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officials; Specter is out for himself |
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Written by Publisher
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Thursday, 30 April 2009 |
Two Kane borough Republican officials say veteran U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania was looking out for his own political future by switching his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat.
By Ted Lutz
Republican Staff
Two Kane borough Republican officials say veteran U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania was looking out for his own political future by switching his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat.
Specter, 79, who is serving his fifth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, announced Tuesday that he was registering with the Democratic Party.
Specter is facing re-election next year and had been expected to face a strong primary challenge from Pat Toomey, a former three-term member of the House of Representatives and president of the Club for Growth. This organization is dedicated to growing the economy through free enterprise, lower taxes and less wasteful spending.
Toomey, who resides in Zionsville with his wife and two children, is expected to be the featured speaker Friday at the Warren County Republican Committee dinner at the Warren Holiday Inn.
Kane Borough Councilwoman Janet Bard, a Republican, said Wednesday that Specter switched his party affiliation because "he's looking out to getting elected."
She said Specter "scientifically looked at the polls and saw there is no way he could get elected next year" as a Republican.
Bard, who has personally met Specter, said the senior "wants to do a good job." "If he's not there, he can't do it," she said.
Kane Mayor Doug Caldwell, another Republican leader in the area, said Specter's party switch is "nothing that surprises me."
"It's a matter of self-preservation," the mayor said in discussing Specter's decision to change party affiliations. The mayor believes Specter "talked" with both Gov. Ed Rendell and President Barack Obama before making his move to the join them as a Democrat.
Caldwell said Specter is looking out for himself "first."
With his seniority in the Senate, there is speculation that Specter will seek the chairmanship of one or more key committees, such as a the Appropriations Committee.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 12 June 2009 )
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