A congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs will challenge U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in the democratic senate primary.
In an interview at The Wayne Independent Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa.,confirmed his intention to run against Specter, a long-time republican who switched to the democratic party earlier this year.
“I am going to get into the race against Arlen Specter ... for senator,” said Sestak in his first media interview as part of a three-week tour through all of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties.
The statement, made early in the 45-minute interview, was point blank with no follow-up qualms or hesitancy.
After the statement was posted on The Wayne Independent’s website, it drew much attention from the national and state media, including Washington D.C. publications Politico and The Hill, as it served - in the interview at least - as an unequivocal declaration.
There has been much speculation in the press and among politicos that Sestak would indeed challenge Specter, but the congressman has yet to issue an official statement.
Sestak spokesman Jonathon Dworkin issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying that the congressman intended “to get in the Senate race as he finalizes his decision with his family, who are very supportive.”
The congressman also handed The Wayne Independent two folders containing biographical information, his legislative achievements, and press reports.
One folder contained 12 sheets comparing Sestak and Specter in a scorecard format on a slew of issues including women’s rights, veterans affairs, national security, and health care.
Wayne County was Sestak’s first stop where he met with two local democrats, county commissioner Wendell Kay and county democratic committee chairman Mark Graziadio, prior to the interview with The Wayne Independent.
“He’s been pretty up front about it,” said Kay, of Sestak’s run against Specter, in a phone interview after his morning meeting with the congressman. “There was no doubt about that.”
Said Graziadio: “It’s kind of obvious. He wouldn’t be making this county tour meeting with all the county (party) chairs.”
Both said they enjoyed meeting him for the first time.
“People deserve to have a choice, and this will give them a choice,” said Graziadio.
The former three-star Navy admiral, who has represented the state’s 7th congressional district for two years, said he would make an “official” announcement in a month and then hit the Pennsylvania road again in August for a second, more “deliberate”, outreach tour.
He added that Pennsylvanians deserve a second candidate in the 2010 democratic primary, since Specter appears to be the National Democratic Party leadership’s one-and-only choice.
“My Democratic leadership in Washington D.C. has said he’s your nominee while in Pennsylvania everybody else step aside,” said Sestak. “I don’t think that’s right. ... That’s when the fire in the belly came.”
After nearly three decades as a republican senator, Specter switched teams in late April joining the state’s other Democratic senator, Bob Casey - a move that some say was politically palatable.
Polls at that time showed Specter having a tight race against former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey in the 2010 republican primary.
“People thought they were going to clear the fields for him (Specter), no way, we have a choice,” said Sestak. “We need a better future than what Arlen proposes for us. One person can make a significant difference in that senate, and this nation, this state ... deserves that choice.”