MECHANICSBURG -- The Constitutional Party yesterday chose conservative activist Peg Luksik to run for governor, giving those on the philosophical far right a candidate around whom they can rally.

Luksik, the Johnstown mother of six who won 13 percent of the vote in 1994, will be joined on the ticket once again by James Clymer, a Lancaster lawyer, as the candidate for lieutenant governor.

Dean L. Snyder, a retired Air Force officer from York, was selected to run for the U.S. Senate.

About 100 party members and supporters chose the slate by acclamation at a two-day meeting at a hotel here, near Harrisburg. The candidates have until Aug. 3 to collect the 25,000 signatures necessary to appear on the November ballot.

Luksik, Clymer and Snyder all spoke out against what they view as undue encroachment by the federal and state governments on issues more appropriately handled by local officials or families.

"We're going to work to restore government to its rightful place in society, helping families, not being families," said Luksik.

For Luksik, 42, this race will be her third. She also ran for governor in the 1990 Republican primary, winning 46 percent of the vote against endorsed candidate Barbara Hafer. Luksik's activism -- she's traveled the state for more than a decade to oppose programs ranging from certain methods of teaching sex education to so-called outcomes-based education -- has made her widely popular among conservatives, especially the Christian right.

Clymer, 49, like Luksik, has been very active in antiabortion activities. Snyder, 47, is a school board member active in volunteer causes.

"The Constitutional Party stands for staunchly conservative ideals and presents staunchly conservative candidates to the voters," Snyder said.

Political experts give the Constitutional Party candidates little chance of winning, but they do say that like other respectable third-party candidates, they could highlight issues that Republicans and Democrats ignore.

"Sometimes they run as a kind of warning to the party," said Gerald Pomper, professor of political science at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics.

In 1994, Luksik was the most successful third-party candidate for governor since 1910, when William H. Berry of the Keystone Party actually won 41 percent of the vote and finished second to Republican John K. Tener.

Though political observers believe Luksik took about an equal number of votes from Ridge and Democrat Mark S. Singel, Luksik and the two other independent candidates certainly made a statistical difference.

Ridge beat Singel by 197,877 votes. Luksik had 460,269 votes, and the others totaled more than 67,000.

Independent parties in Pennsylvania have put up candidates for governor against Republicans and Democrats in every election this century, except 1990.

In recent elections, the Constitutional Party, Consumer Party and Libertarian Party have been most active, and the Libertarians are expected to run Ken Krawchuck of Abington, Montgomery County, this year. But third-party candidates carried much more colorful banners in earlier decades.

There were candidates representing the Prohibition Party, Socialist Workers Party, Fair Play Party, United Pension Party and G.I.'s Against Communism Party.

Luksik said more than 1,000 people had volunteered to carry her petitions, and she expected little difficulty getting enough signatures for the ballot.

Helping to coordinate Luksik's campaign in Montgomery County will be Anneliese Gimpel of Worcester Township, who said she would remain a registered Republican through the May 19 primary to vote for antiabortion GOP congressional candidate Michael McMonagle. Then she will switch.

Gimpel said Republicans had abandoned conservative principles and had not been good stewards of state money, citing the $182 million pledged for the Kvaerner project at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

"Where do legislators have the authority to take tax money and give it to a private organization?" she said.

"Republicans," Gimpel said, "are really not walking the walk."