Pennsylvania to vote on national, local legislators in Nov.

The races are on. With Election '98 right around the corner, candidates are blitzing the airwaves, meeting with supporters and kissing any babies they can find ahead of the November 5 election. In Pennsylvania, the races are on for governor, a U.S. Senate seat, all 21 Congressional seats and all 253 state legislative seats. Tom Ridge, the sitting governor of Pennsylvania, will be running on the Republican ticket for his second and final four-year term. He is opposed by the current Democratic whip in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Ivan Itkin. Voters choose one ticket, selecting either the Republican or Democratic slate for governor and lieutenant governor. On the Republican ticket is the sitting lieutenant governor, Mark Schweiker. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, a 1963 Penn graduate and former congresswoman, is the Democratic candidate. Three-term incumbent and Penn alumnus Arlen Specter, a Republican from Philadelphia, has a large lead in the polls for Pennsylvania's contested U.S. Senate seat this fall. His opponent, Democrat Bill Lloyd of Somerset, trails badly in fundraising as well. President Clinton's recent drop in the polls and the scandals swirling around his presidency have curbed speculation about the possibility of Democrats retaking a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold an 11-seat majority. And without a unifying issue like 1994's Republican Contract with America, experts have been quoted as saying these elections are unlikely to pique voter interest in the face of a booming economy. But against this backdrop of likely voter disillusion and disinterest, 18 of Pennsylvania's 21 House seats remain contested this election cycle. Four of the battles are of local interest: the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts in Philadelphia and the 13th District, encompassing many of the wealthier suburbs of Philadelphia commonly known as the Main Line. All three Philadelphia incumbents are Democrats. Robert Brady, the chairperson of the city's Democratic committee, won a May special election to replace Thomas Foglietta, who resigned to become the United States ambassador to Italy. His 1st District encompasses South Philadelphia and seven towns in neighboring Delaware County. Brady faces Republican William Harrison in a rematch of their special election battle. Democrat Chaka Fattah, who received his graduate degree from Penn's Fels School of Government, was first elected in 1994 and holds the 2nd District seat encompassing west and northwest Philadelphia, including the Penn campus. Anne Marie Mulligan, a Republican, is challenging him this fall. Robert Borski, whose 3rd District is centered around Northeast Philadelphia, faces Republican Charles Dougherty in his race for a ninth term. The 13th District will see a rematch of one of the closest races in Pennsylvania history, between incumbent Republican Jon Fox and Democrat Joe Hoeffel. Two years ago Fox defeated Hoeffel by just 84 votes. The race is of vital importance to both parties, and the Republican and Democratic national committees have each contributed large sums of money to the two campaigns. Pennsylvania House and Senate races are also being contested this fall.