Elections? You wanna talk elections?

LET'S TALK elections.

Not the ones tomorrow in Philly. Doesn't whichever Democrat running for whatever always win anyway?

Not the ones statewide for Superior Court or judicial retentions. Come on, we shouldn't be electing judges statewide.

Let's talk about the 2014 governor's race. It officially starts tomorrow at 8:01 p.m.

First, despite a bunch of buzz and polling that says that even Republicans don't like him, Gov. Corbett is running for a second term.

He starts a multiday, multicity tour Wednesday in Pittsburgh and, says campaign manager Mike Barley, is "100 percent committed."

This on the heels of a Franklin & Marshall College poll showing that only 20 percent of voters think Corbett deserves to win and 44 percent of GOP voters think he shouldn't even run (42 percent said he should; 14 percent don't know).

So why's his campaign interesting? 'Cause no matter what, he makes history.

He's either the first incumbent Pa. guv beaten or he's a political Lazarus with the most impressive comeback since, well, Lazarus.

And precisely because of Corbett's dead-man-walking status, don't be surprised if this week's re-elect announcement is backed by TV ads designed to resurrect him.

His TV guy, John Brabender, won't say what's going up on the tube when. But he does say, "We're pretty much ready to go . . . very soon."

Whenever it is, you can bet on the overarching theme: Corbett promised no new taxes, budgets on time and less spending, and that's what he's done.

Throw in some shots of him with his Airedales, Harry (for Harrisburg) and Penny (for Pennsylvania), and, you know, what's not to like?

Yet one far-fetched caveat is whispered by some Republicans.

In 2010, the well-heeled Republican Governors Association (RGA) gave Corbett $8.3 million, almost a third of the total he raised. If his numbers don't bump up, if he still looks cooked by, say, February, the RGA could suggest withholding its largesse unless a replacement steps in.

(The last day to file candidate nominations is March 11, Sen. Toomey.)

Also, the incoming RGA chairman is Chris Christie, whom many expect to seek the presidency in 2016. Theory is, if he does, he wants a Republican governor in neighboring Pa., with its 20 electoral votes.

But Corbett and Christie are said to have a good relationship. Corbett gave Christie's re-elect campaign $3,800 in July. And anybody writing off Corbett at this stage doesn't understand the power of incumbency, the attention span of the electorate, voter turnout in midterm elections or the Democratic Party.

See, Democrats have a problem. I mean, apart from so many running.

Apparent front-runner Allyson Schwartz is a perfect primary candidate (liberal woman, strong on issues, loved by the party base) but a suspect general-election candidate (liberal woman, strong on issues, loved by the party base).

National pundit Stuart Rothenberg says that Corbett's "only viable path to re-election" looks to be a race against Schwartz in which she's painted too liberal.

Schwartz spokesman Mark Bergman notes, "That's not based on polling. Every poll out there has Allyson Schwartz ahead of Gov. Corbett."

I'd note two things: That's in the absence of a campaign; and, right now, everybody's ahead of Gov. Corbett.

Schwartz certainly could benefit from a national gender gap favoring Democrats.

But Pa. voters aren't historically female-friendly. The state's never had a female governor or senator. It ranks 39th nationally in percentage of women in the Legislature (17.8 percent). And its 20-member congressional delegation has just one woman - Allyson Schwartz.

Says something about Schwartz; says something about Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Democrats have other viable candidates, including Rob McCord, Tom Wolf and Katie McGinty, so the primary winner is far from certain.

Only thing certain? The 2014 elections will be more interesting than whatever happens tomorrow.

Columns: ph.ly/JohnBaer