Report: Castor To Run for Governor?

Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor could challenge Pa. Governor Tom Corbett in 2014, PoliticsPA reports.

The 51-year-old former district attorney and Lower Salford resident is the minority Republican on the county's 3-person executive and legislative board, alongside Democrats Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards.

Castor told the political news website that he believes Corbett is "vulnerable" to a reelection challenge.

Corbett and Castor have a storied history, including a 2004 Republican primary race for Attorney General. The Republican State Committee endorsed Corbett for the post and Castor ran a grassroots campaign throughout the state, losing the nomination by five points.

Castor has served on the Board of Commissioners since 2008, but it's widely acknowledged that he spent most of his first term frozen out of the decision-making process by his erstwhile running mate, Jim Matthews, and Democrat Joseph Hoeffel.

Since joining Shapiro and Richards on the current Board of Commissioners, Castor and his colleagues have won generally high marks from observers for their bipartisan approach to the challenges facing the state's third-largest county, most notably the retooling of a 2012 operating budget that began the year with a shortfall of more than $10 million.

On the Democratic side, Shapiro has also been named as a possible 2014 contender for Corbett's seat. Shapiro declined last month to comment on those speculations.