Burns Leaving Pennsylvania Senate Race
Tim Burns is leaving the Pennsylvania Senate race, the Republican announced on Thursday.
"As I said after Saturday's State Committee Meeting, the vote was the first battle in a long process to end the Casey/Obama agenda," said Burns in a statement. "It is a battle that I am committed to pursuing, but not one that I will be doing as a candidate for the United States Senate."
The state GOP endorsed businessman Steve Welch at last weekend's meeting. Burns, who ran for the House in the state's 12th District in 2010, finished third and initially vowed to press on in the race. But on Thursday, he bowed out, acknowledging the difficulty of running without the support of the party.
"When I began this process I put a premium on getting the endorsement of the Republican Party. I thought it was important and have always supported the party's right to make an endorsement," Burns said. "That's why I went to meet with so many leaders across the Commonwealth. Those leaders spoke on Saturday, and while it may not have been the outcome I hoped for, I have always known it would be difficult to carry on without their support."
Burns's exit leaves makes the race largely a three-way competition between Welch, businessman Tom Smith (who wrote his campaign a huge $4.25 million check in the 4th quarter) and former state Rep. Sam Rohrer. Welch and Smith have the ability to self-fund, while Rohrer, running a more conservative campaign, is a significant financial underdog.
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus