Lynn Swann's early lead
It was a mild surprise to wake up today and see the Patriot-News story that presumptive Republican gubernatorial nominee Lynn Swann has a six-point polling lead over Gov. Ed Rendell. I don't ascribe much significance to this. What you're seeing here is fascination with celebrity, not Lynn Swann's very conservative, rightwing positions. Those are largely unknown to the general populace, who right now know him only as the accomplished former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rendell's people haven't even begun to pick Swann apart. Wait till clips of Swann's long list of TV and film cameos start making the rounds. Did you know, for example, that he hosted "To Tell the Truth" for 14 weeks in the early 1990s, drew critical brickbats, and was replaced by Alex Trebek? His post-football career appears to be entirely based on celebrity. Look him up in Wikipedia. Is he as Cosby-like as he seems? Time will tell.
Now celebrity can carry you far. No one thought Minnesota would elect pro wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor. But you can't rule out the race issue in Pennsylvania. Swann needs a big vote in the "T" counties to overcome the huge lead Rendell will amass in the Philadelphia region. Some Democrats wonder how well Swann will do in those rural counties.