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A former New York hedge fund executive is running for Congress against banking bête noir Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.). As a Republican. From Kanjorski’s left. Christopher Paige said his opposition to the massive bank bailouts motivated his decision to run in the northeastern Pennsylvania district. But when talking about the bailout, Paige sounds more like the lifelong Democrat that he was rather than the newly-registered Republican he became to run for the seat, which Kanjorski has held for 13 terms. “‘Too big to fail’ should be ‘too big to exist,’” Paige told Reuters. He said he wants to strengthen anti-trust...

Thrilled with twin victories this month, Republican governors are looking to lead a party-wide resurgence in 2010 and shape the GOP for years to come. Republicans boast of a strong crop of gubernatorial candidates who could be future party leaders, $25 million in the bank a year before the elections and a difficult environment for Democrats, particularly in financially ailing swing-voting states like Ohio and Iowa. "Next year's going to be a good year for Republican governors," predicted Haley Barbour, Mississippi's governor and chairman of the Republican Governors Association. "In states where there are Republican governors, people can see if...

A former assistant Bucks County prosecutor and Marine reservist who served in Iraq announced his candidacy Tuesday for the Republican nomination for the 8th Congressional District. Dean Malik said it's time to return a Republican to the district and criticized the direction of the country since President Barack Obama was elected last year. ''They have taken it upon themselves to reinvent, modify and tamper with this American dream,'' he said outside the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown. ''The American dream, which always stood for opportunity and freedom, is now being turned into an American dream of entitlements and handouts.''

He may have been starry-eyed, but he wasn't a fool. Carl Romanelli, a divorced father of two grown sons from Wilkes-Barre, knew that as the Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006, he'd have a hard time beating the big boys in the race: Republican incumbent Rick Santorum and Democrat Bob Casey. But he hoped to focus on his issues: an end to the Iraq war, health insurance, the rights of women and gays. He did not foresee that, first, he'd get knocked off the ballot and, three years later, both he and his lawyer would be facing...

Republican-turned-Democratic Senator Arlen Specter trails potential GOP challenger Pat Toomey by five points in an early look at Pennsylvania's 2010 Senate race. But another Democrat, Joe Sestak, runs dead-even with the likely Republican candidate. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows 45% would vote for Toomey if the election were held today. Forty percent (40%) would vote for Specter, while six percent (6%) prefer a third option. Nine percent (9%) are undecided. If Sestak wins the Democratic nomination, however, the race is a toss-up: 38% for Sestak and 37% for Toomey.

So much for Arlen Specter’s party switch to avoid a risky primary. The incumbent Pennsylvania senator’s 2010 Democratic Primary race against challenger Joe Sestak is now a toss-up. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Democratic Primary voters in the state finds Specter with just a four-point lead over Sestak – 46% to 42%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, and 10% are undecided. In early August, Specter had a 13-point lead over the two-term congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs. In June, Sestak trailed by 19 points. Support for Specter in the primary has stayed relatively stable, declining...

Republican-turned-Democratic Senator Arlen Specter trails potential GOP challenger Pat Toomey by five points in an early look at Pennsylvania's 2010 Senate race. But another Democrat, Joe Sestak, runs dead-even with the likely Republican candidate. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows 45% would vote for Toomey if the election were held today. Forty percent (40%) would vote for Specter, while six percent (6%) prefer a third option. Nine percent (9%) are undecided. If Sestak wins the Democratic nomination, however, the race is a toss-up: 38% for Sestak and 37% for Toomey. In August, Sestak trailed Specter by...

If Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta decides to seek his party's nomination to Congress again, he'll have competition. Chris Paige, 38, of Barrett Twp. in Monroe County, said Tuesday he will seek the Republican nomination for the seat currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-11, Nanticoke. "I was outraged by the (Wall Street and automobile) bailouts, which I think are unconstitutional, and terrible economic policy," said Mr. Paige, a lawyer and the co-owner of a hedge fund, Paige Capital Management LLC. "I'm worried about the state of our economy and our unemployment situation." Mr. Paige claimed the bailouts...

HARRISBURG — Only 31 percent of Pennsylvania voters believe Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter should be re-elected, and 59 percent believe it's time to give someone else a chance, a state poll released today shows. Specter's numbers are "staggering," said pollster Jim Lee, president of Susquehanna Polling and Research. An incumbent typically is vulnerable if fewer than 40 percent approve of his or her re-election, Lee said. The poll of 700 registered voters, conducted Oct. 7-12, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. "When I see a re-elect in the low 30s, that's ... near fatal,"...

HARRISBURG — Only 31 percent of Pennsylvania voters believe Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter should be re-elected, and 59 percent believe it's time to give someone else a chance, a state poll released today shows. Specter's numbers are "staggering," said pollster Jim Lee, president of Susquehanna Polling and Research. An incumbent typically is vulnerable if fewer than 40 percent approve of his or her re-election, Lee said. The poll of 700 registered voters, conducted Oct. 7-12, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. "When I see a re-elect in the low 30s, that's ... near fatal,"...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Tuesday endorsed Sen. Arlen Specter's GOP opponent in the 2010 Pennsylvania Senate race, giving Pat Toomey the backing of one of the Republican Party's most influential members. Romney, who ran unsuccessfully for his party's presidential nomination last year and is considered a top contender in 2012, announced his support for Toomey in Philadelphia.

DUNMORE - With a promise to level the playing field for Middle America, Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien on Saturday kicked off his bid to unseat longtime incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski. Joined by his wife, Michelle, their two children and about 100 supporters, the 36-year-old Democratic commissioner stood in front of his boyhood home at 1906 Delaware St. and criticized the "unchecked greed of corporate America that threatens Middle America." Mr. O'Brien, who lives in Moosic's Glenmaura neighborhood, promised to work for "affordable, quality health care," well-funded early childhood education and an education system that prepares students...

A new Quinnipiac University poll found Republican challenger Pat Toomey with a narrow lead over Sen. Arlen Specter. Statistically, the survey's trial race -- 43 percent for Mr. Toomey and 42 percent for the incumbent -- was essentially identical to the school's last survey in July, when Mr. Specter was ahead by the similarly tiny margin of 45 percent to 44 percent. Both results were well within the survey's 3 percentage point margin of error. But the reversal of their positions threw a symbolic spotlight on the veteran's vulnerability in the closely watched race. When he made his surprising departure...

Pat Toomey, the former GOP congressman running for Arlen Specter’s Senate seat in Pennsylvania, continues to gain support. In a new Quinnipiac University poll released today, Toomey, who once headed the Club for Growth, now leads Specter by 43 percent to 42 percent. The poll also says that 48 percent of Pennsylvanians disapprove of Specter’s job as senator. “I don’t put too much stock in polls, especially a year before the election,” Toomey tells NRO. “But having said that, I do think that Pennsylvania voters have become increasingly fed up with Arlen Specter’s cynical, political opportunism and the excesses coming...

Attorney General Tom Corbett (R) is the most well known of the candidates looking to replace the term-limited Gov. Ed Rendell (D), and therefore leads his potential opponents by wide margins, a new Quinnipiac survey finds (Sept. 21-28, 1100 RV, MoE +/- 3%).

When Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty (D) first heard that NBC had a television show pilot purporting to be set in his hometown, he was worried. "Writers from Hollywood determining how people are going to see my city" made him cringe, acknowledged Doherty who was born in Scranton and has served as its mayor for the past seven and a half years, in an interview with the Fix as part of our "Rising" series. But, instead of piling-on a city that had seen its fair share of bad news over the past decade, "The Office" wound up helping Scranton -- largely...

President Barack Obama hit the campaign trail for one of the newest members of his party today, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. The 79-year old senator switched parties last April, after 44 years in office as a Republican. His new affiliation may have won him the favor of the president, but it’s also set him up for a very tough re-election battle in Pennsylvania. In twin events in Philadelphia this afternoon, the president helped Specter get “within striking distance” of his $2.5 million fundraising goal, according to the senator’s press secretary Kate Kelly. (snip) The President hailed Sen. Specter as a...

Joliet, Illinois (CNN) – Organizers of the Tea Party Express bus tour arriving in Washington later this week planned their route to go though Democratic congressional districts they consider vulnerable. "What we did was take a map of the United States and then we went head and pin pointed the members of congress that merited our attention and then we looked at those that might be politically vulnerable," said Joe Wierzbicki, a strategist with the conservative PAC Our Country Deserves Better, who are organizing the cross country Tea Party Express tour. Topping the group's target list in the Senate is...

Under a rainy sky, Vice President Joe Biden appeared at today's annual Pittsburgh Labor Day parade, joined by U.S. Sen Arlen Specter and Jack Shea, president of the Allegheny County Labor Council. Mr. Biden joked that the parade organizers would never invite him back, noting that his appearance last year was also weather-challenged -- then with the threat to the Gulf Coast of Hurricane Gustav, which prompted him to cancel his visit. While noting that "people are hurting" across the country, he boasted of the effects of the administration's economic stimulus package. Mr. Biden praised Mr. Specter's role in supporting...

The best observation that any politico can offer on the three-way U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania between Republican Pat Toomey and two Democrats, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak and incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter, is that it’s complicated. So many unpredictable dynamics can affect it, including the economy, health care, the war in Afghanistan, and people's perceptions of President Obama, Congress and the two political parties. Pretend the Pennsylvania electorate is normally distributed in a bell-curve along an ideological spectrum. Now pretend two different scenarios divide the electorate; the candidate with the most people on his side wins, right? If the candidates...

When Arlen Specter switched parties back in April, he realized that some of his former supporters might regret having donated money to someone who was no longer a Republican. He made a concession: “Upon request, I will return campaign contributions contributed during this cycle.” That could wind up being a costly promise. Specter has raised $11 million this cycle, and only has $7.5 million on hand. That said, some donors have a lot invested in Specter and won’t want their money back. And many others might want their money back, but either aren’t aware of his promise or won’t bother...

Specter Only Mocks Republicans At Pittsburgh Comedy Club By Noel Sheppard Created 2009-08-22 12:48 Most Republicans likely already think Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) is a joke, and Thursday evening he proved it when he took the stage at a Pittsburgh comedy club. Appearing at the Improv in a benefit for Allegheny county's Music Festival Fund for children, Specter poked fun exclusively at Republicans including Bob Dole, Dan Quayle, Trent Lott, Alfonse D'Amato, and Howard Baker. Proving just how much his allegiances have changed since his defection to the Democrats, although some of the material was taken from a previous routine...

Republican former Congressman Pat Toomey leads in a poll against both of the Democrats vying to run against him in the 2010 U.S. Senate election, according to a Rasmussen poll. Rasmussen Reports said today that 48 percent of Pennsylvania voters surveyed support the former Lehigh Valley representative while only 36 percent back Democratic Senator Arlen Specter. U.S. Representative Joe Sestak, D-7th, of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties only got 35 percent of poll respondents’ support in a match-up against Toomey, with the Republican getting 43 percent. At this early stage, Mr. Sestak is the underdog in the Democratic primary, trailing...

Sen. Arlen Specter (D) will welcome President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to Pennsylvania in the coming months as he looks to build his financial lead in his race for reelection. The president will attend a Sept. 15 fundraiser for Specter at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, while the vice president will join the new Democrat for an event in Western Pennsylvania later this fall. Fundraisers for Specter's campaign hope to raise $2.5 million during the event in Philadelphia, according to an e-mail invitation obtained by the Philadelphia Daily News. The event has already raised $600,000, and...

** Netroots Nation 2009 Straw Poll Results ** Aug 15 02:44 PM US/Eastern NETROOTS see health care reform as top priority, prefer Sestak over Specter for SENATE nomination PITTSBURGH, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Progressive bloggers and activists are focused on pushing comprehensive health care reform this year and overwhelmingly support Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., over Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., for the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nomination, according to a straw poll at this year's Netroots Nation convention conducted by the Campaign for America's Future and Democracy Corps. Sixty percent of respondents said overhauling the nation's health care system is one of...

Sen. Arlen Specter might have greater worries than receiving rancorous receptions at town hall meetings. A Rasmussen Reports poll released Thursday shows the Democrat trailing Republican Pat Toomey by 12 points in next year's Senate race. The survey indicates that a majority of Pennsylvania voters view Specter unfavorably. "I was staggered by the low base of support that Sen. Specter received," said Scott Rasmussen, president of the New Jersey-based independent polling firm. "It did not surprise me that his numbers were down, but I was blown away by the extent of the drop." The poll, an automated telephone survey of...

got an opportunity to speak with Pat Toomey, former Congressman and president of the Club for Growth, who will run for the US Senate against either incumbent Arlen Specter or Rep. Joe Sestak. Toomey talks about the broad appeal of economic freedom, and how he routinely attracted Democrats to his banner in a working-class Congressional district. Find out the shocking thing Toomey did as a politician, and don’t forget to visit his campaign website and read his new book, The Road to Prosperity: How to Grow Our Economy and Revive the American Dream.

Uncomfortable town hall meetings are just the tip of the iceberg for Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. He now trails Republican Pat Toomey by double digits in his bid for reelection next year and is viewed unfavorably by a majority of the state’s voters. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows 48% would vote for Toomey if the election were held today. Just 36% would vote for Specter while four percent (4%) prefer a third option, and 12% are not sure. These figures reflect a dramatic reversal since June. At that time, before the public health care debate...

Pennsylvania Senate: Toomey 48%, Specter 36%Uncomfortable town hall meetings are just the tip of the iceberg for Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. He now trails Republican Pat Toomey by double digits in his bid for reelection next year and is viewed unfavorably by a majority of the state’s voters. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows 48% would vote for Toomey if the election were held today. Just 36% would vote for Specter while four percent (4%) prefer a third option, and 12% are not sure.

It's Official-- Joe "I Believe The World Is Burning To The Ground And Grandpa Doesn't Need That Pacemaker Anyway" Sestak To Face Arlen "Why Read The Bill?" Specter

Gay Activists Bankroll Opposition to Pro-Marriage State Senator by Kim Trobee, editor Pennsylvania state Sen. John Eichelberger, R-Hollidaysburg, sponsored a constitutional amendment in May that would protect marriage from redefinition. In response, activists set up Keystone Progress, an entity dedicated to "progressive" politics in the state, but specializing in bringing down the Republican freshman. The group has ties to Tim Gill and others who have set up similar organizations in other states. The tactic, according to Eichelberger, is designed to send a message to other lawmakers. "They're going to be afraid to come forward, they're going to be afraid to...

The latest Quinnipiac Poll on the 2010 Pennsylvania Senate race brings encouraging—and surprising—news for Pat Toomey. The former Republican lawmaker and fiscal conservative has closed a 20-point gap against incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter, who switched parties earlier this year in part due to fears that he could not beat Toomey in a GOP primary. The latest survey, conducted July 14-19, shows Specter leading by just one point, 45%-44%, against Toomey in a general election match up. An earlier poll conducted in May showed Specter leading Toomey 53%-33%. . . . . . Among Pennsylvanians, President Barack Obama’s approval rating is...

If U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., thought he’d dodge a bullet by switching parties, he was sorely mistaken. A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found the once popular lawmaker is in a statistical dead heat with the Republican challenger he had hoped to by-pass when he forfeited his GOP credentials to avoid a contentious primary fight. If an election were held today between Mr. Specter and Republican Pat Toomey, 45 percent of voters would favor the incumbent senator with 44 percent voting for the conservative challenger. This is a dramatic turnaround from a May poll, in which Mr. Specter enjoyed...

During the Sotomayor committee hearings, Sen. Arlen Specter was a study in conflicting instincts, ambiguous authority, and party politics. Four years ago, Specter, 79, was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, leading the trials of Roberts and Alito. After his much-maligned party switch earlier this year, he slid back to being the lowest-ranking Senator on the Committee. Navigating his newfound status and reconciling it with his extensive experience participating in past Supreme Court confirmation hearings resulted in a curious and sometimes awkward display of power and intellect. Notably, Specter made an offhand comment that was picked up by national press during...

HOPE IS MAKING A COMEBACK IN PENNSYLVANIA!Look what arrived in my inbox today: SCHRODER ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR CONGRESS State Representative Curt Schroder running to serve the 6th Congressional District Downington, PA –State Representative Curt Schroder today announced that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the 6th Congressional District that includes portions of Chester, Berks, Lehigh, and Montgomery counties. “I have decided to enter this race to ensure that the values that built our country remain for our children, that we encourage the policies of entrepreneurism, limited government and to preserve the economic future of our nation,” said Curt Schroder....

Several months after he became the leading Republican candidate in Pennsylvania’s 2010 U.S. Senate race, former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) has won the endorsement of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in a statement: Congressman Pat Toomey’s life experience and public service make him uniquely qualified to serve Pennsylvanians in the U.S. Senate. Through hard work and self-reliance, Pat Toomey has successfully represented a Democrat-leaning district and accomplished much in his private sector endeavors. Congressman Toomey is a vigorous and determined advocate for the people of Pennsylvania, and he is clearly guided by principles instead of political...

Sen. John Cornyn’s Facebook friends aren’t in a very friendly mood. The Texas Republican’s page on the popular social networking website has been filled with comments like this one from a Florida real estate broker: “As soon as I read of your endorsement of Charlie Crist, I sent in a donation to the Marco Rubio campaign.” A new Facebook group has since cropped up challenging members to give “not one penny” to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), of which Cornyn is chairman. The online group’s description says: “First they supported Chafee. Then they supported Specter. Now they support Crist.”...

As Democrats Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak dig in for a Senate primary that will likely pit power brokers against liberal activists, Republican Pat Toomey has 16 months to sharpen his message of fiscal conservatism for the November 2010 general election. Toomey, the ex-president of the anti-tax Club for Growth, who nearly unseated Specter in the 2004 Republican primary — and whose renewed challenge this year forced the longtime senator to join the Democrats — is collecting endorsements from GOP leaders and elected officials around the state

Palin does a parade in small town New York in June and 20,000 show up!Shouldn't the news media which is going ga-ga over Sarah Palin pay some attention to this? Biden fails to draw crowd in Erie By Selena Zito Pittsburg Tribune Posted July 1, 2009 11 :29 AM Wattsburg, Pa. — Vice President Joe Biden visited a small town on the outskirts of Erie today to talk to rural folks about federal stimulus money that can be used to expand broadband access to the Internet for rural areas that typically have poor connections. Apparently stimulus money and broadband are...

Murtha Snubs District With Cap & Trade Vote by Bill Smith-Wednesday, July 1, 2009 District Residents Could See $2K Jump In Utility Rates (JOHNSTOWN, PA) – Ignoring the importance of the coal industry in the 12th Congressional district, incumbent Rep. John Murtha (D) voted with his Democrat party leadership in supporting the Obama Energy Bill in the late night hours Friday. The bill, also called “Cap and Trade,” would heavily tax energy derived from fossil fuels such as coal and oil. “Our local residents could see as much as a fifty percent increase in their home utility costs,” said William...

A congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs will challenge U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic Senate primary. In an interview with The Wayne Independent Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa.,confirmed his intention to run against Specter, a long-time Republican who switched to the Democratic party earlier this year. “I am going to get into the race against Arlen Specter ... for senator,” said Sestak in his first media interview as part of a three-week tour through all of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties. Wayne County was his first stop where he met with local Democrats prior to his interview with...

When Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties two months ago, he said he would issue contribution refunds "upon request." Now the Club for Growth, the conservative political group that is a longtime Specter foe, wants to help any disgruntled Republican donors take now-Democrat Specter up on his offer. The Club is asking the Federal Election Commission (FEC) if it can send a letter or make a telephone call to Specter's donors informing them that they can ask his campaign for a contribution refund. The Club would use the donor lists that Specter's campaign has filed with the FEC. Those documents...

Sen. Arlen Specter continues to pick up support from Democratic party leaders across Pennsylvania. However, a new poll indicates that the five-term incumbent has not convinced a majority of Pennsylvania voters that he should be re-elected. According to a new Franklin & Marshall poll released Thursday, only 28 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania think Specter should be re-elected. That number is down from 40 percent in March, a month before Specter's "conversion" to the Democratic Party. Back then, roughly half the voters in each party said that Specter was doing an excellent or good job in the Senate. The...

The strong backing of Democratic Party leaders has done little to change slumping public support for the party's newest convert, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter. Only 28 percent of all those surveyed say that he deserves re-election, according to the latest Keystone Poll, and double that number say it's time for a change. Specter's party switch, announced April 28, has hurt his job-performance ratings among Democrats as well as Republicans, according to a telephone survey of 498 registered voters, conducted last week by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College. Back in March, before the switch, roughly half...

Likely Republican nominee Pat Toomey trails both of the Democrats who are vying for their party’s nomination – Senator Arlen Specter and Rep. Joe Sestak – in potential match-ups for next year’s U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows Specter leading Toomey by 11 points, 50% to 39%. Sestak bests Toomey by a narrower 41% to 35%.

The chairman of Senate Republicans' campaign committee has donated $5,000 to Pat Toomey's campaign against Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter. The move suggests the Republican establishment might be embracing Toomey. A spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee said Monday that Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas, donated the money last week.

He’s riding high in the polls among his fellow Democrats, but President Barack Obama’s political sway within his own party is about to be tested. Two House Democrats, Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania and Carolyn Maloney of New York, are poised to defy the unambiguous wishes of Obama and challenge incumbent senators of their own party. Both indicated to POLITICO that they were likely to run — and would do so regardless of what Obama said. Sestak, a second-term Philadelphia-area congressman and retired admiral, said he was just over a month away from announcing his intention to challenge Republican-turned-Democrat Sen. Arlen...

WASHINGTON — Although Chris Chocola isn't in Congress anymore, he's here in the fight for a Republican Congress — his brand of Republican. Chocola, the Elkhart County Republican who represented Indiana's 2nd Congressional District for two terms before losing to Democrat Joe Donnelly in 2006, now is president of the Club for Growth, a conservative group that targets Republicans it regards as too wishy-washy moderate on taxation and government expansion. He is in the fight for the soul of the GOP. "I never thought I'd be doing the weekly commute again, raising funds again," Chocola says during an interview in...

Pennsylvania Democrats Hesitant to Back Specter Now that Sen. Arlen Specter has switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, he could face an uphill battle in convincing rank-and-file Democrats in Pennsylvania to back his re-election effort. "Voters have to get to a comfort level with him as a Democrat that does not exist yet," Allegheny County Democratic Committee Chairman James Burn told Politico. "If the primary were tomorrow and there were one or two other formidable contenders in the race, I wouldn't say with any certainty that he would win." Stephanie Singer, a Democratic ward leader in Philadelphia,...