Anyone who thought PA was going to turn in ‘08 didn’t know what they were talking about. If Bush couldn’t win it in’04 no way in hell was McCain going to in ‘08.
Toomey will win the same way Santorum won in ‘04. In wave elections PA can become a swing state with the right candidate.
People have doubted WV because unlike PA which had two Republican Senators until recently in Santorum and Specter, WV remains democratic statewide with just a vote for Republicans in Presidential elections. PA is more liberal leaning then WV but sometimes voting patterns just don’t mirror idealogy. Now that BYrd has died and Obama has done what he has WV seems finally willing to vote Republican outside of the W.H.
I am not surprised. I cheered Shelly declining to run because she was more liberal then I wanted from that state. Figured if it was a conservative year the more conservative challenger just might get swept ahead in a state like this one. My only complaint is why the GOP was too dense to see the possibility. Fight like Hell for a moderate/liberal in California but never once crossed their minds WV could go Rep this cycle? Or Wisconsin? Apparently not, or they thought it impossible once the “establishment” figures of choice chose not to run.
“Toomey will win the same way Santorum won in ‘04. In wave elections PA can become a swing state with the right candidate.”
Santorum lost in ‘06 because in ‘04 he and Dubya campaigned for Specter against Toomey causing causing him to lose by about 20K votes. The Pubbies in PA remembered that and cast their vote for Pro-Life Bob Casey Jr. who campaigned as a conservative but turned out to be a lib wrapped in DINO garb.
I do think Toomey will win by 4 - 5 points after all the vote fraud. Even the Philly Dem machine isn’t stupid enough to try and explain away a 250% voter turnout.