Ridge Says 'No Thanks' To PA SEN Bid
Ex-Gov./ex-DHS Sec. Tom Ridge (R) today said he won't seek the GOP nod for SEN in PA.
His full statement:
"After careful consideration and many conversations with friends and family and the leadership of my party, I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate."I am enormously grateful for the confidence my party expressed in me, the encouragement and kindness of my fellow citizens in Pennsylvania and the valuable counsel I received from so many of my party colleagues. The 2010 race has significant implications for my party, and that required thoughtful reflection. All of the above made my decision a difficult and deeply personal conclusion to reach. However, this process also impressed upon me how fortunate I am to have so many friends who volunteered to support my journey if I chose to take it and continue to offer their support after I conveyed to them this morning how I believe I can best serve my commonwealth, my party and my country.
"Public service has long played a significant role in my life. That service does not end here. There are causes to which I remain intensely committed, including my work on behalf of the disability community, our nation's veterans, our national security and the GOP -- the party I enthusiastically joined more than four decades ago.
"To those who believe that the Republican Party is facing challenges, they are right. To those who believe the Democratic Party is without its own difficulties, they are wrong. No one party has a monopoly on all of the answers. The more important view, in my mind, is that we remember, whether Republican or Democrat, we are foremost Americans. And as Americans, we have always overcome challenges when we put partisanship aside and solutions first.
"And so my desire and intention is to help my party craft solutions that both sides of the aisle can embrace. My hope is to raise the level of civility in public debate and raise the bar on outcomes that serve our citizens fully, fairly and equally. My belief is that those in my home state can best be served by the principles of limited government, less taxes, competent governance and shared responsibility. So I stand ready and excited to help my party and my country prevail as we continue to work to preserve and protect our strong, storied and much beloved nation."
After Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties last week to run in '10 as a Dem, rumblings increased about the possibility that Ridge would battle the vulnerable incumbent. Polls show Specter vulnerable, but defeating Pat Toomey, who left his job as head of the conservative Club for Growth, to primary Specter.
Specter could still face serious Dem primary challenges; Rep. Joe Sestak, a former Navy vice admiral, said today that he's seriously considering challenging Specter. Sestak could cause early headaches, but with his most formidable GOP rival out of the contest, Specter can breathe at least one sigh of relief for now.
So the general outlook looks better but the primary could get gnarly.
In other Specter-related developments, he scored a key Judiciary subcmte chairmanship today, after asserting that he didn't want to lose his seniority with the party switch. The AP reports: "Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois said he would give up his chairmanship of the Crime and Drugs subcmte in exchange for becoming chair of a panel on human rights. The move, he said, would ''best utilize Senator Specter's talents and experience in our caucus.''"