Toomey expects renewed Romney focus on Pa. campaign

Pennsylvania is on the sidelines when it comes to the presidential candidates and their TV advertising dollars.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania says it’s too early to focus on the Keystone State because it doesn’t allow early voting.

 

Toomey, a Republican, says he thinks the Romney campaign is watching Pennsylvania very closely.

But he suggests GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney doesn’t yet have to start campaigning in earnest in the commonwealth.

“Pennsylvania is one of the last states in America to vote. Because we vote on Election Day. Most states start voting well before Election Day. We don’t allow any in-person voting prior to Election Day,” Toomey said Monday.

“We do have an absentee ballot program, naturally, but there’s lots of states that actually allow to show up and cast a vote any time you like well before the election,” he said.

Toomey says it makes sense the Romney campaign would first shore up its support in states that allow early voting.

Looking forward to the final debate between President Barack Obama and Romney, Toomey said Monday he’s waiting to hear what more the president says about the terrorist attack in Libya during tonight’s presidential debate.

He said he was dismayed Obama acknowledged in the last debate that the attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, was a terrorist act.

“If he were convinced and wanted to tell the American people that this was a terrorist attack, why did he refuse to do so when questioned on Univision,” Toomey said. “Why did he send out his U.S. ambassador to go on five national talk shows the following Sunday, to insist that it was all in reaction to a video?”

The Obama administration has maintained it explained the origins and motives behind the attack in Libya as intelligence reports came in.

The administration has criticized the Romney campaign for attempting politicize the incident.