Sestak facing uphill battle against Specter

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.comTimes Leader Staff Writer

For U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, the battle he has entered to try to unseat U.S. Sen. is an uphill one.

Specter

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He’s not only battling the five-term senator, but also an array of heavy-hitting Democrats from the president right on down to local party leaders.

Specter, 79, has the experience, the money and the support of plenty of party bigwigs, but that didn’t stop U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak from challenging him in 2010.

A who’s who of Democrats voiced their support for Specter before Sestak entered the race, but none has backed off of those words of praise.

President and Vice President Joe Biden, Specter’s longtime friend from the Senate, where Biden represented neighboring Delaware, have come out in support of Specter. So, too, have Gov. Ed Rendell and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.

“The governor believes Congressman Sestak has every right to run,” said Ken Snyder, a senior advisor to Rendell. “We also believe the congressman has done a good job representing his district. But Gov. Rendell is supporting Sen. Specter because he believes he’s delivered over and over again for Pennsylvania.”

Larry Smar, Casey’s spokesman, said Sestak’s entering the race hasn’t changed the Scranton native’s mind.

“Since Sen. Casey was elected to the Senate in 2006, he has worked with both Sen. Specter and Congressman Sestak on many issues important to Pennsylvania. Sen. Casey announced his support for Sen. Specter in April and that position hasn’t changed.”

Even with those heavy hitters behind Sestak, Tom Baldino, a political science professor at Wilkes University, said endorsements aren’t what they used to be and there may be enough “liberal members” of the party who won’t support Specter in a primary, no matter what Rendell, Obama or Casey say.

Specter was a Republican for his first 28 years in the Senate until he switched parties in April, shortly after his vote helped pass the national stimulus package.

Although he “was a bit surprised” by Sestak entering the race, Baldino said there must have been numbers and data that told him it was a risk worth taking, especially to go against the man supported by his party’s brass, including Rendell, a fundraising machine.

State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said he hasn’t decided whom to support yet, but added that the endorsements from Obama, Rendell and others add weight to his decision.

“Those are certainly significant endorsements,” Pashinski said.

Sestak, 57, retired as a three-star admiral after 31 years in the Navy and is in his second-term representing the state’s Seventh Congressional District, which includes parts of Chester, Montgomery and Delaware counties.

The winner of the Sestak/Specter battle will likely face former Lehigh Valley congressman Pat Toomey, the clear frontrunner on the Republican ballot.

A Rasmussen poll conducted in June showed Specter ahead of Sestak if the primary were held then 51 percent to 32 percent. The poll showed 72 percent of Democratic voters saying they had a favorable view of Specter. A more recent Quinnipiac University poll, released July 22, shows Specter gained some ground but maintained a similar advantage. In that poll, Specter held a 55-23 percent lead over Sestak.

But fundraising tells a different story and shows Sestak gaining ground.

In the second fundraising quarter of 2009 -- April through June -- Specter raised $1.74 million and brought his cash on hand to $7.56 million. Over those same three months, Sestak raised a little more than $1 million, bringing his bankroll to $4.27 million.

More endorsements are likely as the spring primary election draws closer, including one from the state Democratic Party when its committee meets in January.

Christopher Nicholas, Specter’s campaign manager, said the senator welcomes endorsements, including two members of the state’s Congressional delegation, Chaka Fattah from Philadelphia and Tim Holden from Schuylkill County. Absent from that list are local representatives Chris Carney, D-Dimock Township, and Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke. A spokeswoman for Kanjorski did not return a request for comment.

Carney was non-committal on whom he will support.

“The bottom line is that the people of Pennsylvania need a strong and experienced senator to represent them in Washington,” Carney said via e-mail. “I look forward to a robust and constructive debate on the issues between Mr. Specter and Mr. Sestak and I will be listening carefully to determine who I think will be the best advocate for our region, our commonwealth and our nation.”

On Thursday, Abe Amoros, spokesman for the state Democratic Party, said past practices have been that “the State Democratic Party has always gone with incumbents.”

Amoros said that, while the party “welcomes Congressman Sestak to the race,” it’s clear he “has an uphill climb.”

Mark Buffalino, the chairman of the Luzerne County Democratic Party, said the committee hasn’t met to discuss endorsements and he “can’t speak for the committee” until he’s talked to them.

Baldino said their endorsement will likely have a minimal impact.

“Around here party endorsements carry less weight,” Baldino said. That didn’t stop Sestak from paying a visit to meet with Buffalino on July 18.

Buffalino would only say of Sestak that he’s “a well-respected Democrat.”

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.