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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[The kings dead]

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

How did Santorum win? Your suggestion that it was because of Specter is laughable.

And if a conservative Santorum won because of Specter, then a conservative Specter could win because of Specter, so there was no need for him to move toward and past the center.

[IGOTMINE]

I have. He's an unreconstructed Marxist. Still, he's on track to getting $100 of my money.

[republicanwizard]

But should I expect someone with the name NittanyLion to understand the nature of historical research? My apology.

[hobbes1]

you don't get it, specters "maybe vote" is not needed! we are going to pick up at LEAST 2 more seats in the senate so tossing specter is a WIN!!

No. YOU CLEARLY don't get it. Specter LOSING would have been a win, However Attempting to TOSS Spector, and having him win anyway Would have been the worst loss imaginable, considering he will Chair Judiciary.....OR He could have just turned DEM a week before the election....

[republicanwizard]

I'd die laughing if the purists around here are so obnoxious that Specter is re-elected and Democrats take over the Senate. If their accusations about Specter are true, then he would switch parties and get the judiciary committee anyways.

The irony of it all!

[The kings dead]

Reagan Democrats in Pennsylvania. [...] It's your obligation to prove it, not mine.

If, as Owen says, Dem voters outnumber Reps in PA, some of them must have voted for the conservative Santorum. Sound like Reagan Democrats to me.

[NittanyLion]

But should I expect someone with the name NittanyLion to understand the nature of historical research? My apology.

You must be a Pitt grad. I'd recognize that kind of stupidity anywhere. It's all coming together now...

[The kings dead]

I was going to direct you to articles in online archives

Sorry I misunderstood you. Please continue with that plan (unless you'd rather do the FReepmail thing).

[Solson]

Nope. But that doesn't mean it's not a good source for information, as the poster indicated.

[republicanwizard]

HAHA! No, I didn't go to Pitt! But I couldn't help but take advantage of the opportunity to denigrate the historical research at your alma mater.

[NittanyLion]

HAHA! No, I didn't go to Pitt! But I couldn't help but take advantage of the opportunity to denigrate the historical research at your alma mater.

Poor guy - couldn't even get into Pitt, eh?

I'm sure things will turn around for you soon.

[ApesForEvolution]

hehe...did you just get a 'GOPwiz' shower?

[NittanyLion]

I just found his reflexive action of turning to the NYT to be...interesting.

Feel free to read into it as much, or little, as you like.

[Petronski]

Print out your statement and reread it for a week or two before you post any checks.

[Solson]

How did Santorum win? Your suggestion that it was because of Specter is laughable. Why can't you get it through your head that PA is a pro-life, pro-gun, but pro-union traditional democratic state? They consistently split the ticket.

Umm, it's not laughable it's consistent with the facts of the matter. Moreover, if PA "consistently" splits the ticket and Santorum is an 'R', then why on earth would you believe Toomey wins against Hoeffel??

Bush took a gamble in this race by supporting Specter. But, it is a good gamble. Specter can win in November, Toomey could not have won. We need more 'R's than 'D's in the Senate. It is much easier to hammer Specter from within the party than from the outside. There is much more political leverage and potential fallout.

This was an astute poltical move by Bush.

[HamiltonJay]

Go ahead, hand control of the Senate to the Dems... that's what a Toomey win would have done anyway... Why should we care that the Senate in a time of war is being handed over to the party that absolutely is anti american, and doing everything they can to undermine our troops, or military and the executive branch... So go ahead, cut your nose off to spite your face.

Who cares if more americans come home in body bags, or more planes fly into syscrapers, or teenagers and mothers and children are blown to bits by suicide bombers at the mall after they gut homeland security... at least your sense of vengence will be satisfied.

[Revolting cat!]

Specter has moved to the center, all right! The center of the Communist Party Politburo!

[Solson]

Why 'read into it' at all? Why not just ask him? Questioning is a heck of alot better than assuming.

[Solson]

FYI - This is an interesting article on the race. It's definitely worth the read.

[bmwcyle]

Why have a mob connected person like Specter in office?