pa2010.com » Senate

Gay and lesbian leaders rally for Specter

Amy Brisson — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:28:55 +0000

PHILADELPHIA—The gay community here has a long memory. And despite a changing political landscape and a couple party-switches over the years, few gay and lesbian activists have forgotten the Arlen Specter of the 1960s and 1970s. They still see him as the assistant district attorney who clamped down on Philly cops for harassing and extorting gay men, and one of the first Pennsylvania politicians to publicly shake a gay man’s hand.

“In 1973,…

Specter leads Toomey by 6 in new poll

pa2010.com Staff — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:36:13 +0000

For the second time in 10 days, Arlen Specter can say he’s winning.

Specter holds a six-point lead over Republican Pat Toomey, 47 percent to 41 percent, according to a new Research 2000 poll. The survey, conducted for the liberal Web site Daily Kos, found only 11 percent of voters undecided in the general election matchup between Specter and Toomey.

Although the vast majority of polling from the last several months has shown Specter either…

MontCo Dems forgo Senate endorsement

Dan McQuade — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:53:51 +0000

PLYMOUTH MEETING—Despite boisterous support from a contingent of Joe Sestak supporters, the Montgomery County Democratic Committee declined to endorse a candidate for Senate here Thursday.

The decision to forgo an endorsement means that sample ballots in the county will list the names of both Sestak and incumbent Senator Arlen Specter. Party insiders are now free to support either candidate in the May primary. It came after weeks of rumors that party leaders were jockeying to…

Toomey: No on the jobs bill

pa2010.com Staff — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:32:40 +0000

Democrats asked, he answered—eventually.

Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey said Thursday that he would not have voted for a jobs bill that recently passed the Senate, arguing that it will “do little to create new jobs.”

He took a stance after Democrats spent a couple days hammering him for not doing so. A couple hours before Toomey made his statement, the state Democratic Party had unveiled a so-called “Toomey Ticker” to measure the…

Dems blast Toomey’s silence on jobs bill

pa2010.com Staff — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:29:22 +0000

Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey hasn’t yet taken a position on the jobs bill that passed the Senate a couple weeks ago—and Democrats think it’s about time to do so.

Both Senator Arlen Specter and the state Democratic Party criticized Toomey this week for his apparent silence. Specter wrote to Toomey, urging him to “stand up for Pennsylvania’s working families and support this legislation, or explain why you won’t help our economy at…

Rep. asking questions about Sestak’s job-offer claim

pa2010.com Staff — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:13:20 +0000

Democrat Joe Sestak’s claim that the White House offered him a job to dissuade him from running against Arlen Specter has apparently drawn the scrutiny of the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee.

Politico reports that Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) wrote to the White House Wednesday, saying that if Sestak is telling the truth, the administration might be in violation of federal law prohibiting officials from using government power…

Labor endorsements for Sestak, Specter

Dan Hirschhorn — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:52:20 +0000

The Democratic candidate for Senate spent Monday rolling out dueling labor endorsements, with Arlen Specter winning the backing of autoworkers and a major western Pennsylvania union council, while Joe Sestak announced support from a powerful food workers' union.Specter's endorsement from the Allegheny County Labor Council was particularly notable, since the support of the council, which represents about 100,000 workers in the state, is effectively a recommendation to the statewide AFL-CIO. As he's racked up union support in recent weeks, Specter has continued to court the state's largest umbrella labor group, which has backed him in the past.

Sestak endorsed by women’s group

Dan Hirschhorn — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:30:33 +0000

The National Organization for Women’s political action committee endorsed Democrat Joe Sestak’s Senate bid Friday, calling him “a leader in the struggle to achieve full equality for women and girls.”

The endorsement gave Sestak his most significant organizational support in his primary bid against Senator Arlen Specter. It was delivered at Sestak’s campaign office in Pittsburgh.

“The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee is proud and excited to endorse such a strong candidate for…

New York congressman endorses Sestak

Dan Hirschhorn — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:19:03 +0000

Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) got a second House colleague to endorse his Senate bid Tuesday, and like the first, that support came from outside Pennsylvania.

Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY) backed Sestak at the end of a five-city tour across Pennsylvania, during which Sestak focused on veterans’ issues. Like Sestak, Massa is a former Navy officer.

“I served with Joe Sestak in the United States Navy and I know that he’s the real deal,” Massa said…

Lackawanna Dems back Wagner, Specter (Updated)

Dan Hirschhorn — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:14:29 +0000

Auditor General Jack Wagner continues to rack up Democratic Party support ahead of the May gubernatorial primary, with the latest endorsement coming from the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee.

The local party formally backed Wagner at its meeting Monday night. The party also endorsed Senator Arlen Specter’s reelection bid.

“Jack possesses the integrity, leadership and accountability that is needed in the Governor’s office,” John O’Boyle, a member of the county party’s executive committee, said in a…