HARRISBURG -- In a development that has political scientists blinking, third-party gubernatorial candidate Peg Luksik has surpassed Democrat nominee Ivan Itkin in campaign fund-raising.

Itkin dropped into third place in the contributions race during the latest reporting period, covering Sept. 15 through Oct. 19, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday with the state.

Tom Ridge, the incumbent Republican from Erie, continued to far outpace his opponents in dollars raised.

The governor raised $1.6 million in the latest reporting period, for a total of $6.5 million this year.

Luksik, the Constitutional Party nominee from Johnstown, reported raising $190,492, for a total of nearly $520,000 this year.

Itkin, a Democratic state representative from Allegheny County, collected $38,180 during the same period.

Itkin's total for the year comes to a little less than $395,000.

"It's an illustration of how the Democratic Party has really taken a hike on Itkin," said G. Terry Madonna, a political-science professor and director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Millersville University. "This is the worst situation I've seen the Democratic Party in since this became a competitive state."

Party leaders "unquestionably" should be sending more cash into Itkin, said his spokesman, Mark Weinstein. In lieu of big money, Itkin's strategy has been to criss-cross the state, shaking hands and getting as much free news-media attention as possible.

Itkin spent $68,930 in the latest reporting period, for a total of $455,437 this year.

While Ridge has been bombarding the airwaves with campaign ads for weeks, Weinstein said Itkin has ads running daily from now till Election Day, Nov. 3, on broadcast TV stations in Pittsburgh and Wilkes Barre and Scranton, and cable TV spots in Philadelphia. The campaign will also have radio ads in Philadelphia running soon.

Luksik said she was "pretty much right on target" with her fund-raising and spending. She has television ads running around the state and also plans to personally campaign throughout Pennsylvania.

Luksik spent $191,539 in the latest reporting period, for a total of $528,668 spent this year.

The governor, though comfortably leading in the polls, has been campaigning aggressively.

Ridge spent $3.47 million in just the last reporting period alone.

That makes his total for 1998 close to $8.8 million. (He had begun the year with several million already in the bank.)

Ridge reported having more than $2.7 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 19.

As of late yesterday afternoon, Libertarian candidate Ken Krawchuk of Elkins Park had not filed a report.