HARRISBURG -- Even though the 2010 gubernatorial primaries are nearly two years away, political speculation is already focusing on several likely candidates for the Republican and Democratic nominations.

Thrusting himself into the midst of the talk last week was Patrick L. Meehan, who resigned as U.S. attorney in Philadelphia to take a job with a Philadelphia law firm. Mr. Meehan, 52, lives in Delaware County, which abuts the state's largest city. He is a former district attorney in Delaware County.

As politicians seeking higher office often are, Mr. Meehan was vague about his plans, saying he'd be willing to consider "an opportunity for public service at some point."

Many political analysts took this as a reference to the May 2010 Republican primary for governor.

"His name has been a popular one for governor in Republican circles for several years," said a GOP analyst in Philadelphia, Jeff Jubelirer.

"It's obvious that Meehan would be considered one of the frontrunners on the Republican side" in the 2010 gubernatorial election, said Christopher Borick, a professor and pollster at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.

Any Republican candidate for governor must do well in the population-rich southeast in order to win the governorship. One main reason that Gov. Ed Rendell easily won two terms as governor is that he was very popular in Philadelphia and its suburbs.

Other prominent Republicans mentioned as possible candidates for governor in 2010 include the current attorney general, Tom Corbett, of Shaler; Pat Toomey, of Lehigh, who almost defeated Sen. Arlen Specter in a 2004 GOP U.S. Senate primary; and wealthy businessman Glen Meakem, of Pittsburgh, who founded and then sold FreeMarkets Inc.

Some GOP observers doubt if both Mr. Toomey and Mr. Meakem would run for the same office, since they have the same base of support in the solidly conservative wing of the Pennsylvania GOP. Mr. Toomey may challenge Mr. Specter again in 2010, some say.

Mr. Meehan got considerable publicity for his two-year investigation of state Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, who goes on trial in September on 139 counts of public corruption, including misuse of state funds.

Mr. Meehan also oversaw investigations of other Philadelphia Democrats, including then-Mayor John Street in 2003.

Mr. Corbett is almost certain to get a lot of publicity in coming months because of his 18-month investigation of bonuses that he says were improperly paid to some legislative staffers for political work they did in the 2006 elections.

As for Democrats in the May 2010 primary, prominent names include two from Allegheny County -- County Executive Dan Onorato, of Brighton Heights, and current state Auditor General Jack Wagner, of Beechview.

From the eastern side of the state, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham, a former state secretary of general services, is expected to run. State Sen. Robert Mellow, D-Lackawanna, has said he might also, and Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll may also be interested.