In the Arena

It Looks Like Sestak

  • Share
  • Read Later

AP has called the Pennsylvania Senate primary election for Joe Sestak over Arlen Specter. Earlier, in Kentucky, Rand Paul won as a libertarian tea partier running for U.S. Senate against Mitch McConnell’s favored candidate. What’s the big message? A no-brainer: not good for incumbents. I suspect that Joe Sestak will have a better chance against libertarian tea partier Pat Toomey in the general election. Sestak can run as an anti-establishment outsider–President Obama et al supported Specter–and he can run against Toomey’s libertarian extremism (privatize social security, deregulate Wall street).

Updates to come.

Update the First: Democrat Mark Critz defeated Republican Tim Burns in the special election to replace John Murtha. Republicans will say Critz ran as a Republican–pro-life, pro-gun, against health care reform. Democrats will say he won as a Democrat…and Critz will make it one vote harder for the Republicans to win the house. I don’t know. I report, you decide.