Congressman ponders run against Arlen Specter

By Bill O'Boyle boboyle@timesleader.comStaff Writer

WILKES-BARRE – Sounding every bit like a candidate, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak Saturday said he is concerned about one endorsement in his quest for the U.S. Senate – the endorsement of the electorate.

Sestak, D-Delaware County, said he has visited 58 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties and will formally announce his decision to run for the Democratic nomination against incumbent Democrat Arlen Specter within a month.

“After I visit all of the 67 counties, I will sit down with my wife, Susan, and daughter, Alex, 8, and make my decision,” Sestak said Saturday in an interview at The Times Leader. “I’m getting in this because Pennsylvania voters need a choice, a choice of someone who will vote for them and their values.”

Sestak said he is aware of the “establishment” Democratic Party and its leaders that have publicly shown support for Specter, who switched to Democrat after nearly three decades in the Senate as a Republican.

“I believe changing parties is not the change Pennsylvanians need for the future,” Sestak said. “We also need a senator who is in this for Pennsylvania and not for saving their legacy.”

Sestak, 57, was elected to Congress in 2006 in District 7, where he said registered voters are 55 percent Republican. He said he wants to restore credibility and trust to voters.

Sestak was scheduled to meet with Luzerne County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Bufalino Saturday afternoon.

“I’m not seeking any endorsements here,” Sestak said. “I want to introduce myself to the party leaders and tell them why I’m getting in this race. If you run on principle, politics will take care of itself.”

Sestak has been criticized by Specter for his poor attendance record in Congress. According to Specter’s office, Sestak has missed 78 votes in 2009. Sestak said he is working to assure that Specter’s votes are absent in the future.

“I respect Sen. Specter,” Sestak said. “But he actually voted with President George Bush four out of five times. This country has seen an economic collapse; good families have lost jobs and health care benefits. We need a senator that will fight for them and those key issues.”

Sestak said he has met with people throughout the state who are telling him they support him and want to see him in the Senate.

“Sen. Specter himself said he switched parties because he felt he couldn’t win re-nomination in the Republican primary,” Sestak said. “Voters are telling me they have great uneasiness voting for someone who was in the GOP for all those years and all of a sudden is a Democrat. One Democratic leader told me he went from questionable euphoria when Specter switched parties to now questioning why he did it.”

Sestak said most people want to know who he is and what he stands for. He said he has already raised $4.3 million, giving him a formidable war chest to wage battle with Specter.

Sestak had a distinguished 31-year career in the U.S. Navy, attaining the rank of three-star admiral and he served in the White House, Pentagon and in operational commands at sea. He is the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to either branch of Congress.