And then there were three. State Senator Jeff Piccola dropped out of the Republican Gubernatorial primary in Pennsylvania today. He had no chance anyway so this really isn’t news. What is news is the sizable endorsement vote Lynn Swann got from the Central Republican Caucus, certainly the most conservative Republican caucus in Pennsylvania.

After he pulled out, that left Mr. Swann competing against former Lt. Gov. William Scranton for the Central Caucus’s support. Both men spoke for nearly an hour to the group, which consists of 120 members of the 350-member GOP state committee. It’s the largest of the six regional caucuses that make up the committee.

Mr. Swann won the group’s endorsement by a sizeable margin, 77 to 32. “That is a very significant margin,” said Cumberland County lawyer Dick Stewart, co-chairman of the caucus. “We’re not going to beat Ed Rendell without someone with star power, someone with pizazz, and Lynn Swann has it.”

There are many things here that concern me. Living in Pennsylvania, I have a lot of insight on this race. Swann claims to have very conservative credentials, pro-life, lower taxes, the usual diatribe, but he doesn’t go into great detail about what his plan is for Pennsylvania. He says we need to lower property taxes but never says how. He said he wants to make Pennslyvania more business friendly but doesn’t give a plan to do that. Basically, Swann has been saying the bare mimimum he needs in order to keep people’s attention, but at the same time protect himself from criticism should he have an idea deemed to0 “extreme”. What also bothers me about Swann is the company he keeps. He has been an ardent supporter of Senator Specter and is also being heavily backed by Uber-RINO State Senate President, Bob Jubilirer. Also, a lot of the local GOP hackjobs here in Allegheny County are putting their noses up his butt.

The other main candidate is former Lt. Governor, Bill Scranton. Scranton is polling pretty evenly with Swann. The problem he has to overcome is his support for first trimester abortions and his left leaning stance on social issues. However, Scranton’s fiscal policies are die-hard conservative. He wants to cut business taxes drastically to bring industry and jobs back into Pennsylvania. I’m fairly certain Scranton will be my pick in the primary because Pennsylvania needs a fiscal leader right now. Social issues are not a problem for us; socially we are a very conservative state.

One other note, Dick Stewart’s quote really bothers me. Ed Rendell is arguably one of the worst governors Pennsylvania has ever had. In fact he is polling in the thirty percentile out in western PA. For members of our State Committee to feel that they need a star celebrity to beat an incumbent who is polling under 40% shows me the lack of faith people have in the Pennsylvania Republican Party.

Human Events has put together a list of the top ten “Republicans in Name Only.” Not a whole lot of surprises, but true all the same.

Ranked by the editors of Human Events.

1. Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R.I.)
Once approached by Democratic Leader Harry Reid to switch parties, Chafee has long supported liberal policies. He backs legal abortion, gay rights, federal-funded health care, strict environmental protections and a higher minimum wage. Opposes ANWR drilling. Also was the only Republican in Congress not to endorse the President’s reelection and one of three who tried to gut Bush’s tax cuts.

2. Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine)
A self-described “centrist,” Snowe scored a 100% pro-choice voting record as scored by NARAL and consistently votes with Democrats on social issues.

3. Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.)
“Snarlin’ Arlen” warned Bush not to nominate judges who might overturn Roe v. Wade, joined Chaffee reducing tax cuts and supported Democrats on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, HMO and overtime regulation. Also opposed school choice in Washington, D.C.

4. Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)
Voted with liberals on the 1999 tax cut, campaign finance reform and the partial-birth abortion ban. Also advocated “pay-as-you-go” tax cuts with spending increases in 2004, leading to a budget never agreed upon between the House and Senate.

5. Rep. Christopher Shays (Conn.)
He led the House fight for McCain-Feingold campaign finance “reform.” He’s also prone to back environmental causes, gun control and abortion rights. He had no GOP challenger in 2004, but narrowly escaped defeat, 52% to 48%, by a Democratic opponent in the general election.

6. Gov. George Pataki (N.Y.)
Helped unions raise pay and unionize Indian casinos. Has said, “I believe in a limited government, low taxes, a tough approach to crime. … But I also believe in an activist government. I’m not one of those laissez-faire types.”

7. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (N.Y.)
Over the course of his 23-year career, he’s gained considerable power (chairman of the Science Committee), despite amassing one of the most liberal voting records of any House Republican. Fought back conservative challengers in 2000 and 2002 and could face a GOP challenge in ’06.

8. Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.)
Has said, “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country.” Supports civil unions and stringent gun laws. After visiting Houston, he criticized the city’s aesthetics, saying, “This is what happens when you don’t have zoning.”

9. Rep. Michael Castle (Del.)
As president of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership and key player in the so-called Tuesday Group lunches, he is a ring-leader of RINOs. He’s teamed with Democrats to make federal funding of embryonic stem cell research one of his top priorities.

10. Rep. Jim Leach (Iowa)
One of only six House Republicans to vote against the Iraq War resolution in 2002, he was also the only Republican to vote against President Bush’s 2003 tax cuts. His support for environmental causes and abortion rights has won him liberal fans.