An already crowded Republican primary might become even tighter in the next few weeks.

"I'm considering running for the 77th seat, although I have not made a firm decision yet," Charles Gable, a member of the State College Planning Commission, said yesterday.

Although he has not declared his participation in the race to become the state's 77th Congressional District representative, Feb. 14 is the last day for candidates to enter, he said.

Helping Gable in his decision is a group of people he would describe only as "of all ages, as well as both current and former local leaders."

Gable is the adviser for the Penn State College Republicans but said the group is not involved with the decision process.

Vicky Cangelosi, chairwoman of the College Republicans, also said discussions have not been held during meetings. "I know he's thinking about it, but that's it," she said.

Andy Banducci, Undergraduate Student Government Senate president and College Republicans former chairman, said he became a close friend and supporter of Gable through working with him but also said he is not involved in the decision.

"I would do anything Charles asked me to do," Banducci said. "But so far, I haven't been asked to do anything."

Banducci and Cangelosi said they would participate in Gable's campaign if he decides to run, although Banducci will be graduating at the end of the semester.

Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said he does not think there would be any conflict between Gable's campaign and his work on the planning commission. "I don't recall ever serving on a board where a member of a committee like [the planning commission] ran for state government," he said. "If he decides to run, we'll have to research any conflicts."

Gable would be the third declared Republican candidate running for the seat since state Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Centre, announced his plans to retire at the end of this term.

Ken Bailey, a bus driver from Phillipsburg, and Matt Shaner, a 26-year-old State College resident, both declared candidacy for the 77th District, which represents more than half of State College.

Regarding Gable's possible election run, Bailey said he knew very little about Gable but was not concerned with the thought of another candidate in the race.

"Presumably, it should make the race easier for me. When two candidates run for office, I need 50 percent of the vote to win the primary. When there are three candidates, I only need 34 percent of the vote to win," he said.

Shaner also said he looked forward to a possible third Republican candidate.

"This will certainly be an exciting race," Shaner said. "The new vacancy is creating a lot of interest."

Shaner, a self-described "good acquaintance" of Gable, said he was generally unaware of Gable's stances on issues. "The Republican Party needs to put the strongest candidate against the Democratic opponent," he said.

That opponent is Centre County Commissioner Scott Conklin, who was not available for comment yesterday.