With less than two months remaining before election day, both of Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial… With less than two months remaining before election day, both of Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial candidates are getting geared up to hit the campaign trail. Interestingly, the tone of this year’s race should break the mold of traditional contests. Granted, it will be ripe with pins, policies and promises, but there won’t be any mudslinging – or so the proposal goes.

“In the weeks remaining before the November 5, 2002, election, I hereby pledge to only run ads that discuss my qualifications to be governor.”

The previous line, taken from a pledge signed by democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed Rendell, and presumably sitting on republican candidate Mike Fisher’s desk, sets the standard for campaigning in this year’s race for Pennsylvania governor.

According to the Rendell camp, the pledge is written in terms that Fisher explicitly agreed to during a debate before the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

If the proposal has any problems, clarity is not one of them – the entire document consists only of the line posted above.

It seems an agreement to be nice would be warmly received by Fisher, who takes pride in plugging his positive campaign. Rendell’s move here gave him a prime opportunity to step out and prove himself as a man of his word. But now, more than a week after the letter was sent, Fisher remains silent.

But while the democrat’s offer goes unanswered, the Fisher team is busy working on the less visible side of the campaign, writing press releases that bash Rendell. While Fisher is smiling and shaking hands on television, he is attacking his opponent constantly in letters to the press. Rendell’s releases document plans and appearances, while Fisher’s letters are filled with headlines that deal solely with attacking his opponent, such as “Rendell Reality Check” and “Cathy’s Chronicles,” the latter of which criticizes democratic lieutenant governor candidate Catherine Baker Noll.

The real issue here is not whether campaigns should be negative, but whether they should be deceptive. Candidates are negative all the time – it’s nothing new. But if Fisher wants to run an honorable campaign, he must first sign Rendell’s proposal and start playing by the rules.