PHILADELPHIA (AP) - An accidental governor barely known outside his state, Pennsylvania's Mark Schweiker has been thrown into the national spotlight by the flood that trapped nine miners deep underground. On Saturday night, the 49-year-old Schweiker raised his fists above his head, announcing to the world that all nine miners were alive. "It's incredible," he said. "It's a magnificent development." Again and again, Schweiker has briefed the press on efforts to save the men from the mine southeast of Pittsburgh. He didn't always look comfortable, and there were rough spots -- inaccurate information passed along during the rescue efforts, with Schweiker later offering apologies. But he appeared to hold up well under the pressure, said Edward A. Turzanski, professor of political science at La Salle University. "I would caution that we keep in mind why he looks uncomfortable: Deep down in his heart of hearts he knows the direness of the problem," Turzanski said. "This isn't about fixing Philadelphia's schools, this is life and death. And he knows that very well." Schweiker was a Republican commissioner of Bucks County in Philadelphia's northern suburbs when he was elected lieutenant governor in 1994. The governor was Tom Ridge, and Schweiker followed the path of obscurity blazed by many of his predecessors. But then, after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush named Ridge director of homeland security, and Schweiker was elevated to the top job. Schweiker said even before he was sworn in that he would not seek a full term as governor; he had said that he wanted to spend more time with his wife and three children. He will leave office in January 2003. His gubernatorial agenda has largely focused on simply completing Ridge's unfinished agenda. His low profile compares with Ridge's instant name recognition as governor, strong public-speaking skills and army of energetic supporters who could turn a routine speech into a rally. But Schweiker could have followed in Ridge's footsteps if he had so chosen and his prospects would have been buoyed by the attention he drew during the mine crisis, Turzanski said. "I think he had a much better shot (at winning the governor's race) than Mike Fisher," the state's attorney general and the Republican candidate for governor in November's election, Turzanski said. "I was watching him (on television) at the mine and my wife said, 'Why didn't he run for governor?' and I said, 'I wish I knew the answer."' Randall Miller, a political analyst and professor at Saint Joseph's University, predicted that "people are going to come knocking on the door" to try to bring Schweiker to re-enter the political arena once he leaves office. "People are going to remember his statesmanlike posture of midst of a crisis," Miller said.

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