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Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann appears to have locked up enough support to win the Republican Party nomination for Pennsylvania governor. In the last regional GOP meeting before state Republicans meet to endorse a candidate, the NFL Hall of Famer on Tuesday picked up 33 unofficial commitments from party representatives. If they all follow through, he will have just over the 180 votes needed to win the party's official endorsement on Feb. 11. Swann, 53, is seeking to become Pennsylvania's first black governor. Though he has revealed little about his political philosophy, he has said the Democratic Party has...

Republican Lynn Swann continued his march to his party's gubernatorial endorsement on Saturday despite being handed defeats in a pair of regional straw votes. Republican loyalists gathering for closed-door caucuses in Nesquehoning and in suburban Scranton threw their support to their hometown favorite: Swann rival Bill Scranton. But Swann apparently is still ahead in the aggregate vote count needed to secure the GOP gubernatorial endorsement next month. Heading into the so-called ''Super Saturday'' caucuses, unofficial tallies provided by aides to both campaigns showed Swann, 53, an NFL Hall of Famer and former Pittsburgh Steeler, with about 120 votes, to Scranton's...

Two new polls depict a potential matchup between Gov. Ed Rendell and Republican candidate Lynn Swann as a virtual tie. Both surveys, by Zogby International and Rassmussen Reports, show the other major Republican contender, former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton, trailing the incumbent with similar margins, by 45.7 percent to 37.9 percent in the Zogby poll and by 46 percent to 36 percent in Rasmussen. The difference between Mr. Swann and Mr. Rendell's numbers were within the margin of error in each poll. With Zogby, it was Mr. Rendell, 43.9 percent; Mr. Swann, 43.6 percent; Rasmussen: Mr. Rendell, 45 percent; Mr....

HARRISBURG -- Former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann got a surprisingly big win in a Republican Party caucus vote yesterday, which chased one of his challengers from the GOP gubernatorial race and gave a big boost to his five-day-old candidacy. Two hours after state Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin, told the Republican State Committee's Central Caucus that he was ending his struggling campaign for the GOP nomination for governor, Mr. Swann trounced his major remaining competitor, former Lt. Gov. William Scranton, in a bid for the caucus's endorsement.

Campaign rally scheduled for 6 p.m ET today. (Wed. Jan. 4th) And Lynn Swann will be on the Sean Hannity radio show Thursday January 5th to talk about his just announced candidacy for Governor of PA. (confirmed by Sweet Baby James)Former Steelers star Lynn Swann declared his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor Wednesday in the city where he made his name in professional football. He told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday afternoon that made up his mind to run in the fall, after spending months weighing support at events around the state. Swann, a longtime TV football commentator, faces...

Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star and veteran football commentator for ABC Sports, is expected to declare his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor Wednesday. Swann planned to open a three-day tour of the state at a rally in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, before flying to similar events in six other cities - Erie, Altoona and Scranton on Thursday, and Philadelphia, Allentown and Lancaster on Friday. Aides declined to confirm the purpose of the tour, but Swann's political committee - Team 88, named after the number on the former wide receiver's football jersey - has been raising money for 11 months....

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A big day awaits Lynn Swann on Wednesday. The former Pittsburgh Steelers star and veteran college football analyst for ABC Sports is expected to kick off his political career by declaring his candidacy for Pennsylvania's governorship. Swann planned to open a three-day state tour at a rally in Pittsburgh. Swann, a wide receiver for the Steelers, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001. Aides declined to confirm the purpose of the tour, but Swann's political committee -- Team 88, named after his football jersey number -- has been raising money for 11 months....

Swann endorses Matthews By: MARGARET GIBBONS, Times Herald Staff 12/22/2005 COURTHOUSE - Republican gubernatorial hopeful Lynn Swann is throwing his support behind the lieutenant governor candidacy of Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman James R. Matthews. In a letter sent this week to county GOP Chairman Ken Davis, Swann acknowledged his support for Matthews was twofold - that they were both on the same page philosophically and that Matthews' presence on the November election ballot would balance the GOP ticket. "Jim will also bring strength to the ticket in one of the most important battleground areas," said Swann in the letter. "I...

Great News for Lynn Swann and Team 88! According to a Quinnipiac University Poll of registered Republicans released December 13, if the race for the Republican nomination for Governor were held today, Lynn Swann would defeat Bill Scranton, Jeff Piccola and Jim Panyard by a wide margin. The survey showed Piccola with 5% of the vote, Panyard with 2%, Scranton with 23%, and Lynn Swann out in front with 31%. Furthermore, Lynn has increased his lead over Bill Scranton by 5 points since October 5. This is a clear sign that the more Lynn Swann travels across our state, the...

One of the worst-kept secrets in Pennsylvania politics will be revealed next month: Lynn Swann is a candidate for governor. The former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver is expected to announce his plans to seek the Republican nomination at a Jan. 4 rally in Pittsburgh. He will make six stops across the state, including one in the Philadelphia area Jan. 6. His political committee, Team 88, began sending postcards this week to 15,000 supporters touting a "major announcement" on Jan. 4. "If it looks like a swan, walks like swan, and talks like a swan, it is probably a swan," said...

Pennsylvania is crippled by an absolute refusal of this administration to curb spending or lower taxes on job creators. A study conducted a few years ago found that business taxes per employee were 58% higher than the national average. Pennsylvania ranks 5th highest in the category of business taxes collected per employee. That has not changed under Governor Rendell. Take for example the Rendell tax increase of 2003. While the administration fought for the increase of the Personal Income Tax (PIT) as a way to pay for their out of control spending, they never once considered the impact it would...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann has formed a campaign committee to raise money for a potential run for governor in 2006. Swann named his committee Team 88, the number he wore as a wide receiver for the Steelers from 1974 to 1982, when the team won four Super Bowls. "I'm considering a run for governor of Pennsylvania," Swann told a cheering Republican audience Thursday night in Westmoreland County, near Pittsburgh. "It was one of the reasons I accepted the invitation to come out and speak to you this evening, not so much for you to listen...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann has formed a campaign committee to raise money for a potential run for governor in 2006. Swann named his committee Team 88, the number he wore as a wide receiver for the Steelers from 1974 to 1982, when the team won four Super Bowls. "I will spend time introducing myself to communities across the commonwealth," the NFL Hall of Famer said in a statement Wednesday. "We will also explore the potential political and financial support for my candidacy." Swann, who turns 53 next month, faces at least two prospective opponents in...

Harrisburg (AP) Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann has filed papers forming a campaign committee for governor, his first official step toward a possible campaign for the 2006 election. Swann's filing allows him to begin raising money for a campaign. He filed the papers Wednesday, on the eve of his first public speech as a potential candidate - at a Westmoreland County Republican dinner. He promised to begin "a conversation with the people of Pennsylvania." "I will spend time introducing myself to communities across the commonwealth," he said in a statement. "As I consider my personal decision regarding the upcoming...