Rep. Jim Gerlach, a Republican candidate for governor, yesterday called for his chief, but unannounced rival, state Attorney General Tom Corbett, to either resign his post or give up his ambitions for the 2010 race for governor.

In a news release, Mr. Gerlach contended that the attorney general's Bonusgate investigation poses a conflict of interest in that he is investigating Republican legislators at the same time he is seeking their support for the GOP nomination. The congressman planned to underscore the issue later this afternoon in a conference call with reporters across the state.

"His failure to understand and acknowledge that conflict, and immediately eliminate, it is very disturbing,'' Mr. Gerlach said in a statement released by his campaign. "I think Attorney General Corbett should immediately rectify this inherent conflict by either suspending his gubernatorial campaign or immediately resigning his position as attorney general. Otherwise, most Pennsylvanians will view his current "having it both ways" strategy as more of the same old, Harrisburg political culture that the people of this state desperately want reformed."

Mr. Gerlach, who represents a suburban Philadelphia congressional seat, has trailed Mr. Corbett in early polls on the race, although the numbers also suggest that neither candidate is well known to the voters at this point. Pat Meehan, a former Philadelphia prosecutor, had also been eyeing the GOP nomination but announced last week that he had switched his sights to the suburban Philadelphia congressional seat that will be left open with Rep. Joe Sestak's decision to seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.

A spokesman for Mr. Corbett could not immediately be reached for comment.