Ridge Isn't Running

As I suspected: No fire in the belly. The question posed -- better a strong conservative with a small chance of winning or a conservative-ish candidate with a good chance of winning -- is mooted.

After careful consideration and many conversations with friends and family and the leadership of my party, I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate," Ridge said in a statement, adding later, "The 2010 race has significant implications for my party, and that required thoughtful reflection. All of the above made my decision a difficult and deeply personal conclusion to reach. ... To those who believe that the Republican Party is facing challenges; they are right. To those who believe the Democratic Party is without its own difficulties, they are wrong. No one party has a monopoly on all of the answers. ... And so my desire and intention is to help my party craft solutions that both sides of the aisle can embrace."

Meanwhile, Joe Sestak may challenge Specter in the Democratic primary.

Congressman Joe Sestak said that he will be taking at least a couple of months before deciding whether to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in a Democratic primary.

But in an interview with POLITICO, he sounded as interested as ever in running for the Senate and said that he wouldn’t be persuaded by any presidential phone call urging him to step aside for the good of the party.

...

“For the average voter, it’s going to matter more whether they determine if [Specter is] reliable in the long haul. They’re going to look at his past voting record — for Bush’s tax cuts, for the Iraq war, and then they’ll look to the future and asks what his recent actions suggest,” Sestak said.

“You’ve got to ask, 'How reliable will he be?'”

But a poll by Public Opinion Strategies (a Republican firm) says Sestak is far behind:

Democrats
Specter 57
Sestak 20
Undecided 22

Thanks to DrewM.

posted by Ace at 01:00 PM

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