http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/13336724.htm

I wonder if Swann is a conservative Republican?

New poll shows GOP's Scranton making gains in governor's race
Friday, July 15, 2005

By Bill Toland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



In his bid for a second term, Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell still outpolls his three potential Republican challengers, but one of them, former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton, has gained ground, according to a poll released yesterday.

The poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University, says Scranton narrowed the gap from 15 percentage points in April to 10 points now. In a race against Scranton, Rendell was favored by a 47-37 margin.

Rendell's approval rating also has dropped to 47 percent, his lowest in a year.

That's the good news for Scranton. The bad news is that no Pennsylvania governor who has run for re-election has lost. Ever.

As for the other would-be challengers, former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Lynn Swann still lags behind Rendell by a 48-36 percent margin, while state Sen. Jeff Piccola remains the farthest behind. The gubernatorial election isn't until November 2006.

If the Republicans were to face each other in a primary -- which probably won't happen, as all three are vying for the endorsement of their party -- Swann gets 32 percent of that vote, Scranton gets 21 percent, and Piccola, 6.

One of the reasons for Rendell's dipping numbers, the poll says, is that Pennsylvanians pin much of the blame on Rendell for the failure thus far to deliver property tax relief to state homeowners, one of his campaign promises.

Rendell had hoped that school districts would jump at the chance to reduce property tax rates by replacing local money with a share of the state's future gambling revenue, but nearly four in five school districts opted against enrolling in that plan, known as Act 72.

They didn't like that they'd have to raise the local earned income tax to qualify for the gambling money. Also, some thought the requirement that they subject proposed property tax increases to a referendum vote if the increase is greater than the inflation rate would have been too onerous.

Rendell wants to make the property tax breaks, an average $330 per household, available to all homeowners in Pennsylvania, regardless of how the school boards voted. So one bright spot for Rendell is that those polled overwhelmingly favor the idea that, in school districts that didn't enroll in Act 72, voters themselves should be allowed to push the district into the program.

"Pennsylvania voters clearly want to overrule their local school boards and go with Gov. Ed Rendell's plan," said Clay Richards, assistant director of Quinnipiac's Polling Institute.

The poll also says 60 percent of those polled approve of the overall plan to use slot machine proceeds to reduce property taxes.

In the money race, Rendell has a big head start on his potential Republican competitors, having raised $7.2 million in re-election funds through the first part of June, according to campaign reports. In his last election bid, in 2002, Rendell collected more than $40 million.



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(Bill Toland can be reached at btoland@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1889.)



http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05196/538349.stm

Here is how Bill Scranton describes himself.

Q: How do you define your politics?
A: I don’t have a glib, two-word answer. But I would say "progressive conservative." That is to say, I believe in conservative means to progressive ends -- that is, to growth, to change. I am one who embraces the future but believes in limited government, strong free markets and strong free people.

Swann is a right wing conservative. He is latching on to the religious right. He sent out campaign fundraising letters a few months ago.

He got a national campaign send-off the other night on ABC sports during the West Virginia football game. The sports announcers said they "all supported him".

The news said Swann is at 34-35% and current democrat governor Rendell is at 47% .

Swann has never run a government agency or held public office. Pennsylvanians are ready to kick out long-term politicians who gave themselves big pay raises last year then were forced to recall it. But I don't think people will vote for a political novice.

Swann was Bush's exercise guru after Schwarznegger. Swann introduced Bush at a Pittsburgh camapign rally in 2004. He is tied to Bush BIG TIME. Just like Santorum, his rise will depend on Bush's poll numbers.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06005/632878.stm

Swann enters governor's race as Republican
Former Steelers receiver, Scranton early leaders in polls
Thursday, January 05, 2006

By James O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lynn Swann, whose acrobatic receptions took him to four Super Bowls and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, made another leap last night as he formally launched his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.

Before a cheering crowd of about 500 at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, the former Steelers receiver promised to bring leadership and change to his adopted state.

"I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, and tonight, I'm drafted by Pennsylvania to be governor," Mr Swann said, shortly after making his entrance to the strains of Van Halen's "Right Now."

Speaking for 25 minutes without text or notes, a relaxed and engaging candidate pledged an administration that would deliver lower taxes in general and a reformed property tax system in particular. As in earlier appearances in his campaign, however, Mr. Swann offered few specific details of his polices amid the broad, thematic promises.

"I want to cut taxes in a responsible way and I'd like to reform property taxes ... getting rid of the millage system and giving us real property tax reform,'' he said. "If you want change, I'm your guy."

In an interview before his appearance, Mr. Swann dismissed suggestions that he had been any less forthcoming than his Republican rivals in fleshing out his policy vision.

As the Legislature struggled without apparent progress to craft some solution to the controversial property tax issue, Mr. Swann said, "I'm competitive. So even if I had that play today, if I laid it out for you today, don't you think that my opponents and other people would then say, 'We can adapt that plan, too'?

"I don't think this is the time to roll out the details," he added while saying that he would provide more policy specifics as the campaign moves forward.

One of Mr. Swann's rivals for the GOP nomination, state Sen. Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin, has suggested that the school property tax should be replaced by a broader state sales tax. Another, former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton, has said that the sales tax approach is promising but, without detailing his alternative, has said that Mr. Piccola's proposal goes too far.

Those three will face one another next month in the first crucial test of the campaign, an endorsement vote by the GOP's elected state committee members.

James Panyard, former director of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association, is also seeking the Republican nomination to oppose the incumbent Democrat, Gov. Ed Rendell, but Mr. Panyard is not seeking the party backing.

Mr. Swann didn't mention any of his party rivals last night, instead concentrating his criticism on Mr. Rendell. He drew the loudest and most enthusiastic reactions of his remarks with his attacks on the Democrat.

While acknowledging that no incumbent governor in Pennsylvania has ever lost a race for re-election, Mr Swann said, to the crowd's whooping assent, "No incumbent governor has ever been as bad as Ed Rendell.''

This is Mr. Swann's first run for public office, although he has been active in Republican politics, campaigning extensively for President Bush in the 2004 election.

While he seeks to follow in the path of political outsiders who have won statehouses such as Jesse Ventura in Minnesota and Arnold Schwarzenegger in California, Mr. Swann's candidacy boasts the support of many members of the state's GOP hierarchy, such as Mark Holman, who was former Gov. Tom Ridge's chief of staff, and former state chairman Alan Novak.

Mr. Swann, born in Tennessee in 1952, was raised in California, and earned a degree in public relations and a place on the All-American football squad while attending the University of Southern California. He appeared last night with his wife, Charene, and their sons, Braxton and Shaffer. His parents, Willie and Mildred Swann, sat beaming in the first row as Mr. Swann spoke in a makeshift theater in the round amid the center's artifacts of Pennsylvania history.

In an interview, Mr. Swann said that when he first registered to vote, it was as a Democrat, as his parents still are. He said he switched his registration to Republican after he moved to Pittsburgh, where he was active in civic affairs, including serving on the board of the Pittsburgh Ballet and as a spokesman for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.

During and after his NFL career, he worked as a broadcaster for ABC Sports for nearly three decades. His most frequent appearances came as a sideline reporter for college football. His last assignment was the Sugar Bowl Monday night.

Mr. Swann sits on the corporate boards of the H.J. Heinz Co. as well as Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Inc. and Wyndham International Inc.

If elected, Mr. Swann would be the first African American to serve as Pennsylvania governor. His former Steelers teammate Mel Blount, one of the introductory speakers at last night's rally, said, "As a black man, it's important that we have representation in all parties.''

The Swann campaign hoped to demonstrate their candidate's appeal beyond traditional GOP constituencies at a stop tomorrow in Philadelphia. That was part of a cross-state tour with stops today in Erie, Altoona and Scranton, and tomorrow in Allentown and Lancaster in addition to Philadelphia.

As he was poised to formally enter the race, Mr. Swann's campaign announced that it had raised some $1.6 million in the year that just ended, and had more than $1 million in cash on hand.

A campaign aide for one of Mr. Swann's chief rivals, Mr. Scranton, painted a similar financial picture of the Scranton campaign. Mike DeVanney said that Mr. Scranton had raised roughly $1.8 million during 2005, with just over $1 million in cash.

Neither Mr. Piccola nor Mr. Panyard announced their contribution totals yesterday.

The Swann and Scranton war chests were expected to lead the Republican contenders, but they will be dwarfed by the 2005 receipts of Mr. Rendell, who, according to The Associated Press, will report a total of roughly $12 million in receipts in the campaign reports due at the end of the month.

Recent independent polls have Mr. Swann and Mr. Scranton well ahead of the other GOP contenders, although the undecided column outpolls all of them at this relatively early stage of the race.

A Keystone Poll conducted by Franklin and Marshall College in November showed Mr. Scranton with a narrow lead over Mr. Swann, but their positions were reversed in a more recent December survey conducted by Quinnipiac University, which showed Mr. Swann as the choice of 31 of the Republican questioned compared to Mr. Scranton's 23 percent; 5 percent for Mr. Piccola, 2 percent for Mr. Panyard and 37 percent undecided.

In all of the public polls of the race so far, Mr. Rendell has run ahead of each of his prospective challengers.
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(Politics editor James O'Toole can be reached at jotoole@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1562.)

Editorial: Helmet in the ring / Lynn Swann must be more than fame and football

Friday, January 06, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06006/633398.stm

What has been known for months finally became official on Wednesday: former Steeler great Lynn Swann declared himself a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor -- and he did it without any sense of anticlimax or stale formality. Indeed, if the enthusiasm of the 500-strong crowd was any guide, the race just got a welcome burst of voltage.

Those gathered at the Senator John Heinz Pittsbugh Regional History Center were treated to the reasons why Mr. Swann should not be taken lightly. In a 25-minute speech undertaken without notes, he was fluent and relaxed, showing off some of the skills that have made him in his post-Steelers years a well-liked TV sports commentator.

Projecting a positive image and making an easy connection with crowds of onlookers is a political skill, but it isn't the full measure of a would-be public official. Although some people may sneer at the notion, politics is an art in the service of a profession, and its best practitioners have served an apprenticeship that has taught them when to compromise and when to stand on principle. They have taken stands on issues and have learned something by defending them.

Mr. Swann declared he was a conservative and an agent for change, but once again he did not provide details of what this means as a practical matter. Implicitly, he invited the voters to support him on the basis of his fame from football, both as player and commentator, and the good feelings that naturally attach to him as a result.

But name recognition doesn't paper over the fact that Mr. Swann is seeking to be the top public official in Pennsylvania when he hasn't served a day on council in Sewickley Heights, where he lives, or in any other elected position. In contrast, his most prominent opponents have paid their dues. Bill Scranton was the lieutenant governor; Jeffrey Piccola is a state senator.

Theoretically, a bright and attractive person could walk in and be a good leader, although that would make politics unique among almost all other jobs. In reality, those who have tried to parlay celebrity into a political career have often run into trouble. Jesse Ventura was something of a disaster as governor of Minnesota, and Californians are now becoming disenchanted with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The one exception may be Ronald Reagan, but he certainly benefited by being governor of California before going to the White House.

This is not to discourage Mr. Swann from running. We are glad he is doing so because he brings much-needed excitement to the race -- and if this disturbs the complacency of Gov. Ed Rendell, all the better.

No, our comments are to encourage him to put aside the platitudes and state clearly where he stands. The only way for him to overcome the impression that he has not paid his dues is to demonstrate that he has knowledge equal to or better than his opponents. In short, if he wants to be taken seriously, he must make a serious effort to show that his star is more than the glimmer of celebrity.

Letters to the editor: 1/12/06
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06012/636479.stm

The republican PR machine has already got onboard for Swann. Swann was on FOX Hannity & Colmbes last night.

Lynn Swann offers Pa. voters more than celebrity status

I read with a great deal of interest the Jan. 6 editorial "Helmet in the Ring: Lynn Swann Must Be More Than Fame and Football." The implication of popularity as opposed to experience does have a certain amount of credence. I, however, believe we have to analyze Mr. Swann's candidacy a little further.

First, where does it say a potential candidate has to "pay his dues" and possibly be considered a good ol' boy to be viable for any political office? At some point, any elected official had to be a neophyte. There is no question celebrity status plays an important role, and your points concerning Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger are well taken. I guess you could add Sonny Bono to that list. In reality, though, this certainly falls into the proverbial Monday morning quarterbacking scenario.

In retrospect may I add the names of former Reps. Steve Largent, NFL hall of famer; J.C. Watts, who was a quarterback at the University of Oklahoma; and Jack Kemp, former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills?

One of the key elements of a successful candidacy is for candidates to surround themselves with good, loyal, knowledgeable people who can aid and enhance the candidate's performance capabilities. I am of the understanding these characteristics are already being addressed relative to Mr. Swann. As far as pertinent issues are concerned, not too many candidates go into explicit detail on initial announcements. I'm sure over the ensuing period prior to May and November, these issues will be addressed via media interviews, debates and public speaking engagements.

Mr. Swann's credentials can be considered impeccable ranging from integrity, morality, family values and unselfish community involvement. Sheer logic would dictate he would not walk away from a lucrative long-tenured ABC sports commentator's position just to keep an incumbent governor honest. His intentions are genuine, committed, honorable and heartfelt.


BUD GASTGEB
Bethel Park
Editor's note: The writer is a member of the Bethel Park Republican Committee.

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AGAINST

Star power fizzles

I am deeply disturbed by the recent trend of political parties parading out so-called "star power" candidates for public office. The Jan. 8 article "GOP Caucus Gives Swann Green Light" clearly outlines the GOP intent of bypassing well-qualified candidates for one with no qualifications other than big-name recognition.

I loved Lynn Swann as a pass-catching Super Bowl hero for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he hasn't done a single thing since that would convince me he should be our next governor. Are we as voters so shallow as to think that a man who has spent a better part of his life playing a child's game would be a more qualified public servant in Harrisburg than a person who has spent 30 years working and understanding the intricacies of that high office?

If so, then the American public deserves what it gets and, based on the events of recent years, that hasn't been good!


MICHAEL J. KOZY SR.
Crafton
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Think beyond sports


It seems likely that having a football player become governor of Pennsylvania is about as appropriate as the faux-election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California. Voting for celebrities makes a pathetic statement about the civic education of most Americans.

Maybe if Pittsburghers turned their minds to something besides professional sports, we might not be one of the most pathetic backwaters that dares to call itself a major American city. And you all wring your hands about why young people don't want to stay here. Is it really any wonder?


DAVID BROWN
Renfrew

GOP caucus gives Swann green light
After one foe quits, he routs Scranton
Sunday, January 08, 2006

By Tom Barnes and James O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06008/634541.stm

HARRISBURG -- Former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann got a surprisingly big win in a Republican Party caucus vote yesterday, which chased one of his challengers from the GOP gubernatorial race and gave a big boost to his five-day-old candidacy.

Two hours after state Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin, told the Republican State Committee's Central Caucus that he was ending his struggling campaign for the GOP nomination for governor, Mr. Swann trounced his major remaining competitor, former Lt. Gov. William Scranton, in a bid for the caucus's endorsement.

Mr. Swann got 77 votes from the regional caucus, which represents 28 counties in the central part of the state, while Mr. Scranton got only 32 votes.

Mr. Swann's victory yesterday was the first shot in a pivotal five-week period that will test the Republican candidates' appeal to party leaders and GOP party leaders' power to shape the race.

On Feb. 11, the Republican State Committee is scheduled to vote to endorse either Mr. Swann or Mr. Scranton to be the party's candidate for governor in November. Over the last decade, GOP endorsements have carried more weight than those of their Democratic rivals.

Losers in the party contests have generally stepped aside, deferring to the dictates of a relatively disciplined party. But this year, the odds seem stacked against consensus.

Cumberland County lawyer Dick Stewart, co-chairman of the Central Caucus, said Mr. Swann's more than 2-to-1 margin of victory is significant. The Central Caucus has 120 members and is the largest of six regional caucuses that make up the 350-member Republican State Committee.

Mr. Stewart, a Swann supporter, contended that yesterday's outcome should go a long way to helping him win the full committee backing on Feb. 11.

"We're not going to beat Ed Rendell without someone with star power, someone with pizzazz, and Lynn Swann has that kind of magnetism," said Mr. Stewart.

Mike Long, an aide to state Senate President Pro Tem Robert Jubelirer of Altoona, a major GOP backer of Mr. Swann, was jubilant at the outcome.

But supporters of Mr. Scranton tried to downplay yesterday's defeat.

Scranton spokesman Mike DeVanney insisted the outcome in the Central Caucus was not a surprise because that group is one of the most conservative in the party. Many members of the caucus are pro-life, as is Mr. Swann, while Mr. Scranton is pro-choice.

Mr. DeVanney was happy about one positive development for Mr. Scranton yesterday -- a statement by Allegheny County GOP Chairman Bob Glancy that "a clear majority" of the county's 21 members on the state committee are backing Mr. Scranton.

"Like many area Republicans, we were intrigued by the chance to put a big name and hometown face on the ballot against Ed Rendell," said Mr. Glancy. "But after watching Lynn Swann's first year in politics, I'm convinced he's made the decision to campaign on style over substance. Few specifics, no details -- that's not the way to beat this governor."

Mr. DeVanney said Mr. Glancy's statement about Allegheny County support for Mr. Scranton is significant in that it comes from state committee members in Mr. Swann's backyard.

"This (race for the GOP nomination) is far, far, far from over," Mr. DeVanney said.

He added that he expected Mr. Swann to do well in the upcoming regional GOP caucus vote in the northwest part of Pennsylvania, but insisted that Mr. Scranton will show strength in other regional voting.

Both Mr. Scranton and Mr. Swann said they will compete hard to win the support of GOP committee members who had favored Sen. Piccola.

Mr. Stewart said he was somewhat surprised that Sen. Piccola picked yesterday to drop out of the race but said he had been lagging in committee support, even though the central region was his home base.

"I think Jeff saw the writing on the wall," Mr. Stewart said. "A lot of people thought he was well-qualified (because of his 30 years at the Capitol) but he didn't have the statewide name recognition" that Mr. Swann and Mr. Scranton have.

Mr. Stewart, like many other GOP committee members, said the most important thing is to beat Democrat Rendell, who was first elected in 2002.

"These committee people want a candidate who will win in November, and Jeff couldn't do that," Mr. Stewart added.

Mr. Swann said Sen. Piccola's announcement yesterday about pulling out "was a very emotional moment for Jeff. He's been a true leader in the Senate. He evaluated what was going on (in the governor's race) and felt this was the decision he had to make."

Mr. Scranton also praised Sen. Piccola as "a remarkable leader, whose platform of lower taxes, tort reform and economic growth are right for Pennsylvania."

It still isn't clear what Mr. Swann will do if he doesn't get the GOP committee's endorsement on Feb. 11. He declined again yesterday to say if he would go forward if not endorsed, although close supporters have said that they were certain he would.

Mr. Scranton has acknowledged that he expects to be on the primary ballot with or without the committee imprimatur.

Both candidates insisted they're sure they will get the GOP committee endorsement.

The final candidate in the GOP gubernatorial race, James Panyard, former head of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association, is not seeking the party endorsement but does plan to run in the May primary.

All of that suggests the likelihood of the GOP's first gubernatorial contest since former Gov. Tom Ridge won it over then Attorney General Ernie Preate in 1994.

"There are those who believe that a [contested] primary is a good thing," said Ray Zaborney, executive director of Mr. Swann's campaign. "I don't; it costs a lot of money."

And a lot of money is what the winner will need to compete with the Democratic incumbent. While official reports are not due until the end of the month, both the Swann and Scranton camps said that they would report having more than a $1 million in cash at the start of 2006. Those totals are expected to put them well ahead of Mr. Panyard, but Democrat Rendell is expected to report a war chest already in the double-digit millions -- impressive, but not surprising given the roughly $40 million he raised four years ago in defeating now Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. in the Democratic primary and then Attorney General Mike Fisher in the 2002 general election.

The financial numbers for Mr. Swann and Mr. Scranton pale not only in comparison with Mr. Rendell's, but also with the sum Mr. Fisher had raised at the same point in the race four years ago. But Mr. DeVanney warned against drawing too many conclusions from that comparison.

"When you're running against an incumbent, it presents a different scenario," he said, pointing to the facts that the governor's office was open in 2002 and that Mr. Fisher, by the end of the 2001, had clear sailing to the GOP nomination.

Alan Novak, the former state GOP chairman and a Swann supporter, said, "Part of it was that Lynn was kind of straddling the fence between broadcasting and running until now. You'll see that changing. ... Will we have as much as Rendell? No, but we don't have to."

The Republican endorsement may not prevent a contested primary, but it is expected to be a clear advantage with the insiders for whoever does prevail, just as it was for Mr. Ridge, then a relatively low-profile congressman, in 1994. At this point, the party contest appears still up for grabs while aides to each of the contenders claim that they are in the lead.

If there is a Swann-Scranton GOP primary race, it will certainly be high profile.

Mr. Swann drew extensive national as well as local media attention with his coming-out party at the Heinz History Center on Wednesday night.

The Pittsburgh stop on Mr. Scranton's announcement tour two months ago was less well-attended, but he drew the largest Pittsburgh crowd of any of the GOP contenders so far with a breakfast fund-raiser hosted by GOP grande dame Elsie Hillman last month. The William Penn fund-raiser showcased endorsements from Republican luminaries including former Govs. Dick Thornburgh, Ray Shafer and, of course, the candidates' father, William Scranton Jr. Officeholders who have lined up behind Scranton include U.S. Reps. Phil English, R-Erie; John Peterson, R-State College; and Don Sherwood, R-Scranton.

The Swann campaign has signed on Reps. Joe Pitts, R-Lancaster and Bill Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg.

One subset of the Swann-Scranton rivalry is their competitions for the support of prominent figures from the administration of former Gov. Ridge, who has been neutral in the race so far. Mr. Swann boasts the support of Mark Holman, Mr. Ridge's former chief of staff, as well as Mr. Novak, who served as a key Ridge political lieutenant as chairman of the state party.

The Scranton campaign announced this week that James Seif, a member of Mr. Ridge's Cabinet, was signing on as its campaign manager. He joins Leslie Gromis Baker, herself Mr. Ridge's former campaign manager, in the Scranton campaign hierarchy.

Both the Scranton and Piccola campaigns have tried to turn Mr. Swann's star-power against him in portraying the Steelers great as a candidate of charisma rather than policy. Mr. Swann has offered a specific suggestion on goals for cutting both business and personal income tax rates, although he hasn't said how he would pay for the forgone revenue. He has yet to offer any road map for how he would fulfill his campaign promise of reforming the property tax system.

The Scranton camp greeted Mr. Swann's formal entry into the race with a letter urging "a full contest of ideas," and insisting that the days until the endorsement vote should be a time to "[provide] a detailed blueprint for change," -- a not-so-veiled suggestion that Mr. Swann had yet to supply one.

Since he is a newcomer to politics, it is natural that policy questions would be focused on Mr. Swann's campaign. He has said there should be a complete overhaul of the property tax structure in Pennsylvania but hasn't said he would do it. But there are limits to the policy details offered by his rivals as well.

Mr. Scranton has said simply that a broader sales tax should be part of the property tax solution. He has not offered details on an alternative proposal.

The maneuvering for the GOP endorsement at the top of the ticket could be influenced by regional aspiration for the lieutenant governor spot.

Jim Matthews, a Montgomery County commissioner, is seeking the second spot. His county, one of the largest troves of state committee votes, is maintaining neutrality in the race in part, according to its chairman, Ken Davis, to preserve the opportunities for leverage for Mr. Matthews' candidacy.

Mr. Swann and Mr. Piccola, with an eye toward burnishing their own Eastern Pennsylvania appeal, have said that they support the Matthews bid. Mr. Scranton has not endorsed a prospective running mate.

State Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, is also seeking the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor. He has been endorsed by the long-shot, Mr. Panyard.

Both Mr. Turzai and Mr. Matthews were present yesterday at the Central Caucus meeting to seek its support, but a vote wasn't taken on the No. 2 spot on the ticket.
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(Politics editor James O'Toole can be reached at jotoole@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1562. Harrisburg Bureau Chief Tom Barnes can be reached at tbarnes@post-gazette.com or 1-717-787-4254.)