HARRISBURG 3 state positions open; competition gets fierce

Could the next attorney general be Matthew Mangino of Lawrence County?
HARRISBURG (AP) -- Next year, for the first time in eight years, all the state's row offices -- attorney general, state treasurer and auditor general -- will be up for grabs. Already, the competition is fierce.
More than a dozen people are running or seriously considering running for these statewide posts, each of which carries a four-year term, an annual salary of more than $120,000, and the kind of high visibility that can help make bigger political dreams come true.
At this point, nine months before the primaries, uncertainty and anxiety abound.
"They say things like, 'If he's in, I'm out' and 'If he's out, I'm in'," said Donald F. Morabito, executive director of the state Democratic Party.
"These are going to be very competitive primary fights and very competitive general elections, the way it looks now," said G. Terry Madonna, a Millersville University professor and pollster.
The only apparent exception is incumbent Auditor General Robert P. Casey Jr., who is barred by law from seeking a third term and so far is the only candidate for the Democratic nomination for treasurer. Among the row-office aspirants, Casey is the only one with no visible opposition.
Attorney general candidates
At the opposite end of the spectrum is a crowd of lawyers -- all males with prosecutorial backgrounds -- eyeing bids for the Democratic and Republican nominations for attorney general.
Incumbent Republican Mike Fisher, barred by law from seeking re-election when his second term ends in 2005, was recently nominated by President Bush to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
John Morganelli, the longtime Northampton County district attorney who narrowly lost the Democratic nomination to challenge Fisher's re-election in 2000, says he is a definite candidate.
Jim Eisenhower, who beat Morganelli but lost the general election, says he will decide whether to run later this year.
He is a distant relative of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Other prospective Democratic candidates include Matthew Mangino, Lawrence County district attorney, and David M. Barasch, the former U.S. attorney for the middle district of Pennsylvania.
On the GOP side, two candidates have begun fund raising -- Thomas W. Corbett Jr., the former U.S. attorney for western Pennsylvania who also preceded Fisher as state attorney general for 15 months, and Joe Peters, a former Scranton policeman, state prosecutor and federal drug official.
Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said he is "strongly considering" running and will make a decision after his 2003 re-election campaign is over.
As many as three candidates may vie for the GOP nod to challenge Casey for the treasurer's post that is being vacated by Barbara Hafer. Craige Pepper, a financial consultant in Erie, has formed a fund-raising committee. Two others say they are considering it: Philadelphia advertising executive Brian Tierney and Larry Medaglia, the register of wills in Berks County.
Auditor general candidates
The auditor general's office that Casey is leaving has attracted one definite Democratic candidate, state Sen. Jack Wagner of Allegheny County, and one possible candidate, State Sen. Allyson Y. Schwartz of Philadelphia. Schwartz may take on Wagner in the primary, or may choose to run for the congressional seat of U.S. Rep. Joseph Hoeffel, who is running for the Senate, her spokeswoman says.
Chet Beiler, a businessman and former GOP chairman in Lancaster County, has formed a campaign committee in his bid for the Republican nomination for auditor general.