In Franken's Run, Cautionary Tale for Matthews

Former Pa. gov was encouraged to run for Senate by GOP brass

(NEWSER) - Former Pennsylvania governor and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will not seek the Republican nomination for senator from that state, the Hill reports. Party leaders had urged him to run against newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter. Ridge was in a good position to run, polling just 3 points behind Specter. “After careful consideration,” he said, “I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination.” More»

GOP colleagues 'stunned,' angered by senator's party switch

(NEWSER) - Newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter said he will not blindly toe the party line, Politico reports. “I will not be an automatic 60th vote,” the veteran Pennsylvania senator said, pointing out recent opposition to a unionization bill. “If the Democratic Party asks too much, I will not vote with them.” More»

(NEWSER) - Riding a wave of dissatisfaction with Arlen Specter's vote on the federal stimulus, conservative Pat Toomey will again campaign to be the GOP's Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Although Toomey didn't announce until today, the two have been arguing publicly in the last few weeks. Specter, who eked out a narrow victory in 2004, even took out TV ads trying to link Toomey to the financial crisis. More»

MSNBC host denies deals with Obama aides for 2010

(NEWSER) - Chris Matthews is lining up a top-notch staff to manage his campaign for the Pennsylvania Senate seat held by Arlen Specter, FiveThirtyEight reports. Multiple sources say the MSNBC host has made deals with seasoned Obama aides to run the 2010 campaign. Polls already show that Matthews, running as a Democrat, would face an uphill battle if Specter runs for re-election. More»

He now seems more comfortable cracking jokes

(NEWSER) - Senate colleagues expecting humor from funnyman and freshman lawmaker Al Franken have gotten just the opposite, though insiders say the Minnesota senator is getting into the groove and loosening up a bit. Since taking office last year, Franken has snapped at administration officials , Joe Lieberman , and Republican legislators. Now, he’s the model of bipartisanship with numerous across-the-aisle bills, and he’s even making jokes. More»