Cornyn appeal for Arlen Specter falls on deaf ears
Cornyn, who is chairman of the National Republican Senate Committee and a staunch conservative, finds himself in the unusual position of supporting one of the GOP’s most liberal senators. Cornyn has urged Pennsylvania Republicans to support the 80-year-old incumbent’s bid for reelection in 2010. Specter faces a rematch with conservative challenger Pat Toomey, a former congressman who lost the 2004 primary by less than 2% of the vote.
Roll Call, a daily newspaper that focuses on Congress and the federal government, reported:
In a letter to Pennsylvania Republicans last month, Cornyn stressed Specter’s ability to hold onto the seat in the general election as one of the major reasons the NRSC is backing him. “As I survey the political landscape of the upcoming 2010 elections, it’s clear we need more candidates that fit their states,” Cornyn wrote.
A Quinnipiac University poll released on March 25 shows Toomey leading Specter, 41-27. Specter’s favorable/unfavorable rating with Republicans was 29% favorable, 47% unfavorable. The poll attributed Specter’s weak numbers to his support for the federal stimulus package.
The reason that Cornyn and other prominent Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are supporting Specter is that Republicans currently have the minimum number of senators, 41, necessary to block Democratic legislation with a filibuster. If Toomey were to defeat Specter, recent political trends favorable to Democrats make it likely that the seat would be won by a Democrat, and the Republicans’ ability to stop the Democrats would disappear.
Cornyn undoubtedly was hoping for endorsements from members of the state’s congressional delegation, but Toomey’s lead in the polls led members who were quoted by CQ Politics to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
Tagged: arlen specter, john cornyn, nrsc
Tellnitlikeitis says:
Specter’s only hope was to bolt to the Democrats. Dramatic? Sure.
But his sig-zag on the union issue has caused him labor’s support. He will be on his own in the GOP primary.
Toomey will win.
And then Democrats pick up the seat in November.
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KEN JARVIS says:
SPECTOR !!! HAS BEN THE FLY IN THE OINTMENT
ALL THE YEARS HES BEN THERE ????????????????
WE HAVE A PLATFORM !! ITS NEVER NEVER BEN
LIBERAL SOCILIST MARXIST PRO-CHOICE WE
HAVE SOLID VALUES NO ONE HAS EVER CALLED
HIM TO TASK WE ARE THE ONLY HOPE AGAINST
THE 52 % THAT PUT PAPA-DOC OBAMA IN POWER
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Texas Democrat says:
I agree with Tell, Spector is DOOMED in the GOP primary for sure against Toomey, who will have the backing of the right-wing evangelicals, only to lose to a Dem in the general.
Democrats (by picking up PA, OH, KY, FL-unless Gov. Crist runs, MO, NC, and NH) will pick-up at least 7 Senate seats from the GOP, this is assuming Franken eventually gets seated in Minnesota, to make it 66 Democrats.
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