Potential GOP candidate for Pa. lieutenant governor contrasts himself with Stack

A longtime state lawmaker is seriously exploring a bid for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor.

Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, said controversies surrounding current Lt. Gov. Mike Stack’s behavior strongly influenced his decision to run.

In Pennsylvania, candidates for lieutenant governor and governor run separately in party primaries and together in the general election.

Argall has previously criticized Stack and Wolf’s partnership, which has, at times, been troubled.

This year, the lieutenant governor was accused of verbally abusing staff members, and Wolf responded by stripping Stack of his police detail.

“It has definitely affected my interest,” Argall said. “The current arrangement up on the second floor is an embarrassment. We have a governor and a lieutenant governor who have been quoted publicly as saying they don’t even talk to each other for weeks on end.”

Argall also pushed for a constitutional amendment that would require the state’s No. 1 and 2 executives to run together from the beginning of their campaigns.

But even absent that unlikely rule change, the GOP senator said he’s confident he’d be a compatible running mate to any of the potential Republican candidates for governor.

And if not?

“If our candidate for governor comes to me and says, David, I’d rather you stay in the Senate, I’m going to respect that judgement and not be a candidate,” Argall said.

Argall has publicly supported the gubernatorial bid of fellow Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York.

A spokesman for Stack said Argall and other House and Senate lawmakers should focus on funding the still-unfinished state budget rather than running for higher office.