Jim Gerlach drops out of Pa. Governor’s race

Congressman Jim Gerlach is dropping out of Pennsylvania’s Republican gubernatorial primary, leaving two candidates in the race. [audio:100107SDOUT.mp3]

Gerlach’s effort to knock off front runner Tom Corbett, the state’s attorney general, was a long shot. A December Quinnipiac Poll showed eight in ten Pennsylvania Republicans hadn’t heard of the southeastern Pennsylvania congressman, and gave Corbett a 38 to 12 advantage.

Pa. State Representative Sam Rohrer is Corbett’s only remaining GOP opponent.

Gerlach says a main reason for the decision is money. In a statement, he said that his campaign had raised more than a million dollars so far – but acknowledged it would take “four times that amount to wage a successful primary.”

Gerlach said he didn’t want to commit to raising money around the clock and cutting back on meeting voters and campaigning.

Gerlach may try to run for another term in Congress. He had originally planned to vacate his seat to campaign for governor. His campaign director, Scott Migli, says Gerlach will “be deciding in the next few days” on whether he’ll reverse course and run for reelection.