNews

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Top Congressional Democrat Asks Sony for Hack Details - Video

Santas cross the street while marching through Midtown Manhattan during the Volunteers of Americas 110th Annual Sidewalk Santa Parade in New York on Nov. 23, 2012. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

My Post colleagues Philip Bump and Chris Cillizza recently asked a group of politicos whether Santa was a Democrat or Republican. They gave predictably partisan answers, with tongue firmly in cheek (I hope).

We can add to that by considering some public opinion data that my co-blogger Joshua Tucker and political scientist Will Jennings highlighted in 2012. Three polls have asked some version of a question about Santas partisanship. Here are the results.

The graph suggests that a smaller number of people are saying that Santa is an independent or something else (usually people just say they dont know or arent sure), and a larger number of people saying that Santa is either a Democrat or Republican.

The main caveat, however, is that in 2012, the survey question did not explicitly give independent as an option, listing only Democrat, Republican or something else. So it is possible that the 2012 poll may exaggerate any politicization. And, of course, there is the usual caveat of trying to extract a meaningful trend across only threepolls.

Nevertheless, the potential for a trend is intriguing and in line with other research that shows a growing salience of partisanship, even in non-political contexts.

Meanwhile, across the pond, Jennings reports on a 2013 poll in England about the partisan preference of Father Christmas, who appears to lean left:

John Sides is an Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. He specializes in public opinion, voting, and American elections.

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Monkey Cage: The growing politicization of Santa Claus

(Editors note: The following story, written by former Herald Democrat sports editor Todd Hutchinson, was first published on Dec. 30, 2004.)

Don Campbell was a high school junior in 1964, and he was worried more about school, and especially football, that year. Campbell was going to be the starting quarterback for Shermans Fred Douglass Panthers in the 1964 season.

Campbell had one of the finest seasons a quarterback could have, leading the Panthers to the 1964 Prairie View Interscholastic League Class 2A state championship.

He was a great athlete, still is. Just take him out on the golf course and see, former Fred Douglass head coach Ed Hunt said. He won a state championship in tennis, hit almost .700 in baseball and was the starting quarterback from his sophomore year.

Hunt said he made one of his biggest mistakes with Campbell, encouraging him to play football in college.

Football was everything to me then, Hunt said. I was young then and hadnt been out of college too long. If I would have encouraged Don Earl to pay baseball, he would have been a millionaire.

Campbell may not be a millionaire, but he and his teammates created millions of dollars worth of memories during that magical season.

Fred Douglass is now used as an alternative school/head start campus by the Sherman Independent School District. In 1964, Fred Douglass School was where black kids attended school.

Although the Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education case which desegregated Americas public schools was a decade old in 1964, it was being implemented with all deliberate speed albeit slowly and Sherman was no different.

In Sherman, separate but equal was still in vogue, although the racial climate was not as heated, as it was, for example, in Philadelphia, Miss. where James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were murdered, prompting an investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department which culminated in the first successful prosecution of a civil rights case in Mississippi.

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The will to excel: Fred Douglass alumni mark anniversary of 1964 state title

WASHINGTON: The top Democrat on the powerful US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has asked Sony Pictures Entertainment to hand over details of what he describes as the "devastating cyberattack" recently suffered by the Hollywood studio.

In a letter sent to Sony on Tuesday, Elijah Cummings, the committee's ranking minority member, said Sony's "knowledge, information and experience" would help Congress as it examines federal cybersecurity laws and considers whether they need to be tightened to protect government and consumer data.

The FBI has said the cyberattack was connected to the North Korean government, which was upset by Sony's plan this month to release " The Interview," a comic movie in which two Americans are recruited to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Last week, Sony canceled the film over security concerns but later said it was still looking for ways to release it. On Monday, Representative Brad Sherman invited the studio to screen it at the US Capitol.

In his letter, Cummings asked Sony to turn over information including detailed descriptions of all data breaches the company has suffered in the past year; the rough number of current and former employees and customers affected by the breaches; and the manner in which victims were notified.

He also sought findings from any related forensic investigations or analyses, as well as assessments as to "why the breaches went undetected for the length of time they did."

Cummings asked for a description of any improvements to data protection mechanisms it has implemented since the breach, a description of the procedures that govern the company's relationships with third-party vendors and service providers, and any recommendations on how to improve cybersecurity laws or law enforcement.

He also requested a briefing by Jan. 19 from Sony's chief information security officer or similar top IT executive.

In his letter, he cited reports indicating that in addition to deploying destructive malware, the hackers stole sensitive information, including unreleased films and the personal information of more than 47,000 current and former employees, including social security numbers and healthcare records.

Sherman, also a Democrat, wrote Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton to say that a screening would demonstrate free speech.

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Top congressional Democrat Elijah Cummings asks Sony Pictures Entertainment for hack details