Gerlach drops out of Pa. governor's race

The Republican primary contest for Pennsylvania governor came into sharper focus yesterday with the decision of U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach to abandon the race because of a lack of sufficient campaign cash.

Gerlach's withdrawal puts state Attorney General Tom Corbett, already the front-runner, in a strong position to wrap up the nomination well ahead of the May 18 primary.

It also could have implications in the fight for control of the U.S. House in this year's midterm elections. National Republicans are desperate to hold on to Gerlach's always hotly contested seat in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. Gerlach, 54, had not planned to seek a fifth term. But he has left himself plenty of time to get back into that race if he wants to.

He was mum on the possibility yesterday.

"At this point, we don't have any comment on what Jim's future plans may or may not be," said Kori Walter, Gerlach's campaign spokesman.

State Republican leaders, who have been pretty much unified behind Corbett, seemed thrilled by Gerlach's move.

It leaves State Rep. Sam Rohrer, an antitax activist from Berks County, as the only other GOP contender for governor. Party leaders do not consider Rohrer a serious threat to Corbett. They think Corbett can now save most of his resources for a costly battle against the eventual Democratic nominee in November.

Rohrer, who entered the race in November, conceded last night that he was in an uphill battle. "We know this is a difficult race," he said.

Gerlach, in a statement announcing his withdrawal late yesterday afternoon, said he had raised about $1 million. But he said that in "today's media-driven campaigns," he'd have to raise "four times that amount to wage a successful primary."

Corbett said last summer that he already had raised $1 million, but he has not released any financial information since. The first campaign-funding reports this year are required by Feb. 1.

Believing himself far behind in campaign cash, Gerlach said, he had "two choices: either spend all of my time raising money with little time left for meeting with voters; or withdrawing my candidacy and working even harder to serve the public."

"I am choosing to serve the public," he said.

Walter noted that even if Gerlach does not run for another term in Congress, he still has a year left in the House.

When Gerlach announced his run for governor in July, there was speculation that he had grown tired and wary of the titanic election battles he has been required to fight to hold his Sixth Congressional District seat. Democrats had been gaining each year in voter registration in his district, which covers portions of Chester, Montgomery and Berks Counties.

But Republicans believe that momentum has shifted their way in recent months. Nationally, Democrats have been put on the defensive by wider-than-expected criticism of their economic and health-care plans. Locally, Democrats have failed to settle on a clear favorite as their nominee for the Sixth District.

Republican leaders said privately last night that Gerlach could probably sweep aside the crowded field of GOP candidates who hope to succeed him. They said that none of several current contenders had established a strong advantage.

They also said the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is considering throwing money into the fall campaign against a Democratic nominee, would be more likely to do so if the well-known, well-entrenched Gerlach decided to run.

Under federal campaign law, Gerlach would not be permitted to use the money he has raised for governor in a congressional race. But Republicans said he could return money to donors and then ask them to chip in to his House campaign if he runs.

Robert A. Gleason Jr., the Republican state chairman, said he was caught off guard when Gerlach told him yesterday he was quitting the governor's race.

"He called me out of the blue," Gleason said. "I thanked him for being a candidate and I said, 'I hope you are going to stay active.' "

Gleason said he did not ask Gerlach whether he planned to run again for the House. "I don't know if he's going to stay in Congress or what his plans are," he said.

The party chairman said he was pleased that Corbett would now be able to "husband his resources."

Corbett, in winning a second term as attorney general in 2008, got more votes than any other Republican in state history. He has also gained reams of publicity from his long-running investigation of legislative corruption in Harrisburg, dubbed Bonusgate.

"He doesn't need a primary" to establish himself, Gleason said.

In a statement last night, Corbett said, "I have the utmost respect for Congressman Gerlach and his career as a public servant. I wish Jim the best in his future endeavors and look forward to working with him to improve our economic climate, protect taxpayers, and make our commonwealth a better place to live, work, and raise a family."

A person close to the Corbett campaign said Gerlach's withdrawal "pretty much caught everybody off guard." The person said he did not believe Gerlach and Corbett had talked beforehand.

Gerlach, in his statement, said his months of preparing to run for governor had "stoked my passion for honest, effective, and efficient government."

"I intend to continue to raise my voice," he said, "and work hard in the months and years ahead."