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Wanted: Democrats for Lt. Gov.

The list of Republicans mulling a run for Lieutenant Governor reads like a GOP variety show, with more than a dozen candidates of every stripe lining up to play second fiddle to their party’s gubernatorial nominee. They include party mainstays, rising stars, political unknowns and everything in between.

But at this still-early stage, the Republicans are mostly alone in the field. Only one Democrat has said he is likely to run, and while others have been mentioned as viable, a deluge of Democratic candidates in to the race seems unlikely anytime soon.

So why are Democrats lukewarm to the contest? Many analysts and political insiders think it’s because after 8 years holding the Governor’s Mansion, Democrats are counting on voters to stick to their longtime habit of kicking the incumbent party out of office. Being second-fiddle on a winning ticket can be a career boost—sometimes—but a losing running mate risks a future of political obscurity. For now, Republicans are clearly more confident that they can ride the coattails of their party’s nominee to Harrisburg.

“The Democrats don’t think they can win and don’t want to be part of a losing ticket,” state Republican Party chairman Rob Gleason told pa2010.com in an interview. “This also shows we have some great talent out there of people who see themselves as viable governors down the road.”

Republican political consultant Charlie Gerow added: “It’s indicative of the fact that Republicans think they can win next year.”

In an interview, Abe Amoros, the state Democratic Party’s spokesman and political director, acknowledged the dearth of Democrats in the race, but said it wasn’t unusual so early in the election cycle.

“We’ll definitely have more than a few names that we’ll be hearing about in the fall,” he said.

The one Democrat almost certain to run for the position is Jonathan Saidel, a former City Controller in Philadelphia. Former state Treasurer Robin Wiessmann is also rumored to be thinking about a run. “I certainly have left it open to consideration,” she said recently.

The contrast with the Republican field is striking. Montgomery County Commissioners Jim Matthews and Bruce Castor are both interested in the job. Ditto Frank Rizzo Jr., a Philadelphia City Councilman and son of the city’s former mayor. Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, a darling of anti-immigration conservatives, it increasingly talked about. So is state Representative Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny), who led the caucus’ campaign committee last year in avoiding the cascade of lost seats many were expecting in a Democratic year (the party lost only two seats). York County businessman Steve Johnson has already declared his intention to run. So has former Erie County Executive Rick Schenker .

Throw in names like former Congresswoman Melissa Hart; state Senate Majority Whip Jane Orie (R-Allegheny); state Senator John Pippy (R-Allegheny); state Senator Rob Wonderling (R-Bucks); state Representative Karen Beyers (R-Lehigh); Chester County Commissioner Carol Aichele and Dauphin County Commissioner Nick DiFrancesco, and the race for Lt. Gov. is shaping up as a crowded one.

“I guess we have a gazillion folks out there,” said Lowman Henry, head of the Lincoln Institute, a conservative think tank in Harrisburg.

Running for Lieutenant Governor is a politically quirky proposition. A victory usually depends on support from the likely top-ticket nominee, and most gubernatorial candidates look for someone who brings geographic to the balance to the ticket. That means the folks from the southeast will likely root for Attorney General Tom Corbett, who hails from Pittsburgh. The candidates from Corbett’s turf will hinge their hopes on southeast Pennsylvania’s Pat Meehan.

“There’s all kind of idiosyncratic things that go into why they win,” Franklin & Marshall pollster G. Terry Madonna said.

April 19, 2009 at 6:10 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Bruce Castor, Carol Aichele, Frank Rizzo, Jane Orie, Jim Matthews, John Pippy, Jonathan Saidel, Karen Beyers, Lou Barletta, Lt. Gov., Melissa Hart, Mike Turzai, Nick DiFrancesco, Pennsylvania Governor, Rick Schenker, Rob Wonderling, Robin Wiessmann, Steve Johnson, Steve Young

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