By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com

Add one more name to an already large, diverse field of Republican candidates seeking the party’s lieutenant governor nomination: state Rep. and conservative lightning rod Daryl Metcalfe.

The Butler County lawmaker earned enough signatures to be placed on the May 18 primary ballot, according to a preliminary list provided by the Department of State. He’s one of nine GOP candidates who will be on the ballot.

The other candidates include: Former Auditor General candidate Chet Beiler, reform activist Russ Diamond, Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley, businessman Steve Johnson, Erie County resident Jeane Craig Pepper, reformer John Kennedy, Luzerne County Commissioner Stephen Urban, and Billy McCue.

Although Cawley, the party’s endorsed candidate, is the favorite, the presence of nine candidates from a wide geographic background could make this race a free-for-all.

Metcalfe in particular is a wildcard. The lawmaker is no stranger to controversy in Harrisburg, whether by opposing House resolutions that he said were contrary to the state’s Christian founding or in 2008 making a sudden, unexpected play to become Speaker of the House.

His entrance has already sparked lively discussion on the Web site grassrootspa.com, where the mostly conservative commentators have debated whether he would be a good choice for the position.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 9:14 pm and is filed under PA Reports, PoliticsPA Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.