John Hanger

Marijuana legalization advocate and Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Hanger who says he's never tried pot, ranked a solid first in a straw poll of the liberal wing of the Democratic party.

(AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

John Hanger has repeatedly said he's "the progressive candidate" for the Democratic nomination for governor, and Saturday proved him right. A straw poll of 267 attendees at the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit at the Hilton in Harrisburg put Hanger at the top of the Democratic pack.

After the self-styled progressives heard the candidates for governor debate Friday night, the majority lined up behind just three candidates: Hanger, State Treasurer Rob McCord and millionaire businessman and former state revenue secretary Tom Wolf.

Hanger was well ahead of the rest of the candidates with 31.5 percent of the vote.

McCord followed with 24 percent.

Wolf was third with 22.8 percent.

Former White House advisor and state environmental protection secretary Katie McGinty was fourth with 10.9 percent, followed closely by Philly-area U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz with 9.4 percent.

An indication of how Hanger's ill-funded but deeply passionate "people's campaign" has upended conventional wisdom is the fact Schwartz won the same straw poll a year ago.

JoEllen Litz, who attended the event, and Jack Wagner, who didn't, both polled less than 1 percent.

"This is a very important victory," Hanger said, calling the people gathered at the summit "the conscience of the Democratic party and the heart of its activist community."

Hanger said the result "conclusively demonstrates" that his message of 'Jobs, Not Jails, Schools, Not Jails - Legalize, Tax and Regulate Marijuana' is "resonating with progressive Democrats and can transform this campaign once more."

Perhaps more conclusive was a Mercyhurst poll released this week showing 85 percent of Pennsylvanians favor legalizing medical marijuana, a solid majority of 59 percent favor decriminalizing marijuana generally, and divided over whether it should be legal for all adults: 48 percent said it should, 42 percent said it shouldn't.

A strong majority of 78 percent said legalizing and taxing marijuana would generate a significant amount of money for the state.

Those results demonstrated what Hanger has been saying for some time: that other one-question polls showing little or no support for the marijuana issue were flawed.

Whether that can translate into a win for Hanger is another matter. The same poll showed a plurality of voters said the candidates' position on pot would have no impact on their support, but there were 43 percent who said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who favored legalizing marijuana for medical use.

Hanger's platform, of course, includes much more than pot - but it's that issue he hopes can distinguish him. In such a crowded race, he believes, it could give him the margin needed for victory.