The Specter camp’s messaging failure

Facing the ballot Tuesday and the choice between Arlen Specter or Joe Sestak for Senate, I found myself walking back events of the past year in order to see if there was a single, critical and deciding issue upon which to make a decision.

This question presumes that both candidates were equally acceptable or annoying and a tie-breaker was necessary.

But it struck me that the critical mistake made by the Specter campaign was the…

May 18, 2010 at 1:45 pm | Comments (6)

Philly labor leader pens e-mail for Specter

If you’re a powerful Philadelphia labor leader, it’s never too late to give your horse in the Senate race a little boost.

Electrical workers union boss John Dougherty wrote to supporters Monday on the eve of primary day to voice his support for incumbent Arlen Specter, and said that Specter’s clout and history of delivering for the region is even more critical now that former state Senator Vince Fumo (a bitter Dougherty foe) is behind…

May 18, 2010 at 11:07 am | Comments (4)

Obama’s campaign arm antes up for Specter

Despite President Obama’s decision not to make a late-game campaign stop for Senator Arlen Specter, the White House has made a Specter victory on Tuesday one of the top priorities for Obama’s political organization.

Organizing for America, Obama’s arm of the Democratic National Committee, had poured about two dozen staffers into Pennsylvania during the closing days of the campaign, according to Democrats familiar with the effort. The organization also has field staff working on the…

May 17, 2010 at 6:10 pm | Comments (54)

LEFTOVERS: Plouffe boosts Specter, late-game endorsements for Onorato and Wagner

Almost out of nowhere in the last 24 hours, a strong “Obama-has-given-up-on-Specter” meme took hold in the press. It’s the natural media overreaction to the premature counting out of Joe Sestak months ago. Yes, Arlen Specter very well could lose on Tuesday, and anyone who supports him is mentally “preparing” for that, the same way you prepare for any possibility. But everyone should calm down. Virtually nothing changed in the complexion of this race between…

May 17, 2010 at 5:47 pm | Comments (6)

Rain could be a primary concern for Specter

There’s a 60 percent chance of rain on Tuesday. And if water ultimately does fall from the sky when primary voters are going to the poll, that might spell trouble for Senator Arlen Specter.

The Republican-turned-Democrat is counting on a large turnout in Philadelphia, especially in heavily black neighborhoods. The City of Brotherly Love already has a history of low turnout in midterm elections, and performs even worse in the rain. In what virtually every…

May 17, 2010 at 12:52 pm | Comments (21)

Report: White House preparing for Specter loss

On the eve of the Democratic Senate primary, it appears that the White House and President Obama are getting ready for the possibility that their horse might not make it across the finish line.

Bob Schieffer, the chief Washington correspondent for CBC, appeared on the local Philadelphia affiliate Monday morning, and said administration officials have told him on background that “the White House is preparing for a specter loss and that the president doesn’t want…

May 17, 2010 at 12:34 pm | Comments (16)

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

May 17, 2010 at 10:42 am | Comments (25)

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…

May 17, 2010 at 8:56 am | Comments (12)

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…

May 16, 2010 at 5:17 pm | Comments (27)

Casey heading out west

Senator Bob Casey is making a two-day campaign swing in western Pennsylvania for the Democratic Party’s two top priorities on May 18: fellow Senator Arlen Specter and 12 District special election nominee Mark Critz.

Casey will appear at a campaign rally with Specter Sunday night in Pitcairn, in Allegheny County. He also cut a radio ad for the Republican-turned-Democrat, in one of Casey’s most direct assists to Specter.

May 15, 2010 at 4:19 pm | Comments (19)