After withdrawing his name from the 2010 Pennsylvania Senate primary against GOP incumbent Arlen Specter in January, former Rep. Pat Toomey is now reconsidering the race:
Former Congressman Pat Toomey (R, PA-15), current Club for Growth President, just announced on Bobby Gunther Walsh’s 1-On-1 Show, WAEB, 790AM, that a Primary challenge to Senator Arlen Specter is “now back on the table.”
Mr. Toomey acknowledged that “Senator Specter cast the deciding vote on the very worrisome stimulus Bill, when he could have negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama for more productive tax cuts and less wasteful spending.” Pennsylvanians need to do some soul searching about who will really represent us in the Senate.
Hallelujah.
(H/T: Taegan Goddard’s Magic Carpet Ride)
UPDATE: More from Toomey:
Pat Toomey, president of the Club for Growth, announced this afternoon that he is considering a bid for Senate in PA.
“As this disastrous recession worsens, I have become increasingly concerned about the future of our state and national economy,” he said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the recent extraordinary response of the federal government – more corporate bailouts, unprecedented spending and debt, higher taxes – is likely to make things worse. I think we are on a dangerously wrong path. Pennsylvanians want a US Senator focused on real and sustainable job creation that gets our economy growing again. That is why I am considering becoming a candidate for the US Senate.”
Now: is he serious, or is he just sabre rattling?
This could just as easily be to keep Specter from defecting on the omnibus spending package.
I don’t think he’s really going to run, but I hope he does.
Are we going to get anyone more credible than Torsella? Does he even have a shot against Specter?
What about for Governor? Are we going to just hand it to Gerlach?
Do Republicans like Toomey in Pennsylvania or other states where the GOP has gone nuts even read websites or blogs like this? Do they realize the damage they’re doing to themselves?
“when he could have negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama for more productive spending and less wasteful tax cuts.”
Corrected.
Isn’t this all an exact mirror image of what the netroots were clamoring for during the first half of the Bush presidency? But then you realise that Dems really didn’t start doing anything different. The resurgence in 2006 and then last year was pretty much due to Repub implosion. Schiavo, Katrina, Iraq, the economy, losing safe seats because of quixotic primaries. If they want to continue this path then we shouldn’t stand in the way, just make sure we don’t make the same mistakes.
over actual political power. Fortunately for our side, we are able to take into account a politician’s district/state. Are there any calls here to primary Ben Nelson? Nope.
But the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review published a poll showing that only 26% of Republicans want Specter to remain a senator, and 66% prefer someone else. A small plurality of Democrats prefer Specter (49-42). It seems that Specter, as the article mentions, would be toast against a credible primary opponent. Maybe Toomey really is putting the option on the table again. Hurray!