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An historic change in Pennsylvania's governor's office and the campaigning leading up to Democrat Tom Wolf's victory was the focus of a political year in which a pair of Lehigh Valley legislators also saw their congressional roles rise.

Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's defeat came at the end of a campaign with no real shifts in momentum. A February poll from Quinnipiac University showed Wolf thumping Corbett with a 19-point lead, an advantage that barely fluctuated until the contest's final days.

The most significant tussling came in the Democratic primary, or at least until Wolf began airing his now well-known television ads showing his Jeep and his daughters. Among those seeking the party's nomination was Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who attempted to end a streak of Lehigh Valley politicians vying unsuccessfully for statewide office.

But the streak remains. Pawlowski was the first Democrat to pull out, ending his bid in February after he had trouble raising enough money to field a competitive campaign.

"Every time I sat down to make fundraising calls, another issue would come up that would require my attention," Pawlowski said at the time. "I found out the hard way that gubernatorial campaigns are all about raising that money and concentrating on it."

Wolf, a York County businessman with substantial personal funds available to jump-start his campaign, didn't have that challenge. He was able to hit the airwaves early, giving him a lead in public opinion polls that other Democrats weren't able to overcome.

Corbett, struggling to reframe how Pennsylvanians viewed cuts to education spending and with few major legislative achievements to tout, attacked Wolf's tax proposals as vague plans that would take more money out of taxpayers' pockets. He regained some ground, but not enough to prevent him from becoming the first governor in 40 years to fail to win re-election.

In his election-night concession speech, Corbett said he promised during his first gubernatorial run to do what is right for the state and that he knew some might not like his decisions. "I said I may be a one-term governor and I am, but I am proud of what we did," Corbett said.

Corbett's departure leaves U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey as the state's top Republican office-holder. The Lehigh Valley politician also can expect a clearer path for his priorities in Washington, where he'll return in January as part of the new Republican Senate majority.

Toomey was stymied in his effort to pass tougher background check rules for school employees, a proposal that he said would better protect students from sexual predators. The bill stalled in a Senate committee, but Toomey says he'll keep pushing next year when power flips to the GOP.

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Political winds shift in Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley's power in D.C. rises in 2014