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The 2014 general election may be less than a month away, but Thursday it looked a lot like 2016 in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were the marquee names at rallies in the region, aiming to energize each party's voters for the governor's race and to test out a few lines for the presidential bids that each is expected to be launching soon.

Both headliners stayed away from any overt references to their future plans. But at Democratic candidate Tom Wolf's "Women for Wolf" rally in Philadelphia, it didn't take any of the Democratic politicians speaking before him and Clinton very long to invoke the former first lady's name, drawing cheers each time.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell, who backed Clinton during her 2008 presidential bid, said he gets stopped on the street by people who want to know if Clinton will try again in 2016. He reminded the crowd how he often led cheers for her during that campaign and said he hopes "to do that again."

In Wayne, Delaware County, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett joked about Christie's star power in the voter-rich Philadelphia area. Christie gets as much, if not more, coverage from local newspapers, Corbett said.

"If the headline says 'governor,' they're talking about Christie," Corbett said. "If it says Corbett, they're talking about me."

The appearances brought star power to a race where some have expressed concerns that Wolf's apparent big lead could discourage voters from heading to the polls. Wolf led Corbett by 17 percentage points in a recent poll. Clinton and Christie both urged attendees to remind their friends and neighbors to cast a ballot.

The two presidential hopefuls are familiar figures with bases of support in Pennsylvania. Among Pennsylvania voters, Christie has a favorable rating, according to a Quinnipiac University poll in June. It's lower than Clinton's 55 percent favorable score but higher than other Republican presidential contenders.

The two were only separated by a few points in that survey's head-to-head hypothetical matchup, with 45 percent for Clinton and 41 percent backing Christie. Voters in suburban Philadelphia will be key to boosting either of those numbers.

"They're doing their due diligence for their parties and also doing their due diligence for their political aspirations," Muhlenberg College political scientist Chris Borick said.

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Hillary Clinton, Chris Christie stump for governor candidates in Philly area