An April 14, 2010 Rasmussen Poll shows Republican senatorial candidate Pat Toomey leading the two challengers in the May 18 Democratic Primary. Toomey registered 50% against incumbent Senator Arlen Specters's 40% and 47% over Representative Joe Sestak's 36%. Furthermore, while Arlen Specter has raised twice as much in campaign funds as Toomey, and even Sestak––who trails both the Democratic and Republican candidates––has raised about $1 million more than Toomey, news reports show Toomey doing much better at fundraising in the last quarter. Plus, Specter and Sestak will need to spend precious funds on the hotly contested Democratic Primary first.
Six-term Senator Specter Fighting for Political Life
Arlen Specter has enjoyed a long and successful political career in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania politics. Most recently he has been elected six times as a Republican Senator. He also has a history of switching parties. Much was made of Specter's switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party in April 2009. Often forgotten is that he had been a Democrat until 1965 when he switched to Republican in order to run for District Attorney in Philadelphia.
In his Senatorial campaigns Specter has had the support of both Pennsylvania Republicans and Democrats, handily defeating Democrat Joe Hoeffel in 2006 with even Democratic Governor Ed Rendell not doing much in Hoeffel's behalf. His recent switch back to the Democratic Party, while viewed mostly as a pragmatic move to avoid a primary battle with the much more conservative Toomey, was not such a stretch. On many social issues such as abortion and Gay marriage, his views are more Liberal than Robert Casey, the junior Senator from Pennsylvania who ran as a Democrat. He has also been a persona non grata among Senate Republicans for some time due to his moderate views.
Joe Sestak Challenge Could Lose Two Democratic Seats
For a time it appeared the Pennsylvania Senate race might be Specter's to lose, but in May 2009, Joe Sestak, egged on by Progressive elements in the Democratic Party, like Moveon.org, announced his intention to run against Specter in the primary. Sestak is serving his second term as Representative from Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. A Navy veteran, Sestak won his first election to the House in this Republican stronghold when he challenged Curt Weldon, who served as Congressman from the District for 20 years. With the George W. Bush administration falling into disfavor, the 2006 elections brought a Democratic majority to Congress. At the same time, near the end of the campaign Weldon faced allegations of using his influence on the Armed Services Committee to funnel clients to his daughter's firm.
With Sestak out of the House race and the backlash over Healthcare Reform, there is a good chance his House seat will revert back to its Republican roots. Further, by forcing Arlen Specter to spend his capital, political and monetary, on fighting a primary race, he may well have opened the door for a Pat Toomey win come November as current polls predict.
Nannette Croce - Nannette Croce is a writer and editor who has worked with online publications for more than ten years, most recently as Co-Managing Editor ...
