Republican Specter Challenged From the Right

Toomey Labels Senator a Liberal

PHILADELPHIA -- If it were October, the scene would make no sense: Arlen Specter, a 24-year Senate veteran and dean of Pennsylvania politics, pleading for votes to survive a challenge from six-year House member Pat Toomey, virtually unknown outside his Lehigh Valley district until he began airing statewide TV ads a few weeks ago.

But it is primary election season, and Specter's fate will be determined April 27 by a comparative handful of Republican voters, not the broader band of general election voters who have embraced him for a quarter-century.

Toomey's aggressive, well-financed assault on fellow Republican Specter is putting a scare in the GOP establishment, from the White House down. Toomey has blasted Specter as a liberal who is "outside the mainstream" and whose seniority "is more a threat than an asset." The challenger is drawing big donations from some conservative activists hoping to topple the Senate's eighth most senior Republican.

No public poll has shown Toomey, 42, abreast of Specter, 74, or even within the margin of error. But pollsters acknowledge it is hard to predict who will vote in the Republican primary, and Specter and his allies are taking the challenge seriously. Specter concedes "I worry a lot" that his backers will not turn out in force for the primary.

The senator's biggest political weapon, President Bush, is scheduled to campaign with him at a Monday fundraiser in Pittsburgh, and a moderate Republican group -- the Main Street Individual Fund -- announced Tuesday that it will spend $200,000 to help Specter's campaign.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18705-2004Apr16.html

Tweety made mincemeat out of this guy. He's on right now on rerun.

We've got a good guy, Joe Hoeffel to run for the seat in the general election. If Joe runs against Pat...I think Joe wins..and if Pat beats up Arlen enough in the primary so the far right stays home n the general..., Joe might even beat Arlen! Fingers crossed.

check out this ad from Joe Hoeffel's site on the debate between Toomey and Specter on who's a better Republican.

http://www.hoeffelforsenate.com/debateflash.htm

(Not too amusing if you're on dial-up like I am, though. ;) )

Have his people call the Kerry people.

Spector said Toomey makes Rick Santorum look like a liberal.

He said that, in spite of polls to the contrary, he expected Spector to win the GOP nomination for PA's Senator.

Even G DUHbya and Karl Rove are supporting Spector. Even though Toomey would be closer to their politcal stance. The fear is that if Spector lose the primary a democrat would win in the fall.