Democratic Congressman Plans Run Against Specter

Sestak unswayed by recent party switch
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 27, 2009 8:20 PM CDT
Democratic Congressman Plans Run Against Specter
President Obama is a new fan of Arlen Specter.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Geez, what's a guy got to do to win some love from his own political party? Even though Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched parties to become a Democrat, he's still going to face a big-name challenger in a party primary. Rep. Joe Sestak told Wolf Blitzer on CNN today that he plans to run. “I don’t think that a D next to your name makes you a Democrat,” he said. “It’s about whether Arlen will fight for the right issues."

Sestak won't have an easy fight. President Obama and the national party are behind Specter in the wake of his switch. Specter, says Sestak, "helped derail health care plans without an alternative in the '90s. Maybe he's changed, but I'm not sure we can take that chance. Will he be with the right policy that our president presently has put out there to retool our economy and health care and education through 2016?" (More Arlen Specter stories.)

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