Specter Won't Face Schwartz in Democratic Primary After Party Switch

"Rep. Allyson Schwartz won't square off against Arlen Specter in a Democratic primary, though her House colleague Joe Sestak may yet do so.

Congresswoman Schwartz even before this news came out was weighing whether or not to stay in the House," Rachel Magnuson told me. Magnuson said that Schwartz is interested in continuing to work on healthcare in the House. "So today she fully welcomes Senator Specter to the Democratic Party." And that means, for the record, that she is not going to use her $2.1 million to run against Specter.

Sestak on the other hand is keeping his powder dry. "I'm going to have to wait," he said this afternoon on MSNBC.

From The Hill:

Sestak said he is waiting "to see what is running for," implying that he wants to see what Specter will proactively stand for in his campaign instead of just opposing Republican policies.

"If the alternative is Toomey, that's one thing," Sestak said, appearing to indicate that he would support Specter if he is the Democratic nominee."

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/04/28/specter-wont-face-schwartz-in-democratic-primary-after-party-switch.html

Edit: to add more of the story

A primary challenge is a good thing.
We should find out what Democratic voters in Pennsylvania think of Spectre -- not what Harry Reid and members of the US Senate do.

My enthusiasm for the Specter switcheroo was dampened by his continued lack of support for EFCA and Dawn Johnson. Had the Dems brokered a deal with Specter making 2010 support contingent upon his actually voting with progressive Democrats, that would be another story. Sounds to me like he plans to vote with the Blue Dogs. :puke:

edited for English

...a candidate on the ED Show!

not the Senate leadership.

I don't think he should be supported simply because he switched parties so he could continue to keep his 'Burns-like' claws hooked into that Senate seat -- regardless of how he plans on voting.

I also hope the powerbrokers don't pull a Lieberman and stick with their declared candidate, in this case Specter, if voters choose Sestak or whomever else might run and win the nomination. It is disgraceful what the party did to Lamont and for what? Lieberman? :puke: