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| Ridge considering campaign against Specter |
| 2009-05-03 |
| 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. A former six-term House Member, Ridge is still popular in Pennsylvania, where he served as governor from 1995 to 2001. He left office to be President George W. Bush's first secretary of Homeland Security but retired from the Cabinet in 2005 and joined the private sector. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Actually, he was quite certain about losing the Republican primary, which is why he went back to his roots. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-05-03 21:40 |
| #6 Specter comes across as a self-serving political opportunist that will do anything to keep a job in Washington. He was doubtful about winning the Republican primary so he jumped ship. Hope Ridge runs and kicks his butt. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-05-03 20:16 |
| #5 No party lives forever. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2009-05-03 18:13 |
| #4 Yeah he'll REALLY stir up the base and get the GOP vote out. He's is pro big government, pro-abortion (And he claims to be Catholic - another 2faced a-hole like Sebelius, Kennedy, Biden, Pelosi), anti-gun, pro-kyoto/global-warming (with a few reservations), and in general a "Bush" guy (Big Government). You sure he's running in the GOP primary? More of the same of what they already have there, RINO are DIRC (Democrat in Republican Clothing). His running serves only to fracture the PA GOP further, ensuring Dem control to go on. The GOP Beltway idiots are shooting the party in the head again by pushing this guy. I think its time for the Republican party to simply die. It no longer stand for anything other than powermongering by its Beltway controllers. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2009-05-03 17:01 |
| #3 I'll bet that's right. Still, I think Ridge has a better chance in the general election than Toomey, and Ridge versus Specter would be an election I'd enjoy watching here on the Burg. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-05-03 14:14 |
| #2 I suspect Ridge is being put up to this by "moderate" Republicans, far more opposed to a conservative than to a Democrat. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-05-03 08:51 |
| #1 I doubt he could win a GOP primary against Toomey unless PA allows crossover voting in primaries. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2009-05-03 07:50 |