Corbett, Onorato make a last stand among voters in the Philadelphia area

With the witching hour in this election season fast approaching, the two Western Pennsylvanians vying for the governorship came east Sunday in their own version of a time-honored Halloween tradition.

Republican Tom Corbett courted voters at stops in Philadelphia and its suburbs, aiming to pull off the trick of grabbing some votes in a corner of the state where Democrats and independents dominate.

Democrat Dan Onorato, meanwhile, returned to traditional sources of support, hoping a last-minute surge in excitement could deliver an Election Day treat.

Both men crisscrossed the region, giving speeches, shaking hands, and pausing for photos as the clock ticked down to the opening of polls at 7 a.m. Tuesday. They vied for voters' attention on a day when many people were more interested in Halloween parades and pumpkins. One Bucks County voter tried to bridge the two occasions by wearing a witch's hat and broom to Corbett's afternoon rally in Bristol Borough.

Eileen Zolotorofe of Langhorne called her costume the "Nancy Pelosi Express."

"I thought it would be fun to dress up, but someone asked me if I was supposed to be Christine O'Donnell," she said, referring to the GOP Senate candidate in Delaware who once said that she had dabbled in witchcraft.

Onorato still trails Corbett in polls - albeit only by single digits in the most recent surveys - making voter turnout in the city and other heavily Democratic parts of Southeastern Pennsylvania crucial to his chances on Tuesday.

But the Allegheny County executive appeared unfazed as he rallied Sunday afternoon with labor and community leaders in South Philadelphia and then headed northwest to stump with U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.) at restaurants in Abington Township.

"The next few days are about rallying our base," Onorato said, before introducing himself to a crowd of diners at the Roman Delight Restaurant. "I've seen a lot of momentum."

If there is Democratic momentum, campaign workers hope to keep it up by continuing the parade of party luminaries who have worked the hustings here.

On the heels of a Saturday visit from her husband, first lady Michelle Obama is to speak at a rally late Monday on the University of Pennsylvania campus, and former President Bill Clinton is to make yet another swing through the area. Gov. Rendell, too, is making a string of appearances on Onorato's behalf.

Lewis Maniloff, for one, had seen enough. Though he said he'd voted for Democrats in the past, he didn't wait until Onorato was out of earshot Sunday evening in Abington before putting down his pizza and making his views known.

"Straight Republican ticket," Maniloff, 70, said of his plans for Tuesday. "I voted for Ed Rendell, but look at the mess they've made." Onorato kept smiling as he continued working the room.

Maniloff's words would have pleased Corbett, who spent much of the day on Democratic ground, perhaps in part to live down a remark about Philadelphia turnout he says was misconstrued.

Corbett made morning appeals to African American congregants at Philadelphia churches. Over the weekend, many homes in the city received recorded messages, or "robocalls," from his campaign in which a black-sounding minister noted Corbett's role as state attorney general in a gun-violence task force, and assured voters: "Tom Corbett has been there for us."

Corbett closed out Sunday afternoon with a rally in blue-collar, Democratic-leaning Bristol. "We're competing for every vote we can get," Corbett said.

Speaking before a cheering crowd, he joined two fellow Republicans - U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey and Mike Fitzpatrick, who is seeking election in the Eighth Congressional District - to pound the themes of fiscal responsibility and job creation.

The latest Corbett stops in and around the city come only days after Onorato and other Democrats accused him of calling for suppressing Philadelphia voter turnout.

Corbett has insisted that wasn't what he meant Thursday when he told suburban Republicans he wanted to "make sure" Philadelphia's turnout was under 50 percent, adding, "Keep that down." Democratic leaders pounced on his words, saying they smacked of old-fashioned efforts to suppress black votes. Corbett said the remarks, videotaped by the Delaware County Daily Times, were taken out of context.

A peeved expression crossed his face Sunday when asked about the matter. "The Democrats can say whatever they want," Corbett said.

Onorato, for his part, kept making the accusation. "It's on film," Onorato said. "His plan for winning is to hope that people here don't vote."