Sestak starts senate campaign unofficially
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
Congressman Joe Sestak is already campaigning, even though he has not officially announced he will challenge Senator, and new Democrat, Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary. Sestak could be gearing up for a less than typical primary showdown as he makes his way through a 3-week tour of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
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Plenty of prominent Democratic politicians have urged Sestak not to run against Specter, to avoid a primary showdown. Sestak's been making the rounds anyway and some Keystone State Democrats have been encouraging him to enter the race to serve as an alternative to Specter.
That could make for an interesting primary battle, says Richardson Dilworth, the Director for the Center for Public Policy at Drexel University.
Dilworth: Especially in a state where we've had a number of new registered Democrats who might not be necessary loyal Democrats. It's conceivable that if you had a divisive primary that that would alienate some Democratic voters for the general election who might not turn out or I think far more unlikely would vote Republican.
Dilworth says Specter's GOP record could add a twist to a primary competition in which opponents often hold similar policy positions.