CARLISLE, Pa. — More than a dozen Republican candidates for governor appeared on stage for the first time, a question-and-answer session sponsored by conservative groups and a statewide business association.
One candidate, former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, declined to attend Wednesday evening's event at Dickinson College in Carlisle. He says he won't participate in forums or debates other than a Feb. 4 state GOP event until candidates have qualified to be on the ballot.
The huge GOP field of candidates is unlike anything party officials have seen. The presumed Democratic nominee is Josh Shapiro, the state’s two-term attorney general.