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Laura Vecsey's Blog

Laura Vecsey's Blog

Middle Ground

Peg Luksik: Grassroots underdog with a bite

Peg Luksik: Grassroots underdog with a bite

At the New York Post, Pat Toomey is being called the catalyst for a rising revolt in Pennsylvania. Maybe that’s because Toomey has tried to paint himself as a moderate Republican during his U.S. Senate race.

But maybe the effectiveness of his message could be in doubt.

These are the days of populist anger and Tea Party momentum, a vein Toomey might have a tougher time tapping.

Northumberland County Republicans pulled off a shocker straw poll last week, giving Toomey their endorsement by only a 21-20 edge over conservative activist Peg Luksik. On Thursday, Luksik will be addressing the York Patriots.

This kind of support for Luksik should serve as warning for Toomey’s camp that the former three-time congressman will not likely get the same kind of populist boost that pushed Republican Scott Brown to victory in the Massachusetts special election for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Democrat Ted Kennedy.

In a news item from the Sunbury Daily Item, the Northumberland County Republican chair said Luksik won support by her appearance before county committee members. Toomey did not appear.

Luksik said Wednesday that she was thrilled by the results.

“What I’m hearing all over the state is that people want an open process,” she said. “They don’t want to be dictated to. People are increasingly want to be involved in the process.”

She said Toomey’s advantage in the polls over Democratic hopefuls Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak does not mean Toomey’s headed for an automatic victory.

“It’s early, and depending on what the Democrats do, those will change,” she said. “The Democrats are already getting their message out about Pat Toomey’s background on Wall Street. Pat’s background and history is what it is. He is extremely wealthy. It’s hard to run away from who you are.”

Sounds like a sound byte right out of Democratic campaign circles.

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February 4, 2010 at 12:05 pm

--Laura Vecsey

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comments [9] | post a comment

  1. Proud Tea Bagger

    Feb 4th, 2010

    The writer of this article must be related to Peg. EVERY, I mean EVERY!!!!!! Tea party member I talk to couldn’t be more excited about Pat Toomey. He is the best candidate for all conservatives, by a mile.

  2. James

    Feb 4th, 2010

    Exactly how is Toomey trying to paint himself as anything other than a conservative? Has he supported any of the bailouts or the stimulus? no. Has he suddenly become a supporter of abortion, gun laws, or gay marriage? no. He is still a fiscal and social conservative. So what if he was polite about Obama coming to the Lehigh Valley. So what if he said he would have voted for Sotomayor. Not long ago Democrats were trying to block Alito and Roberts and the Republicans demanded an up or down vote, as the law requires. Claiming he would have blocked Sotomayor would have shown him to be a hypocrite.

    I just think it’s amusing that people like Toomey, Scott Brown, Mark Kirk, etc have all been called “too conservative” for their states. But when the polls showed otherwise, then the message changes and they are considered moderates, or liberal. This is just a pathetic ploy to try to make Toomey seem similar to that old hack Specter and make his supporters stay home. The truth is that Toomey is a conservative and he is what PA needs. Call him Rick Santorum, Jr. Call him a moderate. Call him whatever you want, but you’ll call him Senator in a few months.

  3. David Diano

    Feb 4th, 2010

    James-
    Toomey said he supported Sotomayor (of course, that’s not the same as actually voting in the Senate).
    I find it hard to believe that Toomey would vote for a pro-choice judge. This strikes me as phony moderation.
    Toomey could have voted to have a vote (ie not blocked the vote) then voted against her. However, once in office, I doubt Toomey would be concerned about being a hypocrite. It’s pretty much a requirement to serve in the GOP.

    Toomey is to the Right of Santorum, which means he’s to the Wrong of the country.

  4. James

    Feb 4th, 2010

    Yeah David, the last thing we need a conservative in the Senate. What we really need is someone like Specter to give a blank check to Reid, Pelosi, and Obama and allow them to do whatever they want. $1.9 Trillion in debt? Sure! Universal ObamaCare? Sure! Spending almost a billion dollars to try terrorists in civilian court? Sure! YES WE SHALL, MR PRESIDENT!!!

  5. David Diano

    Feb 5th, 2010

    James-
    What’s the Republican record?
    Tax cuts for the rich (like Toomey).
    Unfunded mandates.
    Trillion dollars of war debt (without having raising taxes to pay for it).
    Deregulation of the markets (loss of trillions).

    Is having another Republican voting for gridlock going to help? Not likely.

  6. Pegisafraud

    Feb 5th, 2010

    Peg is running Bull Russell’s campaigns and charging him over $40,000 a quarter while running for the senate and supposidly running her own campaign.

    What a fraud. She is bilking him through this PRIM ED LLC conduit…go see his campaign reports.

    She has been exposed. Go home Peg, you are used up and nobody takes your seriously anymore.

  7. Mrbuddy

    Feb 20th, 2010

    Luksik could be silly Palin’s sister–enough said::Both Toomy and Santorium are retreads!!! Specter old and a flip-flopper–Guess I am left with Sestak!!

  8. Rich

    Apr 4th, 2010

    Just keep voting Demoblican, but don’t complain about what you get.There is a reason they are called party BOSSES!

  9. SRC

    Apr 16th, 2010

    I’m a Tea Party attender and am excited about Peg Luksik, as were many of the people who attended the Tax Day tea party. We need a common sense, principled Senator like Peg Luksik who is committed to following the Constitution and to vote in the interests of the majority of Pennsylvanians. We currently have 2 Senators who put the interests of Wall Street ahead of everyone else – we don’t need another one, even if he is a Republican instead of a Democrat.

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