HARRISBURG — Candidates for a pair of open seats on Pennsylvania's highest court are winding up a $5 million-plus race that revealed little about their judicial philosophies, but looked and sounded more than ever like a conventional political campaign.

The Supreme Court race is the marquee attraction in Tuesday's election, which also features a contest for three open seats on the state Superior Court, up-or-down "retention" votes on seven appellate judges seeking additional 10-year terms, and a much longer list of races for county and local judgeships and other elective offices.

Despite mounting pressure for judicial candidates to discuss their political views — including a federal court's ruling last month that such activity does not violate judicial ethics rules, so long as they don't promise to rule a certain way — the Supreme Court hopefuls have done so only haltingly. Generally, as in previous judicial campaigns, they have stressed their experience and avoided hot topics altogether.

The race is shaping up as one of the most expensive judicial campaigns in state history.

Cash has flowed most heavily in the campaigns for Supreme Court, on which this many seats have not been open since 1995.

One of the biggest contributors is the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, which funneled more than $920,000 to candidates for the appellate courts through its political arm, the Committee for a Better Tomorrow. That included $733,000 for the four Supreme Court hopefuls and Justice Thomas Saylor's retention campaign.

Of the Supreme Court candidates, Superior Court Judge Seamus McCaffery of Philadelphia has raised the most — $1.9 million as of Oct. 22. The Democrat received six-digit contributions from the Philadelphia trial lawyers and several organized-labor groups.

Republican Mike Krancer, a Montgomery County lawyer and former chief judge of the state Environmental Hearing Board, raised $1.4 million, most of it from his wealthy family and his personal resources. His father alone contributed $550,000.

Superior Court Judge Maureen E. Lally-Green, a Republican from Butler County, built a $1.2 million war chest, largely with contributions from lawyers, doctors and business people.

Democrat Debra Todd, also a Superior Court judge from Butler County, relied heavily on lawyers and organized labor to raise $933,000.