United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania took place on November 2, 2010, during the 2010 midterm elections
. Incumbent Republican-turned-Democrat U.S. Senator
Arlen Specter
ran for re-election to a sixth term, but lost in the Democratic primary
to Joe Sestak. Republican nominee Pat Toomey
won the seat.
The Democratic party race between incumbent Senator Arlen Specter
and Congressman Joe Sestak was considered one of the bitterest and most watched of all the 2010 primary elections. Just prior to the start of the primary campaign, Specter switched to the Democratic Party
after serving in the Senate as a Republican
for 29 years. Although Specter claimed he switched largely because he disagreed with the increasingly conservative direction the Republican party was heading in, he also admitted the switch was due to his poor chances of winning a Republican primary against conservative challenger Pat Toomey
due to Specter's support of President Barack Obama
's economic stimulus plan
. Prior to the switch, the Democratic establishment had encouraged Sestak to run in the Democratic primary, but after Specter switched parties he was largely embraced by such major Democratic figures as President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden
, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
. The same Democratic establishment that initially urged Sestak to run now feared he would harm Specter's chances in the general election and encouraged him to drop out, but Sestak refused and strongly criticized Specter's party switch as an opportunistic move aimed solely at political self-preservation.
Specter led Sestak by more than 20 percentage points for most of the race and, while Sestak struggled to overcome problems from his low name recognition, Specter received endorsements from major Democratic figures and influential organizations like the AFL-CIO
and Pennsylvania Democratic Committee
. However, that lead narrowed significantly in the final month of the campaign, when Sestak concentrated his funds and efforts on television commercials that questioned Specter's Democratic credentials. As the race progressed, Specter grew more strongly critical of Sestak, attacking his House attendance record, accusing Sestak of failing to pay his staffers minimum wage
, and claiming Sestak was demoted in the Navy for creating a "poor command climate". On the day of the primary May 18, Sestak ended Specter's nearly 30-year Senate career by earning 53.8 percent of the vote, compared to Specter's 46.2 percent. Political observers said the commercials played a major part in Sestak's victory, and that a national swing in momentum toward Republicans and against incumbents ultimately harmed Specter's chances. During the primary campaign, it was revealed that former-President Bill Clinton
offered Sestak a position in the Obama administration if he withdrew his candidacy. This drew allegations from Republicans that the administration violated federal statues forbidding government employees from interfering with a Senate election, although no formal investigation was ever held.
projected the race as won by Sestak.
-based 15th congressional district
, had previously challenged incumbent Arlen Specter in the Republican primary of the 2004 Senate race
, in which the conservative Toomey tried to portray Specter as too liberal. Although Toomey ultimately lost, he came within 17,000 votes (less than two percentage points) of beating Specter, despite the long-time Senator's strong name recognition and wide support from party leaders. In a December 2008 interview with The Hill
, Toomey said he was considering a 2010 bid against Specter, who he believed was "significantly more vulnerable now than he was in 2004" because many liberal and moderate Republicans had abandoned the party since then to join the Democratic party during the 2008 presidential primaries
, eliminating many of Specter's core constituents from a closed Republican primary.
The next month, however, Toomey announced he would not likely not run for Senate again and said he was instead seriously considering a possible bid for governor in 2010
. But after Specter voted in favor of the Barack Obama-supported stimulus proposal
aimed at stopping the economic recession, Toomey began to once again contemplate running for Senate, claiming he believed the incumbent Senator was supporting federal government bailouts and spending plans that were "taking the country on a dangerously wrong path". In discussions with potential supporters in his possible governor bid, dozens of Pennsylvanians urged to challenge Specter, who was considered particularly vulnerable because he had supported the Democrats' stimulus plan. In early March, Toomey began to privately assure supporters he would run against Specter, and during a March 28 keynote address before the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference
in Harrisburg
he announced, "It's very likely that very soon I will be a candidate for the U.S. Senate," which resulted in a standing ovation from 600 audience members.
Peg Luksik
, a conservative anti-abortion activist from Johnstown
who previously lost bids for governor in 1990
and 1994
, had announced her candidacy for the Republican primary in March. Although some questioned her lack of elected office experience and limited knowledge of foreign affairs, Luksik said she planned to be an advocate against big government and excessive spending. During a conversation in February 2009, Toomey had assured her he did not plan to run for Senate again. She was present the next month at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference when Toomey announced his plans to run, but Luksik said she nevertheless planned to stay in the race. She said she did not feel betrayed by Toomey's surprise announcement, adding, "I understand these two men have a long, personal and rather vindictive history and there's a real desire for the two of them to go and hit each other with sticks. I get that. I have five sons." Her candidacy led to speculation that Luksik and Toomey could split the conservative vote, which could help Specter secure a victory in the primary from moderate voters, but Luksik said she would resist any efforts by conservative Republicans to pressure her into withdrawing.
, via a video on his website, and stepped down as head of the anti-tax political organization Club for Growth
to concentrate on his campaign. A Quinnipiac University Poll
released the previous month had indicated Toomey would defeat Specter by 14 percentage points in a two-man race if the primary were held that day. That same poll, however, found three out of four Republicans didn't yet know enough about Toomey to form an opinion about him. Some Republicans expressed concerns that if Toomey defeated Specter in the closed Republican primary, he would be a weaker candidate in the general election and the party could risk losing the Senate seat to the Democrats. Toomey rejected such concerns, pointed to his two successful reelections in the Democratic-leaning Lehigh Valley congressional district as proof he could win votes from the opposing party. Rumors began to circulate that Senator John Cornyn
, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
and a Specter supporter, had asked Toomey to drop his candidacy, but Toomey denied those claims. Nevertheless, Toomey received some early support from conservatives like Senator Jim DeMint
, who endorsed Toomey and donated thousands of dollars to his campaign.
Starting in April, Specter made the rare move of starting to run television advertisements more than a year before the primary election, linking Toomey's background as a Wall Street
banker and support of credit default swap
s to the economic crisis. While Toomey criticized Specter as a liberal who consistently sided with the Democratic majority, Specter stressed that if Toomey won the primary, he would lose the general election and give Democrats a 60th seat in the Senate, which would allow them to suppress Republican filibusters. In an interview on Morning Joe
, Specter said, "If Mr. Toomey is the nominee, you can be sure he'll lose. He's to the right of Rick Santorum
. Santorum lost by 18 points, spent $31 million and was a two-term incumbent." Stuart Rothenberg
, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, said of the expected primary match-up, "Republicans will have to decide whether they want to hold the seat or make a statement about issues and ideology."
However, on April 28, 2009, Specter announced he was leaving the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat, claiming he disagreed with the increasingly conservative direction the party was heading in and found his personal philosophy was now better aligned with the Democratic Party. Although Specter said his decision was made primarily based on principle, he also admitted it was partially due to his poor chances of beating Toomey in the Republican primary: "I have traveled the state and surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls and have found that the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak." Toomey became widely considered the favorite to win the Republican primary as a result of Specter's defection. Peg Luksik said of Specter's switch, "It is clear that Arlen Specter stands with President Obama on a host of issues and with this decision, has gone home to the Democratic Party."
With Specter's departure from the primary, some speculated that a less conservative candidate than Toomey was needed to defeat Specter in the primary election, since the state had previously supported Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election
. John Cornyn declined to immediate endorse Toomey and Senator Orrin Hatch
, vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said of him, "I don't think there is anybody in the world who believes he can get elected senator there." Names of other potential Republican candidates began to be floated, like Congressman Jim Gerlach
, Lieutenant Governor Joseph B. Scarnati and State Senate
Majority Leader Dominic F. Pileggi, none of whom ruled out running. Some, like Senator Lindsey Graham
and Republican State Committee
Chairman Robert Gleason, suggested former Governor Tom Ridge
might be a suitable candidate. Ridge began to seriously contemplate a run, and Quinnipiac University polls indicated Specter held only a projected lead over Ridge of three percentage points, compared to 20 points over Toomey.
Even before Ridge made a final decision, however, conservative bloggers began criticizing Ridge's moderate positions and support for abortion rights. Political opponents also circulated e-mail messages questioning Ridge's residency eligibility because, although he still voted in Pennsylvania, he lived in Chevy Chase
, Maryland
. On May 7, Ridge announced he would not run in the primary, claiming he preferred to continue supporting the Republican Party by promoting causes as a private citizen. Some felt Ridge's decision not to run ended the Republican Party's best chance to win the seat from Specter. But Toomey expressed confidence he could beat the incumbent Senator, claiming Democrats would find him difficult to trust after seeing the way he abandoned the Republicans. Toomey said he "expected to beat Arlen Specter soundly in the Republican primary, but I had no idea I would drive him clear out of the party." A Quinnipiac University poll released May 28 projected Toomey now trailed Specter by nine percentage points, a smaller gap than the Specter's 20-point lead from a May 4 survey.
, from the North Hills
area of Pennsylvania, briefly considered entering the race but announced on July 13 that she would not run because she wanted to concentrate on the state budget. The National Republican Senatorial Committee
announced on July 14 that it was endorsing Toomey, even though the group previously helped Specter defeat Toomey in 2004. It was considered a key endorsement expected to help improve fund-raising efforts for Toomey, who had already raised $1.6 million in the previous three-month quarter. By July 22, polls indicated that Specter's projected lead over Toomey had nearly eradicated, as the Senator now only led him 45-44 percent. That same poll showed Toomey led over Luksik by 47 percent to 6 percent, a margin so large that media outlets predicted Luksik stood little chance of overcoming him; the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
said Luksik was "not considered to be a stiff challenge". By August, Toomey had an even greater advantage over Specter in the polls, which indicated Toomey now led the incumbent Senator by 12 percentage points.
Following an e-mail exchange with the Democratic challenger Joe Sestak about health care, Toomey agreed to an unorthodox proposal by Sestak to hold joint town hall about the issue, which was held September 2 at Muhlenberg College
in Allentown
. Specter was not invited to participate, and political pollster G. Terry Madonna described it as an "informal pact" between Sestak and Toomey to weaken their joint rival, something the two men denied. Commentators suggested Toomey was willing to help Sestak at this stage of the race because he preferred Sestak as a general election opponent rather than Specter, who could possibly steal Republican and Independent voters from Toomey. By October, Toomey had raised a total of $3.1 million for the race, but spent $861,000 in the past three-month quarter as he traveled across the state for his campaign. In contrast, Luksik raised less than $100,000 from June to October. Also in October, Toomey was endorsed by former Massachusetts
Governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney
, who called Toomey the "man for the job" and pledged to help him raise funds.
-Pelosi
big government agenda". In February, it was announced Toomey raised more money than Specter in the final three months of 2009, earning $1.67 million compared to Specter's $1.15 million, although Specter's total war chest of $8.66 million was still significantly larger than Toomey's $2.8 million. In that same quarter, Peg Luksik raised $163,000 and had $66,000 on hand. On February 13, the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania
endorsed Toomey over Peg Luskik in the Senate race. Toomey told the committee he would work to restore fiscally conservative principals to Washington and fight to eliminate street money
, or state grants offered in exchange for support on key issues. When asked whether Luksik would continue to run, she replied, "Absolutely. Are you kidding? I always run un-endorsed."
With news outlets like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Fox News
predicting Toomey would have little difficult defeating Luksik in the primary, Toomey again became involved with the Democratic primary by accepting an invitation to a second debate with Joe Sestak, who had been trying unsuccessfully to engage Arlen Specter in more than one primary debate. In accepting the April 11 debate, Toomey said, "Like many politicians who have spent decades in Washington, Sen. Specter maintains a sense of entitlement to his office and he is unwilling to put his record and ideas to the test of open and honest debate." In response to the scheduled debate, Luksik spokesman Steve Clark said Toomey had to remember he was running against Luksik in the primary, not Sestak or Specter. By March, Specter appeared to be gaining momentum in the Democratic primary, with polls indicating he not only led Sestak by 24 percentage points, but had recaptured a projected lead against Toomey in the general election by a margin of 49 percent to 42 percent. Pollsters indicated Specter was benefiting greatly from the large amount of media attention the Democratic primary had received, as well as the Senator's strong name recognition, whereas Sestak and Toomey remained relatively little-known.
When the Senate candidates publicly released their quarterly campaign finance reports on April 15, it was revealed that Pat Toomey once again raised more in the first three months of 2010 than either Democratic candidate, adding $2.3 million to his total $4.1 million war chest compared to Specter adding $1.1 million to his total $9.1 million fund. The funds raised that quarter made Toomey the best-funded Senate challenger in the country during the 2010 elections. Political analysts attributed Toomey's success to the national swing in momentum toward Republicans, and said it could indicate the Republicans would be victorious in many Senate races, including in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Luksik continued to campaign in low-attendance appearances on conservative anti-abortion, anti-tax and anti-spending principles, while portraying herself as a down-to-earth housewife and common-sense candidate. In the days leading up to the primary election, Toomey received endorsements by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
. On May 10, he ran his first television advertisement, which called for more jobs and less government and included a narrator saying, "Trillion dollar bailouts and deficits, government-run health care, record unemployment. Had enough?" John Baer
of the Philadelphia Daily News
said Toomey was so widely expected to defeat Luksik that he said of the Republican primary, "The race is a balloon with no air. It sits flat while the Democratic fight between Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak sucks up all the oxygen."
* Declined to run for Republican nomination
wrote that Luksik could not overcome Toomey's financial advantages, particularly when the Republican primary was so overshadowed by the Democratic race. The Philadelphia Inquirer
wrote that Toomey's run against Luksik in the primary "will help him maintain his competitive condition" against Sestak, who defeated Specter in the Democratic primary.
, MSNBC
, NPR
and CBS News
. Both Toomey and Specter said they considered each other friends and vowed to engage in a "clean" campaign focusing on policy rather than personal attacks. However, the two quickly began challenging each other's records, with Sestak citing Toomey's past Wall Street career and claiming he would rather aid rich bankers than the working class, and Toomey portraying Sestak a leftist liberal aligned with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. The day after the primary, Sestak claimed that Toomey wants to continue "to back failed policies of George W. Bush" and "to let Wall Street do whatever it wants". At a rally at the Allegheny County Airport
, Toomey said Sestak's politics were more liberal than most mainstream Democrats and described him as a proponent of "even-larger government".
Within minutes of Sestak's victory, National Republican State Committee Chairman John Cornyn issued a statement describing Sestak as too liberal for Pennsylvania, claiming he consistently voted with Washington Democratic leaders and supported energy policies that would reduce jobs. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, all of whom vocally supported Specter in the primary, each called Sestak after his primary victory and pledged to support him in the general election. Congressman Darrell Issa
, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said it would "be incredibly disingenuous and reek of political payback" for Sestak to accept any such support from the Obama administration after Sestak had accused the White House of offering him a job in exchange for dropping out of the Democratic primary. Nevertheless, while Sestak said he would not become "part of the establishment", he welcomed the Obama administration's support and said, "I plan on being the president's best ally."
On May 20, Toomey released the first state-wide advertisement of the campaign, a television commercial with a narrator describing both candidates as "Two good men with very different ideas." The ad contrasted the positions between the two candidates on the Wall Street bailout, national health care debate and terrorist trials. Meanwhile, Sestak said Toomey needed to be held accountable for his support of bank deregulation and former President George W. Bush's financial policies which helped lead to the economic recession. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
said Toomey was "conveniently failing to mention his decades of service to Wall Street" in his advertisements. When asked about the promise between Sestak and Toomey to maintain a clean and friendly campaign, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney said, "Guess what? That all changed at 10:30 p.m. (Tuesday). I hope the congressman adheres to his word, but I have no consuming expectation that he will. It's going to get hard in a moment. This race is going to take a turn."
Early polls showed varied results over who was leading between Sestak and Toomey, although some indicated Sestak had an advantage due to the positive press he received for defeating Arlen Specter. Despite Specter's stated support for Sestak, the Senator's former chief of staff David Urban, now a lobbyist, offered his support to Toomey after the Democratic primary ended. Urban sought to connect moderate Republicans, conservative Democrats and the current and former chiefs of staff of Republicans and encourage them to help Toomey get elected. Both candidates sought to use online media avenues to reach out to prospective voters, which was still considered a relatively new field for politicians. Both started accounts on the social networking and microblogging site Twitter
, with the ToomeyForSenate account amassing 4,907 followers and the Sestak2010 account 3,796 followers. Both also had accounts on Facebook
, where Toomey had 10,361 friends and Sestak had 3,146.
, automobile industry and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddic Mac
, claiming they saved many jobs and homes. Toomey condemned them as a waste of taxpayer money that rewarded irresponsible behavior. Sestak praised the financial regulatory reform bill before Congress as "a victory for the American people over Wall Street" that would bring an protect the economy from shadow banking
and toxic asset
s. Toomey said it did nothing to prevent taxpayer bailouts of failing corporations. Toomey also argued against a proposed cap and trade bill
, which he said would encourage firms to move manufacturing jobs overseas and force Pennsylvania businesses to close. Sestak claimed the bill would help businesses by lower energy costs in the long-run, claiming, "Pat Toomey is in the pocket of big oil, and big oil doesn't want alternative energy."
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
in the Gulf of Mexico
, Sestak criticized Toomey for his support of offshore drilling
in Lake Erie
, claiming the proposal risked placing 90 percent of the country's surface water in danger. Toomey said he simply supported allowing states to retain the right to make decisions about drilling, and claimed Sestak was too willing to cede control to the federal government. Both Sestak and Toomey sought to portray themselves as the ideal candidates for small business issues. Toomey campaigned on lower taxes and less regulation, and released a 30-second television advertisement emphasizing his experience as owner of a small chain of bars and restaurants in the 1990s. Sestak countered that image, however, citing past court depositions that indicated Toomey was not very involved in the businesses and delegated most responsibilities to his brother Steven. Sestak said he would help small businesses through tax cuts and federal loan guarantees.
Heading into July, polls still indicated that the two candidates were roughly even. Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said this was better news for Toomey than Sestak because it meant Toomey had "limited the damage" from the national positive publicity Sestak received after defeating Arlen Specter. From April 1 to June 30, Toomey raised $3.1 million compared to Sestak's $1.95 million. This left Toomey with $4.56 million in total funds, more than twice Sestak's total amount of about $2 million. Toomey was considered to have a financial advantage in part because he did not have as challenging a primary as Sestak, and thus was able to save most of his money. Additionally, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $1.4 million in support of Specter during the primary, which left them only $200,000 left for the general election race.
In July, Toomey began airing five new television commercials, including one about Toomey taking on the Democratic establishment and four focusing on different votes Sestak made in Congress. The latter four commercials each focused on a different issue: the stimulus plan, health care reform, cap and trade and tax increases. The ads characterized Sestak's positions as extreme, and each ended with a narrator saying, "That's liberal. That's Joe Sestak." Although they directly attacked Sestak, Toomey felt they did not break the candidates' pledge for a clean campaign because they focused on his policies, not his character. By running the commercials four months before the general election campaign, Toomey hoped to get an early in building name recognition for himself. Also in July, the United States Chamber of Commerce
began running television advertisements criticizing Sestak's support of "a government takeover of health care" and "billions in job-killing energy taxes", claiming he voted with Nancy Pelosi "100 percent of the time". Sestak called the ads inaccurate, citing specific instances when he voted against Pelosi; Two Pennsylvania television stations removed the ads, but Toomey defended them, claiming they were not misleading and accusing Sestak of being "hyper-sensitive".
and damaged the economy by helping deregulate Wall Street. On July 15, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Sestak has received at least $119,650 in campaign contributions from employees of companies that received federal earmarks
he had steered to the state since 2008. Although a common practice among political candidates, Sestak had advocated banning earmarks in favor of a competitive grant program, and vowed on his website to return any contributions from organizations or individuals who "has made a request for an appropriations project". In response to the story, Toomey called on Sestak to return those contributions, which he did not respond to. However, Sestak said he routinely returned money from employees of such companies, but sometimes had difficult tracking donations from low-level employees. Toomey vowed never to seek earmarks if elected, while Sestak said although he favors ending the practice, he would continue advocating for them as long as earmarks continued to exist.
While Sestak presented economists who agreed with his positions, the conservative non-profit Citizens Against Government Waste
gave him a zero rating on spending issues based on a review of 120 of his votes in Congress. Toomey challenged Sestak to sign a "No Pork? pledge offered by the organization. In turn, Sestak criticized Toomey for accepting campaign contributions from Club for Growth, a group that Toomey used to spearhead and which has received criticism from such prominent Republicans as Senator Orrin Hatch, Senator John McCain
and former Arkansas
Governor Mike Huckabee
.
On August 2, moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins
, who was once condemned by Toomey's Club for Growth for her support of the stimulus package, headlined a $1,000-a-plate luncheon for Toomey's campaign at Philadelphia's Union League
. The Philadelphia Inquirer said Collins' support indicated Toomey was finding success in seeking moderate support for his candidacy. The newspaper noted other apparent efforts to draw in centrists, including Toomey's support for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
, who many conservatives opposed, and the fact that throughout the campaign Toomey had rarely brought up social issues like gay rights and abortion, for which he holds right-wing conservative views. Sestak's campaign claimed those gestures only sought to conceal an extremely conservative voting record.
Both candidates have criticized each other's ideology and have referred to each other as extreme. Toomey has heavily criticized Sestak for his support of Obama's stimulus, cap and trade, and health care reform. Sestak has not only supported these measures, but he has gone on record saying all of these measures didn't go far enough. Sestak criticized Toomey by calling him "Pennsylvania's most right-wing congressman". Sestak has also criticized Toomey for working on Wall Street and for supporting the elimination of corporate taxes.
Toomey has been endorsed by former longtime Democratic Mayor of Harrisburg Stephen Reed, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani
, United States Chamber of Commerce
, NRA
, U.S. Senator Scott Brown
and former Governor Sarah Palin
. Newspaper endorsements include the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
, The Intelligencer
, The Tribune-Democrat
and the Bucks County Courier Times.
Sestak has been endorsed by independent NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg
and former Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel
. Sestak has also been endorsed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
, The Philadelphia Inquirer
, the Erie Times-News
, The Citizens' Voice, The Patriot-News
, the Observer-Reporter
, and The Huffington Post
.
Republican Pat Toomey defeated his Democratic opponent Joe Sestak on election day. The Associated Press called the race for Toomey shortly after midnight.
Hardball with Chris Matthews
, a panel consisting of political analysts Larry Sabato
, Clarence Page
and Pat Buchanan
unanimously predicted that Pat Toomey would win the election.
Debates
Official campaign sites
United States elections, 2010
The 2010 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 37 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate were contested in this election along with 38 state and territorial...
. Incumbent Republican-turned-Democrat U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
ran for re-election to a sixth term, but lost in the Democratic primary
United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, 2010
The Democratic primary for the 2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania took place on May 18, 2010, when Congressman Joe Sestak defeated incumbent Arlen Specter, which led to the end of Specter's five-term Senatorial career...
to Joe Sestak. Republican nominee Pat Toomey
Pat Toomey
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. is the junior United States Senator for Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Toomey served as a U.S. Representative for three terms, but did not seek a fourth in compliance with a pledge he had made while running for office in 1998...
won the seat.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Joe Sestak, U.S. Congressman (from Delaware County)
- Arlen SpecterArlen SpecterArlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
, Incumbent U.S. Senator (from Bucks County)
Campaign
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
and Congressman Joe Sestak was considered one of the bitterest and most watched of all the 2010 primary elections. Just prior to the start of the primary campaign, Specter switched to the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
after serving in the Senate as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
for 29 years. Although Specter claimed he switched largely because he disagreed with the increasingly conservative direction the Republican party was heading in, he also admitted the switch was due to his poor chances of winning a Republican primary against conservative challenger Pat Toomey
Pat Toomey
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. is the junior United States Senator for Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Toomey served as a U.S. Representative for three terms, but did not seek a fourth in compliance with a pledge he had made while running for office in 1998...
due to Specter's support of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's economic stimulus plan
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. Prior to the switch, the Democratic establishment had encouraged Sestak to run in the Democratic primary, but after Specter switched parties he was largely embraced by such major Democratic figures as President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
. The same Democratic establishment that initially urged Sestak to run now feared he would harm Specter's chances in the general election and encouraged him to drop out, but Sestak refused and strongly criticized Specter's party switch as an opportunistic move aimed solely at political self-preservation.
Specter led Sestak by more than 20 percentage points for most of the race and, while Sestak struggled to overcome problems from his low name recognition, Specter received endorsements from major Democratic figures and influential organizations like the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
and Pennsylvania Democratic Committee
Pennsylvania Democratic Party
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Pennsylvania. The party has had strong support in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia area for a long time, having controlled the mayoral office in Philadelphia since 1952, and the Pittsburgh...
. However, that lead narrowed significantly in the final month of the campaign, when Sestak concentrated his funds and efforts on television commercials that questioned Specter's Democratic credentials. As the race progressed, Specter grew more strongly critical of Sestak, attacking his House attendance record, accusing Sestak of failing to pay his staffers minimum wage
Minimum wage in the United States
, the federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour. Some states and municipalities have set minimum wages higher than the federal level , with the highest state minimum wage being $8.67 in Washington. Some U.S. territories are exempt...
, and claiming Sestak was demoted in the Navy for creating a "poor command climate". On the day of the primary May 18, Sestak ended Specter's nearly 30-year Senate career by earning 53.8 percent of the vote, compared to Specter's 46.2 percent. Political observers said the commercials played a major part in Sestak's victory, and that a national swing in momentum toward Republicans and against incumbents ultimately harmed Specter's chances. During the primary campaign, it was revealed that former-President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
offered Sestak a position in the Obama administration if he withdrew his candidacy. This drew allegations from Republicans that the administration violated federal statues forbidding government employees from interfering with a Senate election, although no formal investigation was ever held.
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Specter | Sestak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac | May 16, 2010 | 41% | 42% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 16, 2010 | 44% | 44% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 15, 2010 | 44% | 43% |
| Daily Kos/Research 2000 | May 14, 2010 | 43% | 45% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 14, 2010 | 45% | 43% |
| Suffolk | May 13, 2010 | 40% | 49% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 13, 2010 | 44% | 44% |
| Franklin & Marshall | May 12, 2010 | 36% | 38% |
| Quinnipiac | May 12, 2010 | 44% | 42% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 12, 2010 | 45% | 45% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 11, 2010 | 43% | 47% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 10, 2010 | 42% | 47% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 10, 2010 | 42% | 47% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 9, 2010 | 42% | 46% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 8, 2010 | 42% | 44% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 7, 2010 | 43% | 43% |
| Quinnipiac | April 28-May 2, 2010 | 47% | 39% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | May 2, 2010 | 48% | 42% |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 13, 2010 | 44% | 42% |
| Quinnipiac | March 31-April 5, 2010 | 53% | 32% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 15, 2010 | 48% | 37% |
| Research 2000 | March 8–10, 2010 | 51% | 32% |
| Quinnipiac | February 22–28, 2010 | 53% | 29% |
| Rasmussen Reports | February 8, 2010 | 51% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports | January 18, 2010 | 53% | 32% |
| Quinnipiac U | December 8, 2009 | 53% | 30% |
| Rasmussen Reports | December 8, 2009 | 48% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 13, 2009 | 46% | 42% |
| Quinnipiac | September 28, 2009 | 44% | 25% |
| Research 2000 | August 12, 2009 | 48% | 33% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 11, 2009 | 47% | 34% |
| Quinnipiac | July 19, 2009 | 55% | 23% |
| Franklin/Marshall | June 25, 2009 | 33% | 13% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 17, 2009 | 51% | 32% |
| Quinnipiac | May 28, 2009 | 50% | 21% |
| Research 2000 | May 4, 2009 | 56% | 11% |
| POS | May 3, 2009 | 62% | 24% |
Results
The Democratic primary occurred on May 18, 2010, and although Specter had won endorsement from the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, at 10:14 PM EDT that evening, the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
projected the race as won by Sestak.
Background
Pat Toomey, a Republican former Congressman representing the Lehigh ValleyLehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
-based 15th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District is located in eastern Pennsylvania, comprising all of Northampton County, most of Lehigh County, and small parts of Berks and Montgomery Counties...
, had previously challenged incumbent Arlen Specter in the Republican primary of the 2004 Senate race
United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2004
The 2004 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Arlen Specter won re-election to a fifth term.-Campaign:...
, in which the conservative Toomey tried to portray Specter as too liberal. Although Toomey ultimately lost, he came within 17,000 votes (less than two percentage points) of beating Specter, despite the long-time Senator's strong name recognition and wide support from party leaders. In a December 2008 interview with The Hill
The Hill (newspaper)
The Hill, a subsidiary of News Communications Inc., is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C. since 1994.Its first editor was Martin Tolchin, a veteran correspondent in the Washington bureau of The New York Times....
, Toomey said he was considering a 2010 bid against Specter, who he believed was "significantly more vulnerable now than he was in 2004" because many liberal and moderate Republicans had abandoned the party since then to join the Democratic party during the 2008 presidential primaries
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008
The 2008 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election...
, eliminating many of Specter's core constituents from a closed Republican primary.
The next month, however, Toomey announced he would not likely not run for Senate again and said he was instead seriously considering a possible bid for governor in 2010
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2010
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. The winning candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor will serve a four-year term from 2011 to 2015. Candidates for Lieutenant Governor were nominated in a separate primary contest; however, the Lieutenant Governor,...
. But after Specter voted in favor of the Barack Obama-supported stimulus proposal
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
aimed at stopping the economic recession, Toomey began to once again contemplate running for Senate, claiming he believed the incumbent Senator was supporting federal government bailouts and spending plans that were "taking the country on a dangerously wrong path". In discussions with potential supporters in his possible governor bid, dozens of Pennsylvanians urged to challenge Specter, who was considered particularly vulnerable because he had supported the Democrats' stimulus plan. In early March, Toomey began to privately assure supporters he would run against Specter, and during a March 28 keynote address before the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference
Pennsylvania Leadership Conference
Pennsylvania Leadership Conference is an annual two day conference organized by the Pennsylvania Leadership Council of Pennsylvania conservative activists in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania....
in Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
he announced, "It's very likely that very soon I will be a candidate for the U.S. Senate," which resulted in a standing ovation from 600 audience members.
Peg Luksik
Peg Luksik
Marguerite "Peg" Anna McKenna Luksik is a conservative politician, frequent candidate, and Constitution Party activist in Pennsylvania.Luksik was born on August 11, 1955 in Huntsville, Alabama, where her father was in the Army...
, a conservative anti-abortion activist from Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
who previously lost bids for governor in 1990
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1990
The Pennsylvania Gubernatorial election of 1990 was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic Robert P. Casey easily defeated Republican Barbara Hafer....
and 1994
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1994
The Pennsylvania Gubernatorial election of 1994 was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic Governor Bob Casey, Sr. was barred from seeking a third term by the state constitution. The Republican Party nominated Congressman Tom Ridge, while the Democrats nominated Mark Singel, Casey's...
, had announced her candidacy for the Republican primary in March. Although some questioned her lack of elected office experience and limited knowledge of foreign affairs, Luksik said she planned to be an advocate against big government and excessive spending. During a conversation in February 2009, Toomey had assured her he did not plan to run for Senate again. She was present the next month at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference when Toomey announced his plans to run, but Luksik said she nevertheless planned to stay in the race. She said she did not feel betrayed by Toomey's surprise announcement, adding, "I understand these two men have a long, personal and rather vindictive history and there's a real desire for the two of them to go and hit each other with sticks. I get that. I have five sons." Her candidacy led to speculation that Luksik and Toomey could split the conservative vote, which could help Specter secure a victory in the primary from moderate voters, but Luksik said she would resist any efforts by conservative Republicans to pressure her into withdrawing.
Candidates
- Pat ToomeyPat ToomeyPatrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. is the junior United States Senator for Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Toomey served as a U.S. Representative for three terms, but did not seek a fourth in compliance with a pledge he had made while running for office in 1998...
, former United States Congressman - Peg LuksikPeg LuksikMarguerite "Peg" Anna McKenna Luksik is a conservative politician, frequent candidate, and Constitution Party activist in Pennsylvania.Luksik was born on August 11, 1955 in Huntsville, Alabama, where her father was in the Army...
, conservative activist
Specter switches parties
Pat Toomey formally announced his candidacy on April 15, 2009, Tax DayTax Day
In the United States, Tax Day is a colloquial term for the day on which individual income tax returns are due to the federal government. The term may also refer to the same day for states, even where the tax return due date is a different day....
, via a video on his website, and stepped down as head of the anti-tax political organization Club for Growth
Club for Growth
The Club for Growth is a politically conservative 527 organization active in the United States of America, with an agenda focussed on taxation and other economic issues, and with an affiliated political action committee . The Club advocates lower taxes, limited government, less government spending,...
to concentrate on his campaign. A Quinnipiac University Poll
Quinnipiac University Poll
The Quinnipiac University Poll is an opinion poll research operated by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut...
released the previous month had indicated Toomey would defeat Specter by 14 percentage points in a two-man race if the primary were held that day. That same poll, however, found three out of four Republicans didn't yet know enough about Toomey to form an opinion about him. Some Republicans expressed concerns that if Toomey defeated Specter in the closed Republican primary, he would be a weaker candidate in the general election and the party could risk losing the Senate seat to the Democrats. Toomey rejected such concerns, pointed to his two successful reelections in the Democratic-leaning Lehigh Valley congressional district as proof he could win votes from the opposing party. Rumors began to circulate that Senator John Cornyn
John Cornyn
John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
and a Specter supporter, had asked Toomey to drop his candidacy, but Toomey denied those claims. Nevertheless, Toomey received some early support from conservatives like Senator Jim DeMint
Jim DeMint
James Warren "Jim" DeMint is the junior U.S. Senator from South Carolina, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party and a leader in the Tea Party movement. He previously served as the U.S. Representative for from 1999 to 2005.-Early life and education:DeMint was born in...
, who endorsed Toomey and donated thousands of dollars to his campaign.
Starting in April, Specter made the rare move of starting to run television advertisements more than a year before the primary election, linking Toomey's background as a Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
banker and support of credit default swap
Credit default swap
A credit default swap is similar to a traditional insurance policy, in as much as it obliges the seller of the CDS to compensate the buyer in the event of loan default...
s to the economic crisis. While Toomey criticized Specter as a liberal who consistently sided with the Democratic majority, Specter stressed that if Toomey won the primary, he would lose the general election and give Democrats a 60th seat in the Senate, which would allow them to suppress Republican filibusters. In an interview on Morning Joe
Morning Joe
Morning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
, Specter said, "If Mr. Toomey is the nominee, you can be sure he'll lose. He's to the right of Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
. Santorum lost by 18 points, spent $31 million and was a two-term incumbent." Stuart Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst best known for his Washington-based, biweekly, self-proclaimed non-partisan political newsletter The Rothenberg Political Report...
, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, said of the expected primary match-up, "Republicans will have to decide whether they want to hold the seat or make a statement about issues and ideology."
However, on April 28, 2009, Specter announced he was leaving the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat, claiming he disagreed with the increasingly conservative direction the party was heading in and found his personal philosophy was now better aligned with the Democratic Party. Although Specter said his decision was made primarily based on principle, he also admitted it was partially due to his poor chances of beating Toomey in the Republican primary: "I have traveled the state and surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls and have found that the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak." Toomey became widely considered the favorite to win the Republican primary as a result of Specter's defection. Peg Luksik said of Specter's switch, "It is clear that Arlen Specter stands with President Obama on a host of issues and with this decision, has gone home to the Democratic Party."
Post-Specter campaign
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
. John Cornyn declined to immediate endorse Toomey and Senator Orrin Hatch
Orrin Hatch
Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
, vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said of him, "I don't think there is anybody in the world who believes he can get elected senator there." Names of other potential Republican candidates began to be floated, like Congressman Jim Gerlach
Jim Gerlach
James "Jim" Gerlach is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.- Early life, education and career :...
, Lieutenant Governor Joseph B. Scarnati and State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
Majority Leader Dominic F. Pileggi, none of whom ruled out running. Some, like Senator Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:...
and Republican State Committee
Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is based in Harrisburg in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the Republican Party of the United States.-Founding:...
Chairman Robert Gleason, suggested former Governor Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
might be a suitable candidate. Ridge began to seriously contemplate a run, and Quinnipiac University polls indicated Specter held only a projected lead over Ridge of three percentage points, compared to 20 points over Toomey.
Even before Ridge made a final decision, however, conservative bloggers began criticizing Ridge's moderate positions and support for abortion rights. Political opponents also circulated e-mail messages questioning Ridge's residency eligibility because, although he still voted in Pennsylvania, he lived in Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. On May 7, Ridge announced he would not run in the primary, claiming he preferred to continue supporting the Republican Party by promoting causes as a private citizen. Some felt Ridge's decision not to run ended the Republican Party's best chance to win the seat from Specter. But Toomey expressed confidence he could beat the incumbent Senator, claiming Democrats would find him difficult to trust after seeing the way he abandoned the Republicans. Toomey said he "expected to beat Arlen Specter soundly in the Republican primary, but I had no idea I would drive him clear out of the party." A Quinnipiac University poll released May 28 projected Toomey now trailed Specter by nine percentage points, a smaller gap than the Specter's 20-point lead from a May 4 survey.
Toomey jumps ahead
Although Toomey anticipated other candidates would enter the race, the Republican primary remained a two-way race between Toomey and Peg Luksik. State Senator Jane OrieJane Orie
Jane Clare Orie is an American politician who currently serves in the Pennsylvania State Senate. She represents the 40th senate district, including portions of Allegheny County and Butler County. She is a Republican...
, from the North Hills
North Hills (Pennsylvania)
The North Hills is a term generally used to collectively describe the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The independent suburban municipalities that are always included in the North Hills are Ross Township, Borough of West View, Shaler Township, West Deer Township, Frazer Township,...
area of Pennsylvania, briefly considered entering the race but announced on July 13 that she would not run because she wanted to concentrate on the state budget. The National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
announced on July 14 that it was endorsing Toomey, even though the group previously helped Specter defeat Toomey in 2004. It was considered a key endorsement expected to help improve fund-raising efforts for Toomey, who had already raised $1.6 million in the previous three-month quarter. By July 22, polls indicated that Specter's projected lead over Toomey had nearly eradicated, as the Senator now only led him 45-44 percent. That same poll showed Toomey led over Luksik by 47 percent to 6 percent, a margin so large that media outlets predicted Luksik stood little chance of overcoming him; the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
said Luksik was "not considered to be a stiff challenge". By August, Toomey had an even greater advantage over Specter in the polls, which indicated Toomey now led the incumbent Senator by 12 percentage points.
Following an e-mail exchange with the Democratic challenger Joe Sestak about health care, Toomey agreed to an unorthodox proposal by Sestak to hold joint town hall about the issue, which was held September 2 at Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
in Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
. Specter was not invited to participate, and political pollster G. Terry Madonna described it as an "informal pact" between Sestak and Toomey to weaken their joint rival, something the two men denied. Commentators suggested Toomey was willing to help Sestak at this stage of the race because he preferred Sestak as a general election opponent rather than Specter, who could possibly steal Republican and Independent voters from Toomey. By October, Toomey had raised a total of $3.1 million for the race, but spent $861,000 in the past three-month quarter as he traveled across the state for his campaign. In contrast, Luksik raised less than $100,000 from June to October. Also in October, Toomey was endorsed by former Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
, who called Toomey the "man for the job" and pledged to help him raise funds.
Final primary months
Toomey continued to hold projected leads against his Democratic opponents as the primary campaign entered 2010, with January polls indicating he held a 14-point lead over Specter and a 17-point lead over Sestak. Some political scientists, like G. Terry Madonna and Jeff Brauer, attributed Toomey's gains to voter dissatisfaction with the health care plan before Congress and a poor national political climate for Democrats and incumbents. Toomey's campaign continued to portray him as a political outsider andsmall government advocate while condemning Specter and Sestak as "a rubber stamp for the ReidHarry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
-Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
big government agenda". In February, it was announced Toomey raised more money than Specter in the final three months of 2009, earning $1.67 million compared to Specter's $1.15 million, although Specter's total war chest of $8.66 million was still significantly larger than Toomey's $2.8 million. In that same quarter, Peg Luksik raised $163,000 and had $66,000 on hand. On February 13, the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania
Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is based in Harrisburg in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the Republican Party of the United States.-Founding:...
endorsed Toomey over Peg Luskik in the Senate race. Toomey told the committee he would work to restore fiscally conservative principals to Washington and fight to eliminate street money
Street money
Street money is an American political tactic in which local party officials are given legal cash handouts by an electoral candidate's campaign in exchange for the official's support in turning out voters on election day.- Usage :...
, or state grants offered in exchange for support on key issues. When asked whether Luksik would continue to run, she replied, "Absolutely. Are you kidding? I always run un-endorsed."
With news outlets like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
predicting Toomey would have little difficult defeating Luksik in the primary, Toomey again became involved with the Democratic primary by accepting an invitation to a second debate with Joe Sestak, who had been trying unsuccessfully to engage Arlen Specter in more than one primary debate. In accepting the April 11 debate, Toomey said, "Like many politicians who have spent decades in Washington, Sen. Specter maintains a sense of entitlement to his office and he is unwilling to put his record and ideas to the test of open and honest debate." In response to the scheduled debate, Luksik spokesman Steve Clark said Toomey had to remember he was running against Luksik in the primary, not Sestak or Specter. By March, Specter appeared to be gaining momentum in the Democratic primary, with polls indicating he not only led Sestak by 24 percentage points, but had recaptured a projected lead against Toomey in the general election by a margin of 49 percent to 42 percent. Pollsters indicated Specter was benefiting greatly from the large amount of media attention the Democratic primary had received, as well as the Senator's strong name recognition, whereas Sestak and Toomey remained relatively little-known.
When the Senate candidates publicly released their quarterly campaign finance reports on April 15, it was revealed that Pat Toomey once again raised more in the first three months of 2010 than either Democratic candidate, adding $2.3 million to his total $4.1 million war chest compared to Specter adding $1.1 million to his total $9.1 million fund. The funds raised that quarter made Toomey the best-funded Senate challenger in the country during the 2010 elections. Political analysts attributed Toomey's success to the national swing in momentum toward Republicans, and said it could indicate the Republicans would be victorious in many Senate races, including in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Luksik continued to campaign in low-attendance appearances on conservative anti-abortion, anti-tax and anti-spending principles, while portraying herself as a down-to-earth housewife and common-sense candidate. In the days leading up to the primary election, Toomey received endorsements by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
. On May 10, he ran his first television advertisement, which called for more jobs and less government and included a narrator saying, "Trillion dollar bailouts and deficits, government-run health care, record unemployment. Had enough?" John Baer
John Baer
John M. Baer is an American journalist working for the Philadelphia Daily News.Baer earned a degree from Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland and a Masters Degree from Temple University. He studied at the Brookings Institution and worked in Congress as a Fellow of the American Political Science...
of the Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
said Toomey was so widely expected to defeat Luksik that he said of the Republican primary, "The race is a balloon with no air. It sits flat while the Democratic fight between Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak sucks up all the oxygen."
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Arlen Specter* | Pat Toomey | Tom Ridge* | Peg Luksik |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk | May 13, 2010 | –– | 60% | –– | 9% |
| Quinnipiac | May 12, 2010 | –– | 60% | –– | 9% |
| Quinnipiac | July 19, 2009 | –– | 47% | –– | 6% |
| Quinnipiac | May 28, 2009 | –– | 38% | –– | 3% |
| Research 2000 | May 7, 2009 | –– | 41% | 33% | –– |
| Public Opinion | May 5, 2009 | –– | 23% | 60% | –– |
| POS | May 3, 2009 | –– | 22% | 62% | 2% |
| Rasmussen | April 21, 2009 | 30% | 51% | –– | –– |
| Qunnipiac | March 19, 2009 | 27% | 41% | –– | –– |
| Franklin/Marshall | March 17, 2009 | 33% | 18% | –– | 2% |
| Research 2000 | December 8, 2008 | 43% | 28% | –– | –– |
Results
Pat Toomey won the May 18 primary with 81.5 percent of the vote, or 668,409 of the votes cast, compared to 18.5 percent and 151,802 votes for Peg Luksik. The Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
wrote that Luksik could not overcome Toomey's financial advantages, particularly when the Republican primary was so overshadowed by the Democratic race. The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
wrote that Toomey's run against Luksik in the primary "will help him maintain his competitive condition" against Sestak, who defeated Specter in the Democratic primary.
Candidates
- Pat ToomeyPat ToomeyPatrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. is the junior United States Senator for Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Toomey served as a U.S. Representative for three terms, but did not seek a fourth in compliance with a pledge he had made while running for office in 1998...
(R), former U.S. Congressman - Joe Sestak (D), U.S. Congressman
Early weeks
Shortly after Joe Sestak's primary victory, Arlen Specter called him to offer congratulating and vow to support his candidacy, claiming, "I think it's vital to keep this seat in the Democratic Party." Both Sestak and Pat Toomey began campaigning for the general election the day after the May 18 primary. Before reporting to Capitol Hill for House matters, Sestak appeared in interviews on several national media outlets including CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
. Both Toomey and Specter said they considered each other friends and vowed to engage in a "clean" campaign focusing on policy rather than personal attacks. However, the two quickly began challenging each other's records, with Sestak citing Toomey's past Wall Street career and claiming he would rather aid rich bankers than the working class, and Toomey portraying Sestak a leftist liberal aligned with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. The day after the primary, Sestak claimed that Toomey wants to continue "to back failed policies of George W. Bush" and "to let Wall Street do whatever it wants". At a rally at the Allegheny County Airport
Allegheny County Airport
Allegheny County Airport is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, four miles southeast of the city of Pittsburgh. It is the fifth busiest airport in Pennsylvania following Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Harrisburg...
, Toomey said Sestak's politics were more liberal than most mainstream Democrats and described him as a proponent of "even-larger government".
Within minutes of Sestak's victory, National Republican State Committee Chairman John Cornyn issued a statement describing Sestak as too liberal for Pennsylvania, claiming he consistently voted with Washington Democratic leaders and supported energy policies that would reduce jobs. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, all of whom vocally supported Specter in the primary, each called Sestak after his primary victory and pledged to support him in the general election. Congressman Darrell Issa
Darrell Issa
Darrell Edward Issa is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 48th, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was formerly a CEO of Directed Electronics, the Vista, California-based manufacturer of automobile security and convenience products...
, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said it would "be incredibly disingenuous and reek of political payback" for Sestak to accept any such support from the Obama administration after Sestak had accused the White House of offering him a job in exchange for dropping out of the Democratic primary. Nevertheless, while Sestak said he would not become "part of the establishment", he welcomed the Obama administration's support and said, "I plan on being the president's best ally."
On May 20, Toomey released the first state-wide advertisement of the campaign, a television commercial with a narrator describing both candidates as "Two good men with very different ideas." The ad contrasted the positions between the two candidates on the Wall Street bailout, national health care debate and terrorist trials. Meanwhile, Sestak said Toomey needed to be held accountable for his support of bank deregulation and former President George W. Bush's financial policies which helped lead to the economic recession. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current chair is Sen. Patty Murray, who succeeded Sen. Robert Menendez following...
said Toomey was "conveniently failing to mention his decades of service to Wall Street" in his advertisements. When asked about the promise between Sestak and Toomey to maintain a clean and friendly campaign, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney said, "Guess what? That all changed at 10:30 p.m. (Tuesday). I hope the congressman adheres to his word, but I have no consuming expectation that he will. It's going to get hard in a moment. This race is going to take a turn."
Early polls showed varied results over who was leading between Sestak and Toomey, although some indicated Sestak had an advantage due to the positive press he received for defeating Arlen Specter. Despite Specter's stated support for Sestak, the Senator's former chief of staff David Urban, now a lobbyist, offered his support to Toomey after the Democratic primary ended. Urban sought to connect moderate Republicans, conservative Democrats and the current and former chiefs of staff of Republicans and encourage them to help Toomey get elected. Both candidates sought to use online media avenues to reach out to prospective voters, which was still considered a relatively new field for politicians. Both started accounts on the social networking and microblogging site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, with the ToomeyForSenate account amassing 4,907 followers and the Sestak2010 account 3,796 followers. Both also had accounts on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, where Toomey had 10,361 friends and Sestak had 3,146.
Ideological opposites
Sestak and Toomey proved to be ideological opposites who disagreed on practically every issue, including abortion, health care, energy, social security and the recent stimulus bill and financial bailouts. Sestak favored the bailouts of the United State financial systemEmergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of , commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, is a law enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis...
, automobile industry and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddic Mac
Federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
The federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac refers to the placing into conservatorship of government sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by the U.S. Treasury in September 2008. It was one financial event among many in the ongoing subprime mortgage crisis.On September 6, 2008,...
, claiming they saved many jobs and homes. Toomey condemned them as a waste of taxpayer money that rewarded irresponsible behavior. Sestak praised the financial regulatory reform bill before Congress as "a victory for the American people over Wall Street" that would bring an protect the economy from shadow banking
Shadow banking system
The shadow banking system is the infrastructure and practices which support financial transactions that occur beyond the reach of existing state sanctioned monitoring and regulation. It includes entities such as hedge funds, money market funds and Structured investment vehicles...
and toxic asset
Toxic asset
Toxic asset is a popular term for certain financial assets whose value has fallen significantly and for which there is no longer a functioning market, so that such assets cannot be sold at a price satisfactory to the holder...
s. Toomey said it did nothing to prevent taxpayer bailouts of failing corporations. Toomey also argued against a proposed cap and trade bill
American Clean Energy and Security Act
The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 was an energy bill in the 111th United States Congress that would have established a variant of an emissions trading plan similar to the European Union Emission Trading Scheme...
, which he said would encourage firms to move manufacturing jobs overseas and force Pennsylvania businesses to close. Sestak claimed the bill would help businesses by lower energy costs in the long-run, claiming, "Pat Toomey is in the pocket of big oil, and big oil doesn't want alternative energy."
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, Sestak criticized Toomey for his support of offshore drilling
Offshore drilling
Offshore drilling refers to a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled through the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently produce hydrocarbons which lie in rock formations beneath the seabed...
in Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, claiming the proposal risked placing 90 percent of the country's surface water in danger. Toomey said he simply supported allowing states to retain the right to make decisions about drilling, and claimed Sestak was too willing to cede control to the federal government. Both Sestak and Toomey sought to portray themselves as the ideal candidates for small business issues. Toomey campaigned on lower taxes and less regulation, and released a 30-second television advertisement emphasizing his experience as owner of a small chain of bars and restaurants in the 1990s. Sestak countered that image, however, citing past court depositions that indicated Toomey was not very involved in the businesses and delegated most responsibilities to his brother Steven. Sestak said he would help small businesses through tax cuts and federal loan guarantees.
Heading into July, polls still indicated that the two candidates were roughly even. Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said this was better news for Toomey than Sestak because it meant Toomey had "limited the damage" from the national positive publicity Sestak received after defeating Arlen Specter. From April 1 to June 30, Toomey raised $3.1 million compared to Sestak's $1.95 million. This left Toomey with $4.56 million in total funds, more than twice Sestak's total amount of about $2 million. Toomey was considered to have a financial advantage in part because he did not have as challenging a primary as Sestak, and thus was able to save most of his money. Additionally, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $1.4 million in support of Specter during the primary, which left them only $200,000 left for the general election race.
In July, Toomey began airing five new television commercials, including one about Toomey taking on the Democratic establishment and four focusing on different votes Sestak made in Congress. The latter four commercials each focused on a different issue: the stimulus plan, health care reform, cap and trade and tax increases. The ads characterized Sestak's positions as extreme, and each ended with a narrator saying, "That's liberal. That's Joe Sestak." Although they directly attacked Sestak, Toomey felt they did not break the candidates' pledge for a clean campaign because they focused on his policies, not his character. By running the commercials four months before the general election campaign, Toomey hoped to get an early in building name recognition for himself. Also in July, the United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
began running television advertisements criticizing Sestak's support of "a government takeover of health care" and "billions in job-killing energy taxes", claiming he voted with Nancy Pelosi "100 percent of the time". Sestak called the ads inaccurate, citing specific instances when he voted against Pelosi; Two Pennsylvania television stations removed the ads, but Toomey defended them, claiming they were not misleading and accusing Sestak of being "hyper-sensitive".
Later months
Around July, both Sestak and Toomey started blaming each other for the federal budget deficits that had become a national spotlight amid the troubled economy. Toomey portrayed Sestak as lacking "fiscal discipline" and supporting budget earmarks for pet projects, while Sestak said Toomey supported President George W. Bush's deficit spendingDeficit spending
Deficit spending is the amount by which a government, private company, or individual's spending exceeds income over a particular period of time, also called simply "deficit," or "budget deficit," the opposite of budget surplus....
and damaged the economy by helping deregulate Wall Street. On July 15, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Sestak has received at least $119,650 in campaign contributions from employees of companies that received federal earmarks
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
he had steered to the state since 2008. Although a common practice among political candidates, Sestak had advocated banning earmarks in favor of a competitive grant program, and vowed on his website to return any contributions from organizations or individuals who "has made a request for an appropriations project". In response to the story, Toomey called on Sestak to return those contributions, which he did not respond to. However, Sestak said he routinely returned money from employees of such companies, but sometimes had difficult tracking donations from low-level employees. Toomey vowed never to seek earmarks if elected, while Sestak said although he favors ending the practice, he would continue advocating for them as long as earmarks continued to exist.
While Sestak presented economists who agreed with his positions, the conservative non-profit Citizens Against Government Waste
Citizens Against Government Waste
Citizens Against Government Waste is a 501 non-profit organization in the United States. It functions as a think-tank, 'government watchdog', and advocacy group for fiscally conservative causes...
gave him a zero rating on spending issues based on a review of 120 of his votes in Congress. Toomey challenged Sestak to sign a "No Pork? pledge offered by the organization. In turn, Sestak criticized Toomey for accepting campaign contributions from Club for Growth, a group that Toomey used to spearhead and which has received criticism from such prominent Republicans as Senator Orrin Hatch, Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and former Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
Governor Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
.
On August 2, moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins
Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins is the junior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1996, she is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...
, who was once condemned by Toomey's Club for Growth for her support of the stimulus package, headlined a $1,000-a-plate luncheon for Toomey's campaign at Philadelphia's Union League
Union League
A Union League is one of a number of organizations established starting in 1862, during the American Civil War to promote loyalty to the Union and the policies of Abraham Lincoln. They were also known as Loyal Leagues. They comprised upper middle class men who supported efforts such as the United...
. The Philadelphia Inquirer said Collins' support indicated Toomey was finding success in seeking moderate support for his candidacy. The newspaper noted other apparent efforts to draw in centrists, including Toomey's support for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice....
, who many conservatives opposed, and the fact that throughout the campaign Toomey had rarely brought up social issues like gay rights and abortion, for which he holds right-wing conservative views. Sestak's campaign claimed those gestures only sought to conceal an extremely conservative voting record.
Both candidates have criticized each other's ideology and have referred to each other as extreme. Toomey has heavily criticized Sestak for his support of Obama's stimulus, cap and trade, and health care reform. Sestak has not only supported these measures, but he has gone on record saying all of these measures didn't go far enough. Sestak criticized Toomey by calling him "Pennsylvania's most right-wing congressman". Sestak has also criticized Toomey for working on Wall Street and for supporting the elimination of corporate taxes.
Toomey has been endorsed by former longtime Democratic Mayor of Harrisburg Stephen Reed, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
, United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
, NRA
NRA
NRA is an abbreviation that may mean:* National regulatory authorities , government agencies tasked with regulating and supervising sections of public service and economy...
, U.S. Senator Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
and former Governor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
. Newspaper endorsements include the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, The Intelligencer
The Intelligencer (Doylestown, Pennsylvania)
The Intelligencer is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper published in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The newspaper serves central and northern Bucks County as well as adjacent areas of eastern Montgomery County...
, The Tribune-Democrat
The Tribune-Democrat
The Tribune-Democrat is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc....
and the Bucks County Courier Times.
Sestak has been endorsed by independent NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
and former Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel
Chuck Hagel
Charles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel is a former United States Senator from Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002...
. Sestak has also been endorsed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
, The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, the Erie Times-News
Erie Times-News
The Erie Times-News is a daily morning newspaper in Erie, Pennsylvania. It has a daily circulation of about 56,124 and a Sunday circulation of about 75,680...
, The Citizens' Voice, The Patriot-News
The Patriot-News
The Patriot-News is the largest daily newspaper serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. In 2005, the newspaper was ranked in the top 100 in daily/Sunday circulation in the United States...
, the Observer-Reporter
Observer-Reporter
The Observer-Reporter is a daily newspaper covering Washington and Greene counties in Pennsylvania, with some overlap into the South Hills of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. The newspaper is published by the Observer Publishing Company in Washington, Pennsylvania....
, and The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
.
Republican Pat Toomey defeated his Democratic opponent Joe Sestak on election day. The Associated Press called the race for Toomey shortly after midnight.
Debates
- October 20 at WPVI-TVWPVI-TVWPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
studios in Philadelphia - October 22 at WPXIWPXIWPXI, channel 11, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter located on the north side of Pittsburgh. Owned by Cox Enterprises, the station has studios in the...
studios in Pittsburgh
Predictions
During a special segment airing on the October 28th episode of MSNBC'sMSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
, a panel consisting of political analysts Larry Sabato
Larry Sabato
Larry Joseph Sabato is an American political scientist and analyst. He is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and director of its Center for Politics. He founded Sabato's Crystal Ball, an online newsletter and website that provides free political analysis and...
, Clarence Page
Clarence Page
Clarence Page is an American journalist, syndicated columnist, and senior member of The Chicago Tribune editorial board.-Early years:...
and Pat Buchanan
Pat Buchanan
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought...
unanimously predicted that Pat Toomey would win the election.
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report Cook Political Report The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five... |
Toss up | October 31, 2010 |
| Rothenberg Stuart Rothenberg Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst best known for his Washington-based, biweekly, self-proclaimed non-partisan political newsletter The Rothenberg Political Report... |
Toss up/tilt R | October 28, 2010 |
| Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and... |
Toss up | October 30, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics RealClearPolitics RealClearPolitics is a political news and polling data aggregator based in Chicago, Illinois. The site's founders say their goal is to give readers "ideological diversity." They have described themselves as frustrated with what they perceive as anti-conservative, anti-Christian media bias, and... |
Toss up | October 20, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball Sabato's Crystal Ball Sabato’s Crystal Ball is a free, nonpartisan weekly online newsletter and comprehensive website in the United States that analyzes the current American political scene and predicts electoral outcomes for U.S House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, governors, and U.S. president races... |
Leans R | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics Congressional Quarterly Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress... |
Toss up | October 31, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Joe Sestak (D) | Pat Toomey (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000 (report) | May 7, 2009 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 37% | 32% | –– | –– |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | May 20, 2009 | 1,191 | ± 2.8% | 37% | 35% | 1% | 23% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | June 16, 2009 | 800 | ± 4.5% | 41% | 35% | 7% | 18% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | July 19, 2009 | 1,173 | ± 2.9% | 35% | 39% | 1% | 23% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | August 11, 2009 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 35% | 43% | 5% | 18% |
| Research 2000 (report) | August 12, 2009 | 600 | ± 5.0% | 42% | 41% | –– | 17% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | September 28, 2009 | 1,100 | ± 3.0% | 35% | 38% | 1% | 25% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 13, 2009 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 38% | 37% | 6% | 19% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | December 8, 2009 | 1,200 | ± 3.0% | 38% | 44% | 6% | 13% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | December 8, 2009 | 1,381 | ± 2.6% | 35% | 40% | 1% | 22% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | January 18, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 35% | 43% | 6% | 16% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | February 8, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 35% | 43% | 7% | 15% |
| Franklin & Marshall (Report) | February 15–21, 2010 | 954 | ± 2.9% | 20% | 38% | 3% | 39% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | February 22–28, 2010 | 1,452 | ± 2.6% | 36% | 39% | 1% | 24% |
| Research 2000 (report) | March 8–10, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 39% | 42% | –– | 19% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 15, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 37% | 42% | 7% | 15% |
| Franklin & Marshall (report) | March 15–21, 2010 | 1,119 | ± 2.9% | 19% | 27% | 5% | 49% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | March 29-April 1, 2010 | 934 | ± 3.2% | 36% | 42% | –– | 22% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | March 30-April 5, 2010 | 1,412 | ± 2.6% | 34% | 42% | 1% | 22% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | April 14, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 36% | 47% | 5% | 12% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 6, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 40% | 42% | 10% | 9% |
| Research 2000 (report) | May 14, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 40% | 45% | –– | 15% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 19, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 46% | 42% | 3% | 9% |
| Research 2000 (report) | May 24–26, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 40% | –– | –– |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | June 2, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 38% | 45% | 5% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | June 19–21, 2010 | 609 | ± 4.0% | 41% | 41% | –– | 18% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | June 29, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 39% | 45% | 6% | 11% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | July 6–11, 2010 | 1,367 | ± 2.7% | 43% | 43% | 1% | 12% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | July 14, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 38% | 45% | 6% | 12% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | July 28, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 39% | 45% | 6% | 10% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | August 14–16, 2010 | 585 | ± 4.1% | 36% | 45% | –– | 20% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | August 16, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 37% | 46% | 5% | 12% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | August 30, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 39% | 45% | 5% | 11% |
| Ipsos/Reuters (report) | August 31, 2010 | 407 | ± 4.0% | 37% | 47% | 2% | 15% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | September 13, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 41% | 49% | 2% | 8% |
| Pulse Opinion Research (report) | September 18, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 40% | 48% | 4% | 8% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | September 15–19, 2010 | 684 | ± 3.8% | 43% | 50% | –– | 7% |
| CNN/Time Opinion Research (report) | September 17–21, 2010 | 741 | ± 3.5% | 44% | 49% | 4% | 3% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | September 18–23, 2010 | 445 | ± 5.0% | 39% | 46% | –– | 14% |
| Suffolk University (report) | September 24–27, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 40% | 45% | –– | 13% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | September 29, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 40% | 49% | 4% | 7% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 12, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 39% | 49% | 2% | 10% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | October 13–17, 2010 | 1,046 | ± 3.0% | 46% | 48% | –– | 5% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | October 17–18, 2010 | 718 | ± 3.7% | 46% | 45% | –– | 9% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 16–19, 2010 | 403 | ± 5.0% | 44% | 41% | 5% | 10% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 17–20, 2010 | 420 | ± 5.0% | 43% | 43% | 4% | 10% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 21, 2010 | 750 | ± 5.0% | 44% | 48% | 1% | 7% |
| Franklin & Marshall University (report) | October 18–24, 2010 | 720 | ± 5.0% | 36% | 43% | 2% | 19% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 21–24, 2010 | 437 | ± 5.0% | 42% | 47% | 2% | 9% |
| Ipsos/Reuters (report) | October 22–24, 2010 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 46% | 46% | 2% | 6% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 22–25, 2010 | 448 | ± 5.0% | 40% | 48% | 3% | 9% |
| CNN/Time/Opinion Research (report) | October 20–26, 2010 | 1,517 | ± 2.5% | 45% | 49% | 3% | –– |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 23–26, 2010 | 457 | ± 5.0% | 41% | 46% | 3% | 9% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 24–27, 2010 | 460 | ± 5.0% | 40% | 48% | 2% | 10% |
| Susquehanna Polling & Research (report) | October 24–27, 2010 | 800 | ± 3.46% | 44% | 46% | –– | 9% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 25–28, 2010 | 470 | ± 4.5% | 42% | 47% | 3% | 9% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | October 28, 2010 | 750 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 50% | 1% | 3% |
| Marist College (report) | October 26–28, 2010 | 806 | ± 3.5% | 45% | 52% | 1% | 2% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 26–29, 2010 | 480 | ± 4.5% | 43% | 45% | 2% | 10% |
| Quinnipiac University (report) | October 25–30, 2010 | 1,244 | ± 2.8% | 45% | 50% | –– | 5% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 27–30, 2010 | 484 | ± 4.5% | 43% | 45% | 2% | 9% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call (report) | October 28–31, 2010 | 474 | ± 4.5% | 44% | 48% | –– | –– |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | October 30–31, 2010 | 772 | ± 3.5% | 46% | 51% | –– | 4% |
Fundraising
| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Toomey (R) | $14,818,231 | $12,743,824 | $2,074,406 | $53,000 |
| Joe Sestak (D) | $11,842,844 | $10,185,073 | $1,657,769 | $0 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission | ||||
Results
Shortly before midnight on election day the Associated Press called the race for Toomey. Sestak conceded shortly after midnight.External links
- Pennsylvania Department of State
- Imagine Election - Look up which district you live in, and who is running for US Representative there, using your address or zip code.
- U.S. Congress candidates for Pennsylvania at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Pennsylvania U.S. Senate 2010 from OurCampaigns.com
- Campaign contributions from Open SecretsOpen SecretsOpen Secrets is a book of short stories by Alice Munro published by McClelland and Stewart in 1994. It was nominated for the 1994 Governor General's Award for English Fiction.-Stories:* "Carried Away"* "A Real Life"...
- 2010 Pennsylvania Senate General Election: All Head-to-Head Matchups graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election 2010: Pennsylvania Senate from Rasmussen ReportsRasmussen ReportsRasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and...
- 2010 Pennsylvania Senate Race from Real Clear Politics
- 2010 Pennsylvania Senate Race from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Race profile from The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Debates
- Pennsylvania Senate Debate, C-SPANC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, May 1, 2010
Official campaign sites