Two candidates, one debate, one fundraiser, one Rendell remark

Pat Toomey held court with Ted Koppel live on PCN, opponent nowhere in sight. Joe Sestak raised money with John Kerry. And Gov. Ed Rendell, always unfiltered, found time to offer the other side a talking point.

The ongoing debate in Pennsylvania’s competitive Senate race was nothing if not diffused across the state Monday, with the two candidates missing a chance for a first meeting but the back-and-forth continuing nonetheless.

Hours before the Pennsylvania Chamber…

September 28, 2010 at 7:00 am | Comments (1)

Longtime Dem mayor endorses Toomey

A longtime Democratic mayor of Harrisburg endorsed Republican Pat Toomey for Senate Monday, as the GOP nominee sought to build cross-partisan credentials of his own.

Stephen Reed, who led Pennsylvania’s capital city for more than 25 years until earlier this year, backed Toomey during an event in Harrisburg. It came as Democratic opponent Joe Sestak has racked up endorsements from moderates like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Senator Chuck Hagel. Reed, for his…

September 27, 2010 at 3:23 pm | Comments (5)

AD WATCH: Sestak’s Navy bio vs. a questionable lobbyist claim

In two recent TV ads, Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak’s campaign has tried to frame the race as a choice between a dedicated public servant who made his life in the Navy (Sestak) and a Wall Street sympathizer who has the financial sector’s interests at heart (Republican Pat Toomey).

pa href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/09/a-note-on-covering-ads/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fa-note-on-covering-ads%2F','%5BClick+here+to+read+more+about+our+AD+WATCH+fact-checking+series+and+the+different+scores.%5D')" target="_blank"[Click here to read more about our AD WATCH fact-checking series and the different scores.]/a/p
pAs to the purely biographical ad, Sestak was indeed a three-star Navy Admiral; he was indeed the director of defense policy for the National Security Council in the Clinton administration; he did command an aircraft carrier battle group; and he did buck his party by staying in the Senate primary against Arlen Specter when the White House and others sought to push him aside./p
pa href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/09/sestak-ad-serving-our-country-vs-serving-wall-street/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fsestak-ad-serving-our-country-vs-serving-wall-street%2F','The+contrast+commercial')" target="_blank">The contrast commercial is more complicated. In it, a narrator opens:

Pat Toomey: a trader on Wall Street who went to Congress and voted…

September 27, 2010 at 1:28 pm | Comments (4)

Another poll shows GOPers ahead in statewide races

Republicans continue to hold healthy leads in both of Pennsylvania’s competitive statewide races, according to a new poll.

The Muhlenberg College survey released this weekend found Republican Tom Corbett edging Democrat Dan Onorato by nine points in the race for governor, 46 percent to 37 percent, with 17 percent of likely voters still undecided. Republican Pat Toomey holds a smaller, seven-point advantage against Democrat Joe Sestak in the Senate race, 46 percent to 39 percent,…

September 27, 2010 at 11:21 am | Comments (1)

Toomey ad questions Sestak’s independence

A new TV ad from Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey’s campaign seeks to undermine Democrat Joe Sestak’s claim to any modicum of political independence.

The 30-second spot juxtaposes Sestak’s comment that he wants to President Obama’s “strongest ally” with a tough line of questioning the Democratic nominee received from “Meet the Press” host David Gregory earlier this year.

It was not formally announced by the campaign,

September 27, 2010 at 11:12 am | Comments (2)

LEFTOVERS: More Marino trouble, Biden to PSU, Crossroads hits Sestak (again)

Republican Tom Marino just can’t stay out of the headlines—and not in a good way.

Already under fire for full story

September 23, 2010 at 3:46 pm | Comments (6)

CNN poll sees tighter Senate race

Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey is holding on to a five-point lead in his race against Democrat Joe Sestak, according to a new poll.

The CNN/Time survey released Wednesday indicated a closer race than some other polls, with the results just outside the margin of error. Toomey wins 49 percent of likely voters in the survey, compared to 44 for Sestak. Among all registered voters, the race is tied.

Most public polls have shown Toomey…

September 23, 2010 at 9:12 am | Comments (15)

Poll: Toomey up 7 points

Republican Pat Toomey is leading Democrat Joe Sestak by seven points in Pennsylvania’s competitive Senate race, according to a new poll.

The Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday showed Toomey garnering 50 percent of likely voters, compared to 43 percent for Sestak. It was one of the first polls in which Toomey hit the 50-percent mark. Only seven percent of likely voters are still undecided six weeks before Election Day.

The poll echoed most other public…

September 22, 2010 at 10:54 am | Comments (14)

LEFTOVERS: Specter and Sestak, Brown for Toomey, Club for Rothfus

As everyone knows, pA pool reporter caught up with Specter at Philadelphia International Airport, where the lame-duck senator was meeting Obama. The reporter asked how he thinks Sestak is doing, a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42473.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.politico.com']);return…

September 21, 2010 at 5:00 pm | Comments (8)

Sestak skipping Chamber debate

The first Senate debate of the general election is now off the schedule.

The Morning Call

September 21, 2010 at 3:42 pm | Comments (13)