By GottaLaff
Via Think Progress, we learn that former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-PA), current Club for Growth president, says he'll challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) in 2010. Since Specter v. Toomey in 2004 was pretty close, trying to beat him in 2010 might not exactly be a piece-o'-cake for ol' Arlen:
“I think he has a lot of problems,” said Terry Madonna, a professor of political science at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. “I think this is the test of lifetime.”
Madonna estimated that between 150,000 to 200,000 centrist Republicans switched registration to the Democratic Party in the 2008 election cycle, leaving the remaining GOP electorate more conservative.
If Specter were to lose the primary, his choices will be, shall we say, limited:
With a tough primary challenge looming, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) "does not have the fall-back option of running as an independent should he lose his 2010 primary election, giving the senior lawmaker strong incentive to abandon his party this year," The Hill reports. [...]
[F]iscal and social conservatives have long viewed him as a bête noire.
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