Rendell: Sestak ‘lost a lot of credibility’ by not saying he’d support Specter

Pennsylvania’s Democrat-in-Chief pounded Joe Sestak Monday morning, leveling sharp criticism at the congressman’s refusal to say he would support Senator Arlen Specter should the incumbent prevail in their bitter primary battle on Tuesday.

Gov. Ed Rendell, during an interview on MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe,” took Sestak to task for

School choice PAC gives Williams another $1.6M

A political action committee that advocates for school choice is funding Democrat Anthony Williams’ campaign for governor down to the final days of the race.

Students First PAC gave Williams, a Philadelphia state Senator, a whopping $1.625 million on Friday, according to state campaign finance data. Williams’ campaign has now received more than $4.5 million from two school choice PACs, virtually all of it coming thanks to contributions from three suburban Philadelphia investors. Both PACs…

A word about school choice

Much has been made of the issue of school choice in Pennsylvania, with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Anthony Williams making this one of the centerpieces of his campaign.

Indeed, the comments section on

Poll forecasts Onorato win

Nothing short of a massive exodus of undecided voters to one other candidate will stop Dan Onorato from winning the Democratic nomination for governor on Tuesday, according to a new poll.

The Quinnipiac University survey released Monday echoed other recent polls in showing Onorato holding a wide lead over his Democratic rivals. The Allegheny County Executive wins 39 percent of the vote, followed by 11 percent for Anthony Williams, 10 percent for Jack Wagner and…

Senate primary too close to call in final hours

After a year of campaigning, bitter attacks and counter-attacks, and millions of dollars worth of TV advertising, the Senate Democratic primary is pretty much as close as it gets.

Joe Sestak holds a statistically insignificant one-point lead over incumbent Arlen Specter, 42 percent to 41 percent, according to a new poll. The Quinnipiac University survey released Monday morning showed 16 percent undecided, and was consistent with a host of recent polls that have depicted a…

Poll: Burns up 1 point in down-to-the-wire special election

Republican Tim Burns is clinging to a narrow, statistically insignificant one point lead over Democrat Mark Critz just hours before their high-profile special election in the 12th Congressional District, according to a new poll.

The Public Policy Polling survey released Sunday showed Burns edging out Critz 48 percent to 47 percent, with only 6 percent of voters still undecided. It was just the latest of several public and private polls that are forecasting a close…

Clinton says Critz knows the ‘ins-and-outs’ of getting federal dollars

Former President Bill Clinton swung through western Pennsylvania Sunday, and he had a message for voters in the 12th Congressional District: Mark Critz can keep the cash flowing.

Clinton was in Johnstown to campaign for Critz, the Democratic candidate in Tuesday’s special election to succeed John Murtha. He framed Critz, a longtime John Murtha aide, as the late congressman’s natural successor. His visit marked the high point of a race that has attracted national attention,…

Large Turnout at Clinton Rally Signals Building Momentum for Critz in Lead Up to Tuesday

By CRITZ FOR CONGRESS

Johnstown, Penn. – Today, over one thousand Western Pennsylvanians attended a campaign rally in support of candidate for congress Mark Critz. President Bill Clinton and Joyce Murtha addressed a crowd at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Center in Johnstown, urging the audience to help Critz get out his positive message of job creation and economic development for the community.

“This election is not about Washington, DC. This election is about Washington, P.A.…

Specter and Sestak split on backing the other guy

Hours away from their Senate primary showdown, Democrats Joe Sestak and Arlen Specter split over one big issue Sunday: whether they will back their opponent in November if they don’t prevail Tuesday.

Speaking on “State of the Union” on CNN, Specter said he would “support anybody against [Republican] Pat Toomey.”

But Sestak wouldn’t go that far even when pressed—a refusal he’s kept for months in meetings with party officials, much to their chagrin.

“[I] never…

Welcome to Pennsylvania: Don’t get carried away

It’s a great time to write about Pennsylvania politics. National media focus on