Pa. GOP endorses [Obama Supporter] Welch as a challenger for Casey

The Times leader, via the AP ^ | January 30, 2012 | Marc Levy

[Timber Rattler]

HARRISBURG — A Chester County entrepreneur won the endorsement Saturday from Pennsylvania’s Republican Party in what could be a bruising, four-way primary election for the nomination to contest Democrat Bob Casey’s re-election bid for U.S. Senate.

The endorsement was won by Steve Welch after an extraordinary show of power by Gov. Tom Corbett, who began calling state party officials to tell them of his support for Welch less than two weeks ago.

(snip)

The endorsement of Welch will be viewed by grassroots party members “as a poke in the face,” Rohrer said.

Welch has been criticized by his rivals for briefly changing his registration to Democrat so he could vote for Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary and giving money to Sestak when he ran for U.S. House in 2006.

[haircutter]

Santorum can't run for the Pennsylvania Senate...He lives in Virginia...that is what happened to him when he lost...lived out of the state...