(Arlen) Specter's lead over Toomey disappears, poll shows

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Republican challenger Pat Toomey has moved into a virtual tie with Democratic U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in a bid for the senator's seat in 2010, according to the Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.

Among voters polled in Pennsylvania, Mr. Specter holds a slight edge, 45 to 44 percent.

Mr. Specter, first elected in 1980 to the Senate as a Republican but who switched this year to the Democratic party, holds a commanding 55 to 23 percent lead over U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak in the race for the Democratic nomination.

"Sen. Arlen Specter's 20-point lead over former Congressman Pat Toomey less than three months ago has virtually vanished," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Voters see Sen. Specter much less favorably than they once did and are net negative about giving him a sixth term in the U.S. Senate. Independent voters have shifted narrowly to Toomey, 46 to 42 percent, and say 53 to 35 percent that Specter does not deserve reelection."

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State voters split, 47 to 46 percent, in their job approval for Mr. Specter, his highest disapproval ever and his lowest approval since a 47 to 36 percent score in an April 22, 2004 poll when Specter faced Toomey in a Republican primary battle.






Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09203/985543-100.stm

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Good news for Joe Sestak! Hope the Democratic primary voters in my state are smart enough to pick Sestak over Specter.

[DumpDavisHogg]

1. Quinnipiac polls always favor the GOPee

Toomey is such an ideologue that he doesn't have a chance in hell of winning that seat.

[RamboLiberal]

2. From a state that gave us Santorum

I'd never rule Toomey out - especially against party switcher Arlen.

[No Elephants]

3. Is that true? I found Qunnipac good in the Presidential primaaries and election.

[RamboLiberal]

5. I personally never thought of them favoring GOP'ers n/t

[davidwparker]

4. Does that mean that the Dem party will now allow a real dem to run in PA?

[No Elephants]

7. I'm guessing some promises were made. I think we should have let

Specter twist in the wind, bc I think 60 in the Senate (in theory) hurts us a lot more than it helps. Everyone will blame us for everything, yet, between "bipartisanship" and Blue Dogs (including Spector), we are not getting as much Democratic work done as we need to. In other words, I think a theoretical 60 is worse than a theoretical 59. But, I think promises were probably made to Spector in order to get to 60.

[No Elephants]

6. I hope Democrats get a real Democrat in Arlen's seat anyway, but I did not have

much hope of a level playing field in the primary, I figured the DNC, Obama and other prominent Democrats would support him, ala Lieberman in the most recent Connecticut primary. Maybe this will make them think twice.

We need to "Tinklenberg" this primary against Specter.
http://beltway.blips.com/story/tinklenberg_we_raised_438_000_since_3_p_m_friday/

[1776Forever]

8. Heard last night on Ed Schultz Spector gets huge amounts from Big Pharma and HMO Groups!

This alone makes me wonder where if any he will be a help to the President!

[bc3000]

9. I bet that has more to do with Specter than with Toomey

Toomey is an ultra right wing crackpot, even by western Pennsylvania standards. He should be beatable.

[DebbieCDC]

10. Arlen is a snake in the grass and no friend to the Dems

If we can't have a real Dem in that seat I'd rather see a crackpot winger like Twomey. He'd be a isolated fringe case and as a freshman would get nothing in terms of committee assignments or any real influence.