HARRISBURG -- Republican and Democratic campaign officials are at odds over whether Gov. Ed Rendell should return a $300,000 contribution he got from the Democratic Governors Association.

Republican State Committee Chairwoman Eileen Melvin said Democrat Rendell shouldn't have accepted the money, which was part of $15 million Mr. Rendell has raised so far for his re-election effort.

She contended the donation resulted from a trip Mr. Rendell took to Las Vegas last year, when he urged gambling interests to chip in to the Democratic governors group. Gambling concerns did so, to the tune of $417,000.

The law that authorized 14 casinos and created the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which Mr. Rendell strongly advocated, prohibits Pennsylvania politicians from receiving money directly from gambling interests.

Mrs. Melvin claimed the contribution from the governors association was a "quid pro quo" from the Democratic group because Mr. Rendell had helped it raise so much money last year.

"Pennsylvanians are a lot smarter than Ed Rendell thinks," she said. "Ed Rendell should do the right thing and return the contribution immediately and apologize for, at the very least, skirting the spirit of the state gaming legislation he signed into law."

Rendell spokesman Dan Fee said none of the $300,000 that the governor got from the association consisted of money from gambling interests.

Mrs. Melvin said the Rendell camp "has tried to dismiss this quid pro quo by saying the money came from non-gaming contributors, but the fact remains that DGA was $417,000 richer because of Ed Rendell's meeting with gaming executives."

She claimed that Mr. Rendell was rewarded "handsomely for his efforts" on behalf of the association.

Republicans also noted that Mr. Rendell has a close relationship with the governors association. His former communications director in the governor's office, Penny Lee, is its executive director.

Mr. Fee replied that Republicans are hypocrites by raising this issue. He said the Republican Governors Association in the past three years has received $800,000 from casino companies and it's likely that group will make a donation to help Mr. Rendell's chief rival, Lynn Swann.

Mr. Fee said he expects the Republican candidate eventually to accept the same sorts of contributions.

Mr. Fee, a Philadelphia political consultant, helped Mr. Rendell, a former Philadelphia mayor, win the governor's chair in 2002.

Swann campaign officials said the campaign hasn't gotten any GOP governors association money yet, but conceded they may accept it if it's offered.

"We certainly aren't ruling out taking money from the RGA," said Swann aide Melissa Walters.

Another Swann spokesman, Leonard Alcivar, said he sees a difference between the two candidates because Mr. Swann isn't a sitting governor who pressed for the slot machine law to be enacted in 2004.

Mr. Swann would appear to need all the campaign financing he can get. He's far behind Mr. Rendell on fund raising, with about $1.5 million on hand.

The Democratic Governors Association money is a relatively small part of the total of $15 million Mr. Rendell now has on hand in his drive for a second term.

Mr. Fee said that Mr. Swann is also hypocritical because he says he's opposed to the expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania and yet is still willing to take money from the GOP governors group, which has taken money from gambling interests.

And, he said, Mr. Swann is listed as an attendee of the upcoming Kentucky Derby in late May, a horse race where thousands of dollars are bet. But Ms. Walters said yesterday it isn't known yet whether Mr. Swann will attend the race.