Specter: I'm Not 'Automatic 60th Vote' for Dems

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»

Professor analyzes writings, finds lots of name calling

(NEWSER) - This could explain why Congress is having such a hard time agreeing on a budget: Its members are too busy taunting one another. A Harvard professor analyzed the writings of Congress members, and found that about 27% of the time, they're just insulting each other. “It’s jarring and surprising,” he tells the Washington Post . "The entire government may go bankrupt, I guess. This week, right? We probably want our representatives to be listening to each other rather than calling each other names." More»

After rocky beginning, GOP turncoat sticks to new side of aisle

(NEWSER) - Arlen Specter’s first days as a Democrat may not have gone well, but since then he’s settled in and sided with his new party on nearly every vote, Politico reports. He’s gone from staunch opponent of the Employee Free Choice act to a key negotiator for it, come to Nancy Pelosi’s defense against the CIA, and said he’s now open to a public option on health care. 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's celebrity isn't all that, and Franken didn't exactly win, either

(NEWSER) - Chris Matthews seems determined to run for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania in 2010, but beating Republican Arlen Specter isn’t his only problem, Steve Kornacki writes in the New York Observer. The MSNBC host is a cipher to 60% of the electorate, and there are other qualified, ambitious Democrats in the state. And Al Franken showed celebrity is no lock even in a winnable race. More»