Specter Endorsed By PA Dems
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) won endorsement from the PA Dem Party Saturday, clinching a supermajority of votes at a winter party meeting.
Specter, who ran for re-election as a GOPer just 6 years ago, won 77% of the vote among PA Dems leaders, well over the 2/3rds threshold needed to claim the endorsement.
The party's nod "is a big boost to my campaign. I will run a vigorous campaign to retain this U.S. Senate seat and help all Democrats up and down the ballot," Specter said.
His main rival, Rep. Joe Sestak (D), cast the endorsement as a hat tip from the establishment -- an establishment Sestak is running against.
"The establishment has long made it known that it struck a deal to anoint the long-time Republican Senator," Sestak's camp said in their own statement. Sestak's backers "have found that Pennsylvanians are tired of business as usual and are ready to turn the page on a generation of deal-making done to maintain the status quo."
"At the debate last night, Senator Specter said he supports the 'basic values of the Democratic Party' after he spent the last 30 years voting against them. Joe Sestak actually believes in our Democratic principles because he believes in our working families," Sestak's team added.
Sestak is a nice guy, but he needs to step aside- this race-this year in Pa is too important to lose and his ideas are too progressive for Pa,he would bring nothing to the state as the junior senator and he has no name recognition.He remains in the race because he is angry that he was asked to step aside for Specter. This race is more about Sestak's ambition than it is about what is best for Pa. And, the Republican-Toomey is scarier then Santorum and he is in no way, shape or form good for middle class Pa. Toomey offers nothing that Pa wants or needs. He is being backed by one of the richest, most partisian Republicans on record-Richard Mellon Scaife. This man attempted to take down Clinton when he was President.
Scaife never has a good thing to say about any Deomocrat unless he is using them in order to gain votes for his guy. My vote, and my efforts, are going to be with Specter- he is a smart, independant thinker who is willing to take the punches for what he believes in. He left the Republican party because of this- they do not like politicians with independant strikes. Senator Specter has worked long and hard for the people of Pa, and as our senior senator he has the ability to get things done for Pa with his experience and reach. And, having the opportunity to hear him speak recent he also has some great ideas regarding creating more jobs for the people of Pa and improving our rail and transportation system.