Even though Gov. Robert P. Casey has more than one year left in his term, the race to redecorate his office is already well under way.

Pennsylvania's constitution forbids Casey to run for a third term. This has opened the field to numerous candidates, many of whom are only potential candidates at best.

U.S. Rep. Tom Ridge, R-Pa., entered the 1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race on Feb. 1 in his hometown of Erie.

Ellen Yount, press secretary for Ridge's campaign, said the openness and scope of the Pennsylvania race demands an extensive effort.

"It's a large state -- it's worth the long campaign," she said.

Even though Ridge has no official competitors yet, other potential GOP candidates have been crisscrossing the state. They are state Sen. Earl Baker, R-Chester; Sen. Michael Fisher, R-Allegheny; and State Attorney General Ernie Preate.

Both Baker and Fisher said they expect to announce their candidacies in the fall.

Bob Getzel, Preate's press secretary, said the attorney general has not given any specific time when he will announce his plans.

On the Democratic side, no one has officially entered the race, but potential candidates abound. Possible candidates are Lt. Gov. Mark Singel; Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia; Rep. Bob O'Donnell, D-Philadelphia; Charles Volpe, a Scranton-area businessman; and State Treasurer Catherine Baker Knoll.

And like their Republican counterparts, many of the Democratic candidates have been making early rounds to gather support.

The Scranton Times published articles about Volpe's interest in the governor's seat as early as last August. Volpe said in the article he was heartened by Lynn Yeakel's showing in the U.S. Senate race last year, adding Yeakel defeated Singel for the Democratic nomination for that race.

Jeff Link, campaign manager for Bob O'Donnell, said that although O'Donnell has not announced his candidacy yet, the Philadelphia politician has what it takes to be governor.

Link said O'Donnell believes boosting the state's economy is a high priority.

"The key is to get the economy moving," Link said.

O'Donnell is not alone in his concern for the economy.

Volpe has been a longtime critic of the workers' compensation rate hike, claiming runaway insurance costs would create a bad atmosphere for the commonwealth's business community.

Baker, Ridge and Fisher all stressed the importance of creating jobs by easing the tax burden on state businesses and encouraging the export of Pennsylvania goods.

Yount said Ridge believes exports shouldn't be underestimated.

"If we could just raise the level to that of Ohio -- a smaller state --we could create over 100,000 jobs," she said.

Despite the lack of official candidates, campaigning efforts are well under way. An April 15 conference of potential gubernatorial candidates was acknowledged as the launching point for the race.

"It's as good a point as any," Baker said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.