Former Gov. Tom Ridge formally endorsed Toomey during a morning appearance in State College. In a statement later, he called Toomey “an honest, principled leader who is unafraid to stand up for what’s right.”

After Senator Arlen Specter switched parties last year, GOP leaders tried to coax Ridge into the race. In announcing that he wouldn’t run, Ridge declined at the time to say that the conservative Toomey could win a statewide election in Pennsylvania.

“As a member of Congress Pat consistently fought for taxpayers,” Ridge said, “and in today’s economic climate, that trait is more important than ever.”

Democrats responded with derision to the endorsement, noting that the Ridge had waited 16 months to back his GOP colleague.

“As the head of the Wall Street-backed Club for Growth, Pat Toomey led the purge of moderate Republicans,” state party spokesman Mark Nicastre said in a statement. “It’s no surprise that it took Republican Tom Ridge nearly 16 months to reluctantly support his fellow Republican Pat Toomey. Ridge knows that Pat Toomey is too extreme and out of touch with Pennsylvania.”

Last spring, state GOP chairman Rob Gleason accompanied state Senator & Majority Whip Jane Orie to Washington to discuss a potential run. She is said to have done a 180 after Toomey supporters threatened to yank support for her sister and Supreme Court candidate, Joan Orie Melvin.

Now, Jane Orie and another sister are heading for trial in Allegheny County.

Meanwhile, moderate alternative Tom Ridge, who GOP officials were trying to lure into the race, has taken a $900,000 gig to be the face of the Marcellus Shale Coalition for the next year.

Interesting turn of fortunes for two candidates who, at the time, were seen as better choices for moderate Republicans by party leaders.

The former governor headlined a fundraiser for the Republican congressional hopeful Tuesday night in Springfield. An invitation to the event at the Springfield Country Club put it as a $500 per person affair, with V.I.P.s dropping $2,000.

In a campaign statement, Ridge praised Meehan, the party’s candidate in the 7th District.

“Pat Meehan will provide the leadership we need in Congress to create jobs, boost our economy, and fight to reduce deficit spending,” Ridge said. “Our nation faces many challenges in the years ahead, and we need someone of Pat’s integrity and courage to fight for us in Washington. I have known Pat Meehan for many years—dating back to my tenure as Governor—and Pat has always been an independent thinker, someone who will stand up for what is right.  Pat will cut through the gridlock and bureaucracy to get the people’s business done.”

“I share Tom Corbett’s vision for a 21st Century Pennsylvania,” Ridge said in a statement. “He understands that a competitive business environment is necessary to grow family-sustaining jobs. He believes in responsible and competent government. He is committed to removing the onerous regulations and red tape that burden our job creators. He understands the importance of using Pennsylvania’s natural resources as a means to create jobs and promote growth. And, most importantly, he will restore fiscal stability to state government.”

Corbett faces Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-6) in next year’s primary.

See Ridge’s full statement below:

Statement from the Honorable Tom Ridge

I believe Pennsylvania has arrived at a critical point in its history.  And, the selection of Pennsylvania’s next Governor will have a profound and lasting impact for generations to come.  Pennsylvanians must select a new Governor who is best able to restore faith in Harrisburg, restart Pennsylvania’s stalled economy, and be a wiser guardian of the taxpayer’s hard-earned money.
I had the pleasure of serving the families of Pennsylvania as their Governor during a time of strong economic growth and job creation.  And our promise to “change Pennsylvania honestly” was not just a slogan, but a commitment we kept everyday.  We worked hard to make Pennsylvania a leader among states, and a competitor among nations.  And I believe by all measurements we reached that goal.
My tenure as Governor has afforded me a unique understanding of what it will take to once again put Pennsylvania on a path towards prosperity, and once again restore trust in Harrisburg.  With this in mind, I have decided to share my belief that the most qualified candidate to become Pennsylvania’s next Governor is Tom Corbett.
Tom has always represented Pennsylvania with honor and dignity.  This includes his time as a teacher in the Pennsylvania public school system, his nearly 14 years of services in the National Guard, and his time as a County Prosecutor, United States Attorney, and Pennsylvania’s Attorney General.   Tom has earned the respect of people all across Pennsylvania from all political parties.  I wasn’t the least bit surprised when he garnered more votes in last November’s election than any other Republican in Pennsylvania’s history.
But, Tom also has an outstanding record of accomplishment.  His highly praised Child Predators Unit is considered one of the most successful in the entire country.  His relentless pursuit to fight corruption, wherever it is found, is certainly highly documented.  Tom has also effectively fought the gangs and drugs that endanger our families, and tear apart our communities.  And, his passion and zeal for tracking down the scam artist who dare prey on Pennsylvania’s seniors is legendary.
I share Tom Corbett’s vision for a 21st Century Pennsylvania.  He understands that a competitive business environment is necessary to grow family-sustaining jobs.  He believes in responsible and competent government.  He is committed to removing the onerous regulations and red tape that burden our job creators.  He understands the importance of using Pennsylvania’s natural resources as a means to create jobs and promote growth.  And, most importantly, he will restore fiscal stability to state government.
I proudly endorse Tom Corbett to become Pennsylvania’s next Governor.  I intend to work hard to ensure Tom is elected and hope you will join me.

“That the security of the United States can be a political football is unacceptable,” Sestak said on MSNBC.

“This is really politics about winning political campaigns,” Sestak added.

Ridge resigned after the 2004 election and has since then denied politics played a role in the way the Bush administration used Homeland Security to manipulate George Bush’s poll ratings.

Now pundits on both sides are having a field day with Ridge’s book blurbs, with conservatives calling foul on Ridge as a turncoat trying to make money off his stint in the Bush administration and progressives affirming their position that many of the Bush decisions were, indeed, politically motivated.

As for Ridge, Republican strategists in Pennsylvania say Ridge is not trying to use publicity from his book to advance his political career. That is a natural question, considering that this spring, Ridge seriously considered a run for U.S. Senate after Arlen Specter announced his switch to the Democratic Party.

Ridge finally declined the invitation—and the GOP nomination would have been his, had Ridge decided to challenge former Congressman Pat Toomey, who many GOP party leaders figure is too conservative to win a general election. That position may be changing somewhat, as Specter seems vulnerable against Joe Sestak in a Democratic primary, thus throwing open the seat for a newcomer for the first time in 28 years.

Ridge, who lived through the 24/7 stress of running the Department of Homeland Security in the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, is said to be happily in private business, making money and enjoying life as a private citizen.

His unwillingness to to run for Senate was seen as another clue that Ridge may not have the political stomach to mount an intensive campaign statewide, let alone national.

However, if the GOP can’t establish a clear front-runner for the 2012 presidential election, some of Ridge’s associates said the former governor may not mind being drafted for a 2012 run—if the party wants to back him.

The most entertaining aspect of all this is that—for a party that has supposedly run out of moderates—the Republicans have a lot of moderates, don’t they? No sooner is Ridge out than Gerlach and maybe Scranton and who knows who else is ready to step in. (As Rick Santorum noted in his Inquirer column yesterday, Specter lasted 30 years as a Republican moderate but may not make it 30 days with the Democrats—he’s already lost his seniority and has to scramble for money to avoid firing staff.)

Gerlach is an interesting case. He’s won a couple of times in a close district and that is enough to make you a superstar these days. But he almost lost to an underfunded candidate in 2008 and he is, well, a bit on the bland side (although that can help, too). Having had a series of close races, he’s proven himself a good fundraiser, which never hurts when Arlen in is in town.

One remaining wild card is geography. As several observers have noted, Specter’s principal liability may not be that he is too liberal, but that he is heavily identified with the Philadelphia area (this is part of the reason that Allyson Schwartz and Josh Shapiro didn’t like the race against him). Ridge, who almost defines western Pennsylvania, was well-equipped to take advantage of this. Is a Congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs similarly well situated? We’ll find out—until the next surprise.

Ridge made his comments on MSNBC’s Hardball, only hours after he had announced his intentions.

During the interview, he also called for the Republican Party to more tolerant and civil in its debate, saying at one point the GOP needs to “reduce the decibel level—we’re a little bit too doggone shrill.”

See video of the interview here.

“I think it opens the door for other candidates, and I think you’ll see them emerge pretty quickly,” said longtime GOP consultant Charlie Gerow.

The party establishment had been encouraging Ridge to run with the hope of having a candidate the GOP could line up behind. It remains unclear if the state GOP will seek to back a specific candidate, or wait and see as candidates jockey for support from the rank-and-file. Party chairman Rob Gleason could not be immediately reached Thursday afternoon.

But most focus will likely be on Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-7), former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton, state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi.

Pat Toomey, Peg Luksik and Larry Murphy have all already declared their candidacies.

“I don’t think it really changes much,” Mark Campbell told pa2010.com. “I know we continue to explore those possibilities.”