Ridge considering campaign against Specter

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge is seriously considering a run for the Senate for the GOP nomination against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), according to Roll Call:

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge is considering running for the Republican Senate nomination in his home state, according to a senior Republican aide with knowledge of the situation.

National and Keystone State Republicans have been publicly and privately urging Ridge to consider a Senate bid since Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) announced earlier this week that he was switching parties and would run for re-election as a Democrat in 2010.

Specter said he switched parties because he could not win a primary against conservative former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who is popular with the party’s base but whom many national Republicans believe cannot win the general election — especially against a 29-year incumbent who is viewed favorably and gets high marks from Democrats. Ridge’s moderate politics and national profile would make him a more viable candidate in the general election.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0509/Ridge_considering_campaign_against_Specter.html

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What could be better than a divisive Republican Primary that ends up with a weakened Pat Toomey as nominee?

[Arkana]

1. Pat Toomey vs. Tom Ridge, eh?

They'd bloody each other up in the primary as Ridge is forced to go rightward to get Toomey's voters--then whoever gets out has to face Specter and the PA machine in the general. I don't fancy their chances.

[rurallib]

2. Let us do all we can to help them out.

[saltpoint]

3. I don't think Ridge's heart is in a Senate race.

I think he would fare better if it were.

Toomey wants that nomination and almost got it last time against Specter.

If Sestak challenges and beats Specter for the Dem nom, there'd be a possibilty of a Ridge - Sestak contest, and I'm not convinced that would be a shoe-in for Ridge.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Pat Toomey doesn't need to be weakened any further

It's year and a half ahead of the election and he's toast.

[mth44sc]

5. Unfortunately

so are real Democrats in PA

[Jack Rabbit]

12. What is a real Democrat, please?

The term gets kicked around here quite a bit. It means different things to different people.

[Umbral]

13. Yup, they bin Specter'd

[dgibby]

21. Would that be Specter'd or Sphincter'd or is there a difference?

:shrug: :evilgrin:

[saltpoint]

6. Ridge would have to defeat Toomey. Possible but not a sure thing.

Then he'd have to beat Specter (or Sestak?) in the general -- also not a sure thing.

Then if he won he'd go from being a very high-level executive-type Homeland Security throne all the way down to the junor senator from Pennsylvania.

I'm not sure there's anything in this for Ridge. The stakes are high and the dividends feeble.

[creeksneakers2]

7. Maybe the party bosses think they can push Toomey out

Ridge against Specter in a general would probably go to Ridge. I can't see rank and file Democrats getting that excited about Specter.

The GOP has no hope of keeping the seat with Toomey. Pennsylvanians love moderate Republicans but they don't elect wingnuts, except for Santorum, who they got rid of when they found out he was a wingnut.

[aquart]

8. Go for it, you color-coding jackass.

[MADem]

9. He's just not "beloved" enough. All they have to do is drag out that

RED YELLOW ORANGE/TERRA TERRA TERRA footage...and ask the population--who's the one you like best?

Toady Terra Coward? Or Flipper that will go with the DNC flow? Give me Flipper!

[The Wizard]

22. In a hotel lobby in Nashua,New Hampshire

during the 08 Primaries, Tom Ridge lost control when questioned about the orange alert during the 04 Democratic Convention (ordered by Karl Rove), Ridge absolutely lost control. I was standing about 10 feet away when it happened. He went into complete denial and became very defensive. This after saying he resigned from Homeland Security because it was someone in the White House (Karl Rove) who gave the order to issue the orange terror alert without any evidence.
Not a bad guy, but not aware of his past pronouncements.
Maybe the Bush cartel did what's always worked for them with those who express dissent toward the Family, threaten his life or the lives of loved ones.

[MADem]

24. He always looked like a hostage to me on the tee vee.

They'd trot him out, hand him the script, he'd do the "deer in the headlights" look, and recite the propaganda with absolutely no sense of conviction or enthusiasm.

I always wondered if they had a gun to the head of a family member just offstage, or something!

[jaysunb]

10. The plot thickens...

:evilgrin:

:popcorn:

[AllentownJake]

11. Toomey would probably beat Ridge and there will be no competitive democratic primary

The last time Ridge won an election in PA was 11 years ago, his party is vastly different than it was in 1998. Toomey has the crazies that show up in a primary on his side and they are more interested right now in making a point about how conservative the GOP should be than actually winning elections.

I posted this earlier in an OP but no one of any consequence in the democratic party in PA will be challenging Specter unless he goes against whatever deal he made with Biden, Rendell, and Reid.

Look at those three names. In order for someone to beat Specter in a primary they would have to take on the White House, Ed Rendell and the PA democratic machine, and the DSCC.

[LynneSin]

14. Ridge can't be Toomey - Toomey is way more conservative

And if Ridge somehow managed to defeat Toomey AND defeat Specter - the republicans would end up with another pro-choice, pro-environment moderate republican JUST LIKE SPECTER

[fujiyama]

15. I can see some higher ups in the GOP and NRSC pushing for Ridge

but Toomey and his following sounds like true believers. After all, they've taken Specter on before and almost won.

Ridge sounds like toast also. I've got the impression Specter is an institution of sorts in the state. He's been in the senate forever now and is very popular among independents. Dems have also voted for him in the past, which is why he keeps winning and that too pretty easily. He won in '04 by a comfortable margin against the Dem. Combined with a considerable registration advantage, the Dems should win this race against either Ridge or Toomey.

Personally I don't like Specter and wish he could be challenged but that means taking on Obama, Rendell, and basically the entire Dem establishment. Specter should win the primary and the general pretty easily, unless Dems fortunes take a REAL turn for the worse. Obviously, Toomey is still the preferred candidate, being that's he bat shit RW crazy.

[BumRushDaShow]

19. Right but...

The main reason why Specter is there in the first place is because http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/2004-11-03-pa-senate_x.htm">a big chunk of Dems in Philadelphia have kept him there. From the link:

But the 54-year-old Hoeffel, a three-term congressman and former country commissioner, suffered from limited statewide name recognition and comparatively weak fund raising. His campaign was snubbed by a handful of traditionally Democratic groups, including labor unions and black inner-city clergy, which endorsed Specter.

I.e., with a house in the area, Specter heavily courted Dems here in Philly as a resident (particularly AA Dems - appearing on the black talk radio here often) and it paid off.

And the same groups may do the same in terms of support, although the union support would be missing unless he is willing to backtrack again on the EFCA and support it (and that would probably be the ONLY thing that would put him over the top). What might happen I think, is that the more progressive Dems might sit it out in protest, particularly if Toomey prevails, and Specter would have to rely on the newly minted "conservative" Dems (those who are converted repukes and/or are social liberals), his Philadelphia Dem base, and independents. However if Ridge were in there, then Specter would have alot of work to do because the indies might be attracted to Ridge and that would mean Specter would need a large turnout of Dems across the state - definitely a squeaker scenario.

In a way, PA might be a test case for whether the repukes are truly ready to change and bring the moderates back into their fold (meaning pushing Toomey out). If not, Toomey is toast for sure. Of course both Ridge and/or Specter could pull a Lieberman and run in the general as an Independent and that would be a mess too...

[No Elephants]

16. Specter needs to retire or be primaried, but I have little hope for either.

[w4rma]

17. I'm hoping for a divisive Democratic primary for that seat. (nt)

[Hubert Flottz]

18. Oh good, if Tom gets in the senate we can have Terra-Lerts

and be all shook up all the time again! If Obama does something Mitch don't like, Terra-Lert Tommy can whip the country into a frenzy just like he used to do when he was Bush's flunky/propaganda tool at DHS. I was wondering what to do with all this f*ckin' duct tape and plastic window sh!t that I never did rush out like some Gawd danged lemming and buy up.

If a terra-ist frogman from "I-rack" had a crop duster he wouldn't bump his ass on the ground!

Who sez the GOP don't believe in recycling their trash!

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. You are assuming that Toomey would win the primary

Ridge is still very popular in the Keystone State.

[brooklynite]

23. but NOT with the current strain of PA Republicans...

A lot of the "Ridge" Republicans changed registration last year, whether for Obama or Clinton.