Shaprio out of Senate race

Calling Arlen Specter the “incumbent Democratic Senator,” state Representative Josh Shapiro (D-Montgomery) told PoliticsPA that he

Holy bipartisanship Batman!

Wow. Wow.

Sorry I haven’t posted about this yet. Been scrambling like crazy trying to get all the news out of this, and the pundit in me has barely had a chance to think.

Obviously

Gov. Rendell to have comment on Sen. Specter tomorrow

Yes…our phones have been exploding with the announcement. Gov. Ed Rendell will be making a statement tomorrow. Stay tuned for details!

Obama captaining a Ship Of Fools?

I remember talking to a Democratic official late last year who confessed to me their concerns about President Barack Obama and his ability to put together a team capable of leading our country. The official reminded me that Obama, a young politician, doesn’t have a large or experienced staff and doesn’t have many “people.” I didn’t fully understand what that person meant until Obama took office. The current President does not have a bench of…

A Democratic primary field… reshuffled and then some

The Democratic primary for Senate was looking so simple. Candidates were hesitant to jump in, afraid of facing Senator Arlen Specter in the general election. It was a mostly level playing filed, at least financially.

No more.

Specter’s decision to switch parties are run for reelection as a Democrat has turned the entire political landscape upside down. Nowhere is this more clear than in the Democratic primary field itself.

Joe Torsella, who has been raising…

Dem party chairman to Specter: Welcome

State Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney said today that Senator Arlen Specter’s decision to switch parties is “outstanding” and that he will be welcomed by the party.

“I was incredibly pleased and heartened to speak with Senator Specter today,” Rooney told pa2010.com this afternoon. “I along with countless other Democrats welcome him to our party. We’re prepared to work hard on his behalf, as he’s worked hard on our behalf for so many years.”

While…

And now that we’ve resolved that . . .

Stu Rothenberg has reported at Real Clear Politics that the chance of Republicans taking back the House in 2010 are “zero.” “Not ‘close to zero.’ Not ‘slight’ or ‘small’,” he adds helpfully. “Zero.” Changes of this magnitude require a wave, says Rothenberg, and no such wave is on the horizon.

Rothenberg is one of the best practitioners of political soothsaying, which is essentially the art of taking current trends and assuming that they will continue…

BREAKING NEWS: Specter switching parties

Senator Arlen Specter will run for reelection next year as a Democrat, switching parties for the first time in more than 40 years and turning the closely-watched 2010 Senate race on its head.

In a statement this morning, Specter said the Republican Party had moved too far to the right to match his ideals. With recent polls showing him trailing GOP challenger Pat Toomey by double-digits, Specter, ever the political survivor, clearly saw leaving the…

WHO in the World is (Insert Name Here)?

Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat for Colorado by Governor Ritter a few weeks back after Ken Salazar was appointed Interior Secretary. When Bennet went to some public events, people bluntly asked, “Who are you?”

I feel the same is happening here. State Rep. Bill Kortz (ordinary Steel Worker… Russ Diamond) and p0tentially Mike Lamb, the Pittsburgh City Controller, jumping into the Senate Race. This is less an anti-Western PA Thing,…

The First Read — April 28, 2009

Good Morning!

Every Monday-Thursday morning, pa2010.com compiles the most important political news of the day, from newspapers to the blogosphere and back. Enjoy this edition.

For all the latest news, log on to pa2010.com, your destination for Pennsylvania’s big 2010 elections.

THE INSIDERS: For Knox’s main man, a few more weeks of double-duty
PHILADELPHIA—Josh Morrow is a busy guy these days. It’s hard enough managing a gubernatorial campaign for Democrat Tom Knox. But…