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LEFTOVERS: Toomey on Kagan, Onorato on tone, Lentz & Trivedi add staff

Pat Toomey turned some heads last year when he voiced his support for Sonia Sotomayor’s ascension to the Supreme Court. But the GOP Senate nominee isn’t biting on President Obama’s latest nominee.

Toomey said Monday that if he were in the Senate, he would vote against Elena Kagan. Writing in a Post-Gazette op-ed, Toomey said that while Sotomayor had judicial experience and “provided ample evidence of impartiality,” Kagan “offers no comparable reassurances.”

“Ms. Kagan unquestionably has a keen intellect and strong legal knowledge, and has earned the respect of many colleagues in the legal profession,” Toomey wrote. “But while we should not use ideological litmus tests to reject a Supreme Court nominee, nor should intellectual capacity be the sole qualification.”

Meanwhile, Democrat Dan Onorato is taking some exception to gubernatorial rival Tom Corbett’s constant refrain that Onorato is running a negative campaign—”attacking, attacking, attacking,” as Corbett said recently. So Onorato’s campaign on Monday sent reporters a “backgrounder” on his “positive campaign message.” In the e-mail, Onorato’s campaign noted more than two dozen tonally-positive events that Onorato has held since the May primary. The campaign puts these events in a different category from the recent slate of appearances in which he’s repeatedly bashed Corbett’s much-talked-about unemployment gaffe. “Onorato has traveled the state since the primary to reach out to Pennsylvania voters and speak about his experience and positive vision for Pennsylvania’s future,” the campaign said.

And two Democratic congressional candidates in the southeast are still staffing up ahead of November. Reading doctor Manan Trivedi’s 6th District campaign has hired a field director and a press secretary. Andy Zabel, who did field work for both of John Edwards’ presidential campaigns, is heading Trivedi’s ground game. Lindsay Fritchman, who was on Joe Sestak’s press team for the Senate primary, is the campaign’s new spokeswoman. And state Representative Bryan Lentz’s 7th District campaign has hired a new political director in Sean Coit. Until now, Coit worked for our friends over at PoliticsPA. He steps into the slot left open by Kevin McTigue, who recently became Lentz’s campaign manager.

July 26, 2010 at 10:15 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Bryan Lentz, Dan Onorato, Manan Trivedi, PA-6, PA-7, Pat Toomey

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