Pa. governor's race starts to heat up

Twenty months before Pennsylvania voters head back to the polls, politicians hoping to win the state's top job are already testing the waters for the 2002 gubernatorial race. Never mind that the election is still so far away -- for these candidates, the campaign starts now. Pennsylvania is regularly a battleground state, with no clear political leaning. Republicans currently control both the Governor's Mansion and the state legislature, but Democrats have won recent presidential elections. So far though, most action is seeming to center on the battle for the Democratic nomination, with two well-known Pennsylvanians vying for their party's nod. Former Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell -- extremely popular in the city but less well-known in upstate areas --will likely compete with state Auditor General Robert Casey Jr., whose father served as governor from 1986 until 1994. "[Rendell] has not officially announced it, but there's a large number of folks from across the state -- elected officials, business leaders, members of clergy -- who have contacted the mayor and urged him to run," said Rendell spokesman David Yarkin. "He's thinking about it." Casey -- whose late father attracted national attention as one of the nation's few pro-life Democrats -- has also not yet officially announced his intention to run. But his supporters leave no doubt to the auditor general's future plans. "We're focusing on the fundamentals right now -- fundraising and assembling a campaign team to hit the ground running," said Casey's brother Matt Casey, a Center City attorney. "We're very confident." Penn Political Science Professor Henry Teune said that it is essential for Rendell and Casey to begin planning for the race immediately. "If you want it, you have to start campaigning now," Teune said. "Over time, all elections are continuous." The potential candidates, especially Rendell, have not wasted any time filling up their campaign war chests. While already a prolific fund-raiser during his time at Philadelphia's helm, Rendell used his year as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee last year to turn the task of fundraising into an art form -- enabling the Democrats to out-raise the Republicans for the first time in many years. Still, Rendell left the DNC in January after a controversial final few months. He appeared on television to urge Al Gore to concede just minutes after the Supreme Court decision which ultimately decided the presidential election. He was castigated by both Gore aides and DNC officials, and his standing in the eyes of Democratic Party insiders is unclear. But so far, Rendell has had no trouble attracting donors. December filings show he has $5 million in the bank, compared to Casey's $1 million. "It's a decent down payment for a possible run for governor," Yarkin said of Rendell's war chest. Due to Pennsylvania's size, the elections -- especially the general election -- will be a "TV campaign," according to Frederick Voigt, executive director of the non-partisan political watchdog group Committee of Seventy. "Money is going to be a fundamentally important issue," Voigt said. "TV ads are very, very expensive." However, a major primary battle could sap the Democrats' resources, leaving them with sparse funds to battle the Republicans in the general election. "It could weaken either of the candidates -- primary battles are something that the parties try to get away from," said Dan Hayward, deputy political director for the Pennsylvania Republican Committee. "You have to come out and mend wounds and build consensus back to the candidate who won." Rendell's media exposure and popularity in Philadelphia might not be enough to carry the entire state, since some say those in other parts of the state see Philadelphia as an eccentricity. "I suppose that the rest of the state would like to saw us off and shove us into the Delaware," Penn Political Science Professor Jack Nagel said. "The rest of the state is really culturally and economically different from southeastern Pennsylvania." Casey, a Scranton native, holds the advantage that few candidates from Philadelphia have won statewide elections. "There have been four governors... in the history of the state from Philadelphia, and most of them were in the Revolutionary times," Voigt said. Casey has also been courting Rendell's traditional bread-and-butter supporters -- the unions. He has already won the endorsement of the 250,000 members of the United Steelworkers of America, and his contribution list is speckled with union donations. "It's a testament to the early strength of Bob's campaign," Matt Casey said. "It's unprecedented in Pennsylvania politics." And that Casey's father remains well-known to most Pennsylvanians is a huge plus. "I think that some local [Democratic] party guys will be inclined towards Casey because they see Casey -- the name or the reality -- and it represents to them a time that they had the governorship," Teune said. On the Republican side, candidates are also gearing up to replace the popular two-term Gov. Tom Ridge. State Sen. Jeffrey Piccola has formed an "exploratory committee" regarding the governorship, and Attorney General Mike Fisher and Treasurer Barbara Hafer are also likely contenders. He added that definite announcements are likely before this summer. Still, the view from College Green -- from both Democrats and Republicans -- is that Penn-alumnus Rendell is a force to be reckoned with. "If [Rendell] does choose to run for governor, then I think that what we've seen here in Philadelphia -- the new energy that he's brought -- I feel that he'll do it at the state level as well," said College junior Tom Hickey, who has worked for Rendell's Political Action Committee. "He really understands what the people of Pennsylvania -- not just the people of Philadelphia -- need."