Specter’s Santorum Syndrome

By TOM FERRICK

Is Arlen Specter suffering from the Rick Santorum Syndrome?

That’s my name for the malady that inflicts an incumbent whose negatives are so deep and fixed among voters that he cannot convince them to support him—no matter how much time, money and effort he puts into changing their minds.

Naturally, it’s named in honor of the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania—that irrepressible conservative, Rick Santorum. By the time his re-election rolled around…

Laying the building blocks in 2009 for GOP victory in 2010

Pennsylvania Republicans have many reasons to be optimistic heading into the 2010 U.S. Senate and Gubernatorial elections. With a series of important victories in 2008 and 2009, a strong field of qualified candidates and an electorate tired of the Democrats’ wasteful spending policies in both Washington and Harrisburg, Republicans stand ready to achieve great success in the 2010 election cycle.

Our party will be entering the 2010 election cycle with the momentum of key victories…

Specter, Toomey, and the Danger of Facile Predictions

As everyone knows by now, former Congressman Pat Toomey has challenged incumbent Senator Arlen Specter in the Republican primary, and leads in pretty much every poll. Specter is a street fighter as well as an unmatched fundraiser, and the race will probably tighten up in the next few months. But barring a major shift, it is unlikely he’ll win.

In the coming days you’ll hear a lot from state and national analysts about how Republicans…

The Sestak dance continues

Everyone always seems to interpret these “I’ve made no decision” statements differently.

Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) has, in particular, stoked this kind of speculation, with huge fundraising numbers and statements that range from essentially “I’m not running” to “We’ll see.”

The DelCo Times has the latest on this.

Didn’t see that coming

I have to admit being completely blind-sided by state Representative Bill Kortz’s announcement that he’s going to run for Senate. I’ve been covering this race since the middle of last year, and NEVER have I heard his name mentioned.

I’m going to be reaching out to his people, but at first glance I have to assume he looked at the field, so no candidates from western Pennsylvania, and realized there was a constituency of voters…

How will voter reg numbers affect 2010 elections?

Busy Day! At noon at 112 State Street in Harrisburg, our Party is hosting a press conference with Attorney General Tom Corbett who will be formally endorsing our endorsed PA GOP judicial team led by Supreme Court candidate Judge Joan Orie Melvin. Should be a great event and I would encourage anyone in the area to stop by if they have a chance.

Check out the following story regarding the current voter registration numbers by clicking here. I think there will probably be no stats more analyzed and talked about than the deficit in registered voters our Party faces heading into the 2010 election cycle.

How will the registration gap affect the 2010 elections and our candidates?

BREAKING NEWS: Kortz to run for Senate

State Representative Bill Kortz (D-Allegheny) will soon file paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010, The Daily News in McKeesport reports.

Kortz is only the second Democrat to declare his candidacy, following former National Constitution Center CEO Joe Torsella. He is almost certain to be the only candidate from western Pennsylvania, which could give him a large amount of the primary vote uncontested. State Representative Josh Shapiro is also considering the race.

“I understand this is a monumental task and that I will be the underdog,” Kortz told The Daily News in a statement . “However, I am entering this race for all the right reasons.”

Kortz’s announcement is almost sure to catch the Capitol by surprise. His name as hardly, if ever, been mentioned as a possible Senate candidate.

Earth Day is Tomorrow!

With Earth Day on Wednesday, be sure to visit

Murphy’s late-campaign spending makes a Senate race less likely

A month before winning his second term, Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8) was flush with over $2.2 million in campaign cash. But then he went on a late-campaign spending spree, burning through cash in the final weeks before Election Day. He spent more than $1.5 million between the beginning of October and the end of November,

Pa. Club for Growth founder says Toomey shouldn’t run

The founder of the Pennsylvania Club for Growth is calling on Pat Toomey to step aside from the Republican Senate primary against Arlen Specter, saying that Toomey’s candidacy threatens to give the Senate seat to the Democrats.

The comments by the now-defunct group’s founder, William Parker, were made in a letter to Republicans, paid for, distributed and released this morning by Specter’s campaign. His stance echoes that of several Republicans, local and national, who have backed Specter out of concern that any other Republican would lose in next year’s general election. The Pennsylvania Club for Growth was not affiliated with the national Club for Growth, which Toomey led until recently resigning to run for Senate.

“Today I am urging Pat to withdraw from the 2010 Senate race because his candidacy threatens to hand over total control of the federal government to the Democrats,” Parker wrote. “I believe Senator Specter is the only person who can keep that Senate seat in the GOP column.”