Lynn Swann

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.