PA-SEN: New Poll Shows Specter Incredibly Weak In Dem Primary

by: David Sirota

Thu May 07, 2009 at 18:17


DailyKos's new Research 2000 poll shows that 63 percent of Pennsylvania Democratic primary voters either definitely will vote against Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary, will consider voting against him, or don't know how they will vote. Those are incredibly weak numbers for a sitting senator. Indeed, you know they're weak when you consider that if you saw those kinds of primary numbers for a regular ol' senator who hadn't switched parties, and that senator had major candidates (including a sitting House member) considering a primary, the entire political Establishment would be calling that senator a political dead man walking.

Of course, most of the political Establishment in Washington, D.C. is saying the opposite - that Specter is basically unbeatable, even as major candidates like Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) and Joe Torsella are threatening a primary. As this poll shows, that pro-Specter wishful thinking is just that: wishful thinking.

Between Pennsylvania and Colorado, we could (and I stress could) have two major Democratic senate primaries on our hands that break down along ideological lines, that would be valuable movement-building vehicles, and that would help change the obstructionist dynamic in the U.S. Senate. It's pretty exciting.

David Sirota :: PA-SEN: New Poll Shows Specter Incredibly Weak In Dem Primary

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Any opponents for Bennet? (0.00 / 0)
Of all the appointed senators, I trust Bennet the least. He has the makings of a Evan Bayh-type, smarmy centrist who does the bidding of the corporations.

Are any prominent Colorado Democrats going to take him on? Hickenlooper?


I'm in Denver And Bennet seems to be invisible! (4.00 / 3)
He's sent me an e-mail because I was on Salazar's list after sending him so many, but it was the most useless type of fluff. I'm amazed really that he hasn't tried to seize his opportunity by coming up with some kind of jobs program or homeowner relief or something. He ought to be lobbying intensely and stumping on SOME issue that would resonate with voters. So far nothing.

I don't get the impression that he's made any kind of impact in Colo. and if someone like Hickenlooper wanted the job, he could have it pretty clearly. I don't see Bennet winning a contested primary against a candidate who has real money. He's kind of an empty suit.

The D.C. insiders are all betting on Specter because they assume that he will simply crush all opposition by grabbing all the funding.

That is certainly possible, especially if the Unions sell out their constituents for him despite his flop on EFC. But, that's what they all said about President Hillary Clinton too and we all know how that turned out.  


[ Parent ]
dare say (4.00 / 2)
Bennet is nearly as bad as Specter for Dems at this point. Really is sad how Bill Ritter and Michael Bennet have harmed the D brand that grassroots work helped revitalize in CO.

Torsella's not threatening (4.00 / 2)
He's gonna need a TON of money... (0.00 / 0)
Unless the unions abandon Specter (which is probable), all DSSC and establishment money's are going to go to Specter.  Sestak at least has $3.3 million in the bank to start...

PA is a huge, huge state... 8 times as big as our Connecticut where we ran Lamont, and even more expensive in most of it...

We're going to need some wealthy benefactors to help us...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!


[ Parent ]
Don't forget the open seats. (4.00 / 2)
We've got some open seat races where we have some tough primaries.  The most obvious example is Kentucky, where AG Jack Conway seems to be an example of a better Democrat taking on a Bush Dog, Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo.  But there are a couple of others, namely Ohio, though how that breaks down along ideological lines is somewhat debateable, and Florida.

Oh, and let's not forget Illinois!  Especially if Burris runs again.  Giannoulias is really making waves in the race right now but there are others that could get it.

Check out Blue Arkansas:
http://bluearkansas.blogspot.com/


Run Jan, Run! (4.00 / 2)
Schakowsky

[ Parent ]
Haven't made up my mind on this one yet. (0.00 / 0)
I like both Schakowsky and Giannoulias, the later having really impressed me of late.  I used to like JJJ for this seat, and I can't tell you how disappointed with him I am now.

Check out Blue Arkansas:
http://bluearkansas.blogspot.com/


[ Parent ]
Is Giannoulias closer to a progressive or a blue dog? (0.00 / 0)


[ Parent ]
It's not fully clear just yet but I'd say he's more a progressive. (4.00 / 1)
He raised a ton of cash, over a million in less than a month, but he did it without taking PAC money or any money from registered lobbyists or his family connections.  That's a very good sign.  Plus he's running against Burris and the whole Blagojevich corruption, and he's close to both Obama and Dick Durbin.  He's also big on corporate responsibility and critical of bailouts with no strings attached.  Still, he needs to make it clear where he stands on a broader range of issues and his record as a banker needs some scrutiny (not that there's a hint of anything bad in it-it just needs a careful examination).

Check out Blue Arkansas:
http://bluearkansas.blogspot.com/


[ Parent ]
Ohio is a win/win... (0.00 / 0)
...both Fisher and Brunner should be reliable progressives in the Senate.  Fisher's weakness is that he's just a weak, weak campaigner.. but, the Strickland machine plus a revulsion of all things Republican in Ohio should be enough for him.  Brunner is a Democratic hero, but she's not the best fundraiser....

It's hard to tell which candidate would be better for us...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!


[ Parent ]
I like Brunner. (4.00 / 1)
It's nothing against Fisher, but I'm yet to hear any supporters of his lay out anything he's accomplished in the line of public policy.  It always seems to amount to saying he was there in the past when it was tough, which while respectable doesn't thrill me.  I also don't like the machine politics aspect of this race.  I'd rather my candidate be an underdog and a scrapper.

Brunner excites me.  She's a solid progressive with a record of results.  She'd be the first woman elected to the Senate from Ohio.  She's got great style, charm, and charisma.  She needs some work on fundraising, but that's mostly because the machine dried it up and, in the end, that isn't everything; messaging and organization count for more I think.  Plus I love that she's going to do this no matter what anyone thinks or says!

Check out Blue Arkansas:
http://bluearkansas.blogspot.com/


[ Parent ]
There's nothing great about Fisher... trust me... (0.00 / 0)
He is not an inspirational candidate... and has done nothing of substance in the last 20 years...  The only reason he's so competitive is Strickland's coattails along with the D next to his name.

He'd be a reliable democratic vote, but don't expect much more from him.

Brunner is truly a hero of the party and would make a great Senator..  I think she's a way better candidate overall than Fisher, but she has her own liabilities, too...

Both can be vulnerable to attack.  Fisher 'cos he's got the campaigning skills of a dead fish... Brunner's lack of machine support (which may extend beyond the primary) and her very visible and productive role as SoS which makes her a prime target of the right.

Either way, we won't lose if either of them makes it to the Senate.  Both will be good, reliable democrats and won't be "moderate" troublemakers...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!


[ Parent ]
Doesn't all that make Brunner the very definition of a BETTER Democrat? (0.00 / 0)


Check out Blue Arkansas:
http://bluearkansas.blogspot.com/


[ Parent ]
Well, I'm biased... (0.00 / 0)
Brunner is a Democratic hero to us here in the buckeye state...  Fisher's a guy who couldn't even beat a no-name for the AG slot 15 years ago...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!


[ Parent ]
Don't forget Reid (0.00 / 0)
He's unpopular in Nevada, Obama won Nevada by 12 points, it's not that expensive and isn't hard to organize since most democratic voters live in Carson City, Reno, or Vegas, and if we beat Reid we get a progressive senator, and Durbin as majority leader.

We also should try to replace Meek's heavily democratic open seat in FL with a progressive democrat who supports single payer.

Also in NY, Maloney is considering a run against GIllibrand, although she seems a little better than Schumer but Schumer would be harder to primary. I don't know if NY or Florida are worth it since they are so big and expensive to run campaigns in.

And I'd love a primary of Blanche Lincoln, I know Arkansas isn't gonna elect a progressive, but they can do better than Lincoln as in a socially conservative, fiscally moderate type who votes with us on healthcare and EFCA at least.


[ Parent ]
Durbin as majority leader... (0.00 / 0)
is not a sure thing. Of the last three majority leaders, one was WHIP.


[ Parent ]
Either way, anyone is better than Reid (0.00 / 0)
If he gets taken out in a primary, it would be a vote of no confidence on his leadership, and I don't think anyone could do a worse job than Reid.

[ Parent ]
Sestak (0.00 / 0)
I live in Joe Sestak's district.  It's true that he's not real left, but his district was once one of the most conservative Republican districts in the country and he beat a 20-year incumbent two and a half years ago.
Joe's well-liked by both Democrats and Republicans, but as to his winnability, I am reminded that a former Democratic congressman from our district, Bob Edgar, now executive director of Common Cause, was wildly popular with both Democrats and Republicans and got killed in a statewide race for the Senate in 1986. Of course the state is a lot less Republican now.

FrenchGirl


I've looked at his progressive punch scores some. (0.00 / 0)
While he's not the most liberal democrat there is, and I wouldn't expect him to be considering his state and district, I actually thought he was really good all things considered.

Check out Blue Arkansas:
http://bluearkansas.blogspot.com/


[ Parent ]
When was that district "one of the most conservative in the country"? (0.00 / 0)
I don't have the map of PA-7 memorized, but if the bulk of that turf -- Delaware County -- were really one of the most conservative parts of the country 10 or 20 or 30 years ago, the US would be further left than Canada.


[ Parent ]
The politics of the district has changed quite a bit (0.00 / 0)
over the last few decades. I wouldn't say it was among the most conservative, but it was one of the most reliably Republican districts in the country.  Right up until Sestak won, a lot of people thought Weldon was unbeatable, although that was probably based on relying too much on history and not seeing how things were changing.  

Support a Pennsylvania Progressive for Governor - Joe Hoeffel

[ Parent ]
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