Posted on 04/15/2009 6:00:41 AM PDT by Zakeet
Conservative Pat Toomey, a former Lehigh Valley congressman, this morning announced he is running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the 2010 election in a videotaped message on his new campaign website, saying the nation is at a "crossroads" between a greatly expanding federal government and the direction of more economic freedom.
The move sets up a much-anticipated rematch with moderate Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.) who earned a fifth term in 2004 after defeating a challenge from Toomey by about 17,000 votes out of more than 1 million cast. Their race will feature a key debate among Republicans: Did their party lose power because it stopped appealing to moderates, or because it was not true to conservative principles?
"We can stop the bailouts and the spending stampede; we can reduce the burdens on taxpayers; and we can unlock the ingenuity and job creation potential of our great nation once again," Toomey said in his remarks. "I am running for the U.S. Senate because I believe the economic stakes for our country have never been higher. The people of Pennsylvania deserve the very best from their leaders in Washington but that's not what they are receiving."
Toomey, 47, was exploring a campaign for governor until an outpouring of anger among the GOP's conservative base greeted Specter's critical vote for the Democrats' economic stimulus in February. Polls showed that a majority of Republicans surveyed said it was time for someone new in the seat.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
ping
All RIIIIIIIGHT !!!!!!!!!!
Toomey 2010! |
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Yes!
Let the fundraising begin!
bttt
a true ABS break!
Anyone But Specter
I want to see Spector fired as much as I did tiny tommy daschle in 04.
Excellent!
Specter doesn’t have President Bush and the GOP backing him this time. Specter needs to go down!
That’s great news, but realistically, can he win in PA?
The left/media spin on the Toomey/Specter race is that the GOP is so far “out of the mainstream” that they are ready to nominate someone like Pat Toomey (a rabid “right-wing kook” in their eyes) who has ZERO chance of winning in Pennsylvania. They say the marginalization of people like Arlen Specter by the GOP is a sign that they are out of touch with 2009 America.
I’m not familiar with Pennsylvania politics. I’d like to think Pat Toomey has a shot.
He’s got some catching up to do - already I’ve seen Spector-endorsed anti-Toomey ads on TV.
National GOP to Back Specter ??
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2229101/posts
The NRSC is backing him. I guess it’s us vs them.
LLS
I went to Specter’s Office to tell him not to vote for the stimulus (pork) bill, to no avail, and saw his staff treat Jim Robinson with less-than-respect, so I plan to support Toomey. I am not a PA resident, since that state is the one that didn’t reelect Santorum (a travesty), and where 125% of registered voters in Philly vote....how does one overcome that level of entrenched fraud? Putting my $$ where my mouth is: $$$ to Toomey.
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