After Win, Specter Looks To Fall Election (already distancing himself from Bush)

Associated Press | April 29, 2004 | Lara Jakes Jordon

[Russ]

Apr 28, 4:50 PM EDT

After Win, Specter Looks to Fall Election

By LARA JAKES JORDAN Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- After surviving a close scrape in the Republican primary, Sen. Arlen Specter turned his attention to the fall contest and began a campaign Wednesday that could put him at odds with the White House that helped him pull through.

The four-term moderate narrowly defeated conservative Rep. Pat Toomey, 51 percent to 49 percent, in Tuesday's primary after Toomey branded Specter as too liberal. The race was perhaps the most serious challenge yet to any Senate incumbent this season.

Specter will face Democratic Rep. Joe Hoeffel in November.

Less than a day after his primary victory, Specter touted his efforts to trim tax cuts, retain overtime pay for workers, resist school vouchers and continue embryonic stem-cell research - all in opposition to President Bush. The four-term Republican also called the situation in Iraq a "tinderbox" that could be a problem for the president in the fall elections.

"I intend to retain my independent voice, a voice I have always had," Specter said. "The 12 million people of Pennsylvania have not elected me to be a rubber stamp, and I will speak out where I think the necessity calls for it."

Despite his policy differences with the president, Specter said Bush's public support was key to his victory over Toomey. The race was so tight, he said, that the usually stoic Specter could not "stop my nervous system from gyrating a little" while watching vote tallies roll in.

Hoeffel, meanwhile, embarked on a 19-stop tour to raise his low statewide profile. The three-term suburban Philadelphia lawmaker predicted that Specter moved too far to the right in the Republican race to be successful in November.

"This primary has demonstrated that Arlen Specter is not the senator that he used to be," Hoeffel said. "He used to be a moderate maverick, but he is neither of those things. He's voting for a Republican program in Washington that's not working in Pennsylvania. He's their senator now - not ours."

The Democrats blasted Specter as a "political opportunist."

"He has taken every side of every issue for no other reason than to protect his political hide," said Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "He owes his political survival to George Bush, and he's now stuck with him and his right-wing policies."

Registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in Pennsylvania by nearly 389,000.

Specter has long enjoyed support within liberal-leaning unions and abortion-rights groups, and predicted he would attract Democrats and independents. He said he could help Bush in the fall by pulling moderates to the GOP ticket.

"My agreements with the president are more extensive than my disagreements," Specter said.

Specter spent $10 million to win the primary. As of April 7, he had $4.5 million in his campaign bank account to Hoeffel's $800,000.

That makes Specter tough to beat in November, said Wilkes University political scientist Thomas J. Baldino.

Specter's near-loss "will give Hoeffel some hope," Baldino said. "But as bad a beating as Specter took in term of his reputation, he will continue to raise and spend enough money to demonstrate he can win."

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[Formoore04]

"Look at the stats. Pennsylvania has 389,000 more registered Dems than Republicans. How can Specter win if he does not appeal to at least a segment of the Dems?"

What does that even mean? You can appeal to Democrats without being a raving lefty like Specter?

You do understand that Pat Toomey won election and re-election in a district that is majority Democrat and one that Gore won in 2000?

Oh, you didn't know that? How surprising.

[The kings dead]

Most Southern Democrats have converted. Most Northern Reagan Democrats have moved to Florida or are now worried about getting their medicare and social security checks.

I'd be fascinated to see your proof for these claims.

[republicanwizard]

If there is ample support in the Republican Party for replacing Specter with Kyl, then it will happen.

Of course you are still back in the 1980's, so how politics has evolved since then is an alien concept to you.

[IGOTMINE]

I've had the exact same thought...send a few bucks to Specter's opponent. Mebbe start a "Republicans for Hoeffel" club.

Spectre must NOT be allowed to chair the Judiciary Committee. I think the Repubs will retain their hold on the Senate even if we lose Spectre's seat. He must be made to PAY.

[Owen]

>
How can Specter win if he does not appeal to at least a segment of the Dems?

Does the term "Reagan Democrat" ring a bell? How did Santorum win?
>


The answer is here:

http://muweb.millersville.edu/~politics/sananl.htm

Santorum won because Specter arranged for him to win. The race was against Wofford and Specter, being a loyal Republican, provided support, critical staff and various other measures to ensure Santorum won, despite not agreeing with him philosophically.

Santorum is in office because Specter wanted him to be. Santorum owed Specter and because Specter was a loyal Republican and helped Santorum, in all common decency Santorum could do not less.

[republicanwizard]

Wrong. This district is evenly split.

[gdc61]

"If Republicans can win 55 Senate seats by holding Pennsylvania and picking up those three Southern states you mention, then we can add one more member to every committee. That would make Specter's vote moot since in a tie, it goes to the floor...

this is the first piece of evidence that i have seen that debunks anything I have said. it is a long shot at best though.

the thought of BORKING Specter is very pleasurable.

[dead]

If you had any knowledge of the elections or are a current member of FR. you would have to know of what I speak, or your just an idiot.

I’ve been a member of FR since you were still in grade school, you simpleton twit. And I can make more sense with my "j" key than you can make with your entire keyboard.

I don’t believe in Miss Cleo. I don’t believe in the Psychic Friends. And I don’t believe in your asinine contention that you can tell the future, jackass.

The world is a complicated place, and world and national events can turn an election the other way in a heartbeat. If you weren’t such a braindead fool, you’d understand that.

[republicanwizard]

Demographics and registration numbers, genius.

[The kings dead]

Arlen Specter showed up...and attacked Pryor. His questioning especially tried to paint Pryor as extreme on abortion. He grilled Pryor about strong pro-life statements he had made outside of the courtroom, clearly expecting Pryor to back away from his pro-life views.

And, pray tell, how did Specter vote on Pryor?

After helping move other votes away from him? You tell me.

[Formoore04]

"Will the party platform win in Massachussets? Connecticut? Rhode Island? New York? Vermont? Maryland? Illinois? Michigan?"

Yes. Unless you just came out of a coma, you should be aware that Reagan won all of those states.

Conservatism wins just about everywhere it's tried. It won 49 states in 1984, and control of the House and Senate in 1994.

Quit trying to spread defeatist propaganda.

[hobbes1]

Great Find Owen. Thanx.

[republicanwizard]

And, if you vote for Hoeffel, you will guarantee Santorum's probable defeat as well since it would energize Democrats in this state as never before if they can pick up a Senate seat.

Santorum barely won last night against an underfunded and unknown bozo. If we don't have Specter as a controlling influence, Rendell may urge all his suburban dolt supporters to vote for him and the Democratic senate candidate.

[pctech]

It took Specter less than 24 hours to start turning his back on Bush and Santorum and heading back to his leftist supporters in the Democrat Party. I hope all those conservatives who voted for him are happy now. I will vote for the Green Party candidate in Nov. before I will vote for Specter.

Take a bow, all you keen FR political strategists who told us how supporting Specter would advance conservatism.

We were already aware of these details, and it comes as no surprise that Senator Specter would attempt to back to the center to win the general election.

I saw Arlen's little anti-Bush tirade on FNC, it made me wanna puke.

I've rarely voted for a Democrat, and have never given money to one, but I might make a small contribution to the Hoeffel campaign. Specter has to be stopped.

I believe it is imparitive that Specter NOT get reelected in November. I am a very conservative Toomey supporter but will be voting for a liberal demacrat come Nov.

I blame the Republican voters of Pennsylvania. Thanks a lot.

Specter MUST be denied the chairmanship of the Judiciary. If the only way to do that is to un-elect him, that works for me

We can't trust the White House to support someone with Toomey's track record for family-first politics when the choice is between the "established incumbent" and the "upstart" opponent. If Bush and his staff had supported a "true republican" in Toomey he would have won by a wide margin. Again, the good folks in Pennsylvania get stuck with trash in Specter. There is still a lot of decidedly conservation voices out there who are angry beyond belief that a supposedly conversative president would back and liberal leaning Specter and who are realizing that perhaps Bush and Co. aren't as traditional conversative as once supposed.

This election shows that the moral fiber of this great nation takes backseat to "politics as usual." Until the decent folks of this country take a stand against these abuses of power we will continue to suffer at the hands of big government, whether it be a republican or democrat in the White House.

[The kings dead]

If there is ample support in the Republican Party for replacing Specter with Kyl, then it will happen.

There is ample support in the Republican Party for tightening our borders. Is that happening?

[republicanwizard]

1984. What part of 20 years ago don't you understand?

[republicanwizard]

I knew somehow you could bring Mexicans into the debate.

[Owen]

If you want Specter off the Judiciary committee, you contact Frist and have Specter reassigned. You don't vote in a Democrat. That is 1) counterproductive, 2) petulant, and 3) cowardly. If you have the courage of your convictions, orchestrate the effort to pressure Frist. It is Frist who controls that. And more to the point, another poster below points out that a big enough victory in the Senate adds a GOP member to the Judiciary commitee and Specter's vote there become moot.

Voting Democrat is surrender. Surrendering to the enemy is not the way to win a war.

[The kings dead]

How can Specter win if he does not appeal to at least a segment of the Dems?

Does the term "Reagan Democrat" ring a bell? How did Santorum win?

Santorum won because Specter arranged for him to win.

Had nothing to do with PA voters preferring Santorum's policies, eh?

[Formoore04]

"There is a 75% probability that Specter will vote for the Bush appointees."

No there isn't.

"There is a 0% probability that Joe Hoeffel will vote for the Bush appointees."

The same probability of Specter voting for Bush appointees.