Lynn Swann appeared to secure the Republican Party endorsement for governor last night as he defeated former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton in a vote of state committee members from the southwest corner of the state.

Going into last night's vote, which he won, 33-23, Mr. Swann had already secured the support of at least 169 of the 180 state committee members needed to win the endorsement.

The full state committee will vote on the endorsement next month in Harrisburg.

Last night's tally vote came after a contentious closed meeting in which organizers turned aside Scranton supporters' requests that they vote on whether to support an open primary, in which the party would stay neutral, rather than make a choice between Mr. Swann and Mr. Scranton.

James Panyard, a former president of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association, also is seeking the GOP nomination, but he has not sought the support of the state committee.

Mr. Scranton had originally predicted that he would win the state committee's endorsement, but after trailing Mr. Swann in several earlier caucus votes, announced last month that he would ask for an open primary to determine the party's nominee against Gov. Ed Rendell.

Scranton supporters greeted their defeat with denunciations of the voting procedures. Former state Rep. Jeff Coleman complained that "parliamentary gymnastics" had sidetracked the request for a vote on the open primary.

Mary Ann Meloy, a Scranton supporter who was voting last night, called it a "real railroad job," while Mike DeVanney, Mr. Scranton's deputy campaign manager, characterized the session as "a kangaroo court."

Jan Rea, the caucus chair and a Swann supporter, defended the procedures, saying she would permit a vote on the open primary question but only after the scheduled vote between the two contenders. Later, after the vote between the candidates was settled, a motion in favor of an open primary was tabled by voice vote.

"If it had been 33-23 the other way, there would have been no questions about parliamentary procedures," said Ray Zaborney. Mr. Swann's campaign manager. "The simple fact is they lost a vote they said they had to win."

After addressing the closed meeting, the two contenders left the gathering at the Monroeville Holiday Inn before the vote was announced.

Before leaving, Mr. Scranton reiterated his intention to stay in the race through the May primary regardless of the state committee vote.

Through the end of 2005, the two leading contenders had raised roughly similar amounts for their campaigns, although they both trailed far behind Mr. Rendell. If Mr. Swann wins the party backing next month, as seems all but certain, it would, in addition to its other benefits, give him a fund-raising boost.

Asked how much of his own money he would be willing to devote to a potentially expensive primary battle, Mr. Scranton said, "My family has already made a substantial contribution. Obviously, if there's a primary, we'll do more."

Football metaphors are never far from the Swann campaign. Asked to assess the stakes just before the vote, the candidate said, "This is like the regular season and getting into the playoffs, the object is to win and that means running against Ed Rendell in the general election."

In a less contentious portion of last night's meeting, committee members voted 40-17 in favor of the lieutenant governor candidacy of state Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, over Jim Matthews, a Montgomery County commissioner who is allied with the Swann campaign.