PA Senate Update

Courtesy of Cilizza at the washingtonpost.com, three good paragraphs. First, in response to the polling reported by DK yesterday.

"This is a statement of the obvious fact that Pat Toomey is not yet well known by statewide general-election voters," Toomey communications director Nachama Soloveichik said about the Quinnipiac numbers. "Where he is well known, by general-election voters in the swing 15th District and by statewide Republicans, he is overwhelmingly popular."

I think that's the right take on it, but unfortunately it's going to be hard selling that to keep another big name from coming in.

Speaking of... Tom Ridge is now serious.

Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge (R) is seriously considering a 2010 bid for the Senate seat held by Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter and will make his decision in the next two weeks, according to several sources familiar with his thinking.

And on the other side, Arlen Specter may have had the Democratic establishment clearing the decks for him, but not everyone is playing along. Joe Sestak wants some senate Democratic primary action and he's set to go.

Sestak, who was elected in 2006, has more than $3 million in his House campaign account, all of which could be transferred to a Senate bid. Those familiar with Sestak's thinking said yesterday that the congressman will wait to see how Specter votes over the next few months before making a final decision about the race.

So if Specter doesn't vote like a Democrat he faces a Democratic primary that could be very, very tough. If he does vote like a Democrat he will further underscore the GOP line that he's just a cowardly sellout. This guarantees a closer election as he loses any Republican support and are independents motivated to vote for cowardly sellouts? This is going to be interesting.

I wonder if Specter would like a do over on that stimulus vote.