The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has resumed its efforts to recruit Christopher Casey, brother of Sen. Bob Casey, to run for Congress against Rep. Jim Gerlach, hoping to end its string of failed attempts to find a challenger with a member of one of the most powerful political families in the state.

Casey, an attorney with the Philadelphia law firm Dilworth Paxson, had until a couple months ago indicated his interest in running for state attorney general, but bowed out. And so with Democrats keen on putting up a serious challenger to Gerlach, the 6th District Republican who has eked out three straight wins, the party has refocused its efforts on getting the Chester County resident to run. His family name alone would give him instant credibility.

Casey didn’t return a call for comment and his older brother was mum about the situation in an interview today. DCCC spokeswoman Carrie James would say only that the party “will have a strong challenger to run against Congressman Gerlach in 2008.”