Rep. Daryl Metcalfe would be happy to run with either Tom Corbett or Sam Rohrer. And if they strayed from his vision of small government conservatism, he'd be happy to run against them.

Mr. Metcalfe's candidacy for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor was one of Tuesday's surprises as candidates across the state raced to meet the deadline for filing nomination petitions. A steadfast conservative on issues including gun rights, abortion and the environment, his entry introduced one more note of uncertainty in the already jumbled Republican race in which nine candidates with modest statewide name recognition are battling for the nomination.

Mr. Metcalfe said he was running to redefine the office.

"My message is that if you elect me lieutenant governor, I will not be the silent partner; I will not just silently preside over the Senate," he said. "I will be there to help the governor, but if he goes in the wrong direction, I will publicly challenge him."

Mr. Metcalfe said he would be comfortable running in the fall with either of the Republicans contenders for the top spot on the ticket, Attorney General Tom Corbett and Rep. Sam Rohrer.

"I know both Sam and Tom. Both are men with something good to offer," he said.

But in a statement he said his allegiance to a running mate would have strict limits.

"If the governor, like so many politicians, breaks his word and raises taxes, supports more government programs that redistribute the hard-earned dollars of taxpayers or signs laws that infringe on our rights," he said, "then I will be ready to challenge the governor in the next primary election."

Mr. Metcalfe, who has represented his Butler County district since 1998, is among the most conservative members of the Legislature.

In one of his regular bouts with controversy, and what he sees as the excesses of liberalism, Mr. Metcalfe, a U.S. Army veteran, last year attacked fellow veterans who were trying to draw attention to climate change. He said that any former service member advocating, "the leftist propaganda of global warming and climate change, in an effort to control more of the wealth created in our economy ... is a traitor to the oath he or she took to defend the Constitution of our great nation!"

Mr. Metcalfe shrugged off the angry calls for his resignation that greeted his criticism. He has been similarly outspoken on issues such as gay marriage, charging that proponents of liberalized marriage laws were advancing "a homosexual agenda."

Mr. Metcalfe said he is optimistic that he will emerge at the front of the nine-candidate GOP field that includes Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley, who was endorsed last month by the Republican State Committee.

"I think that we have a very strong base of supporters across the state from our work on areas like the Second Amendment, pro-life, marriage, illegal alien issues," he said. "I think we're going to have a very good chance of upsetting the establishment and its hand-picked candidate."

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