One of the candidates is Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, who had made his reputation as a corruption-busting moderate Republican. But, the late entrance of harder line fiscal and social conservative Sam Rohrer, a state lawmaker from Berks County, has triggered a rightward shift by Corbett.
Here is a look at where they stand on a few key issues:
On improving Pennsylvania's economic development and job climate:
"We have the 11th worst tax climate in the country right now. We have the second highest corporate net income tax," said Corbett.
"We have the highest business tax rates. We have the highest regulatory climate, it's very hostile to people. Can those be fixed? Yes." said Rohrer.
On cutting the state's mammoth budget deficit:
"I will not raise taxes to balance the budget in the Commonwealth. We will reduce our spending," said Rohrer.
"I don't know if that means layoffs but certainly reductions in the size of the staff. A lot of that could be through attrition, a lot of that could be through retirements. But, if it's necessary to have layoffs, there could be layoffs," said Corbett.
As for the race itself, the tone has been gentlemanly so far, but there have been some relatively mild barbs.
"He voted for his own pay raise and voted for his own pension increase. I wouldn't necessarily, in my mind, view that as conservative," Corbett said about Rohrer.
"My opponent has said he would consider tax increases. I made it clear I would not vote for a tax increase, then he came back and said 'well, I guess we'll have to take that off the table," said Rohrer about Corbett.
From the start, the smart money has been with Corbett in this relatively low-keyed battle for the GOP nomination. However, the question of whether Corbett has the momentum here will be answered on Election Day later this month.
