Report: Pennsylvania AG eyeing 2016 Toomey challenge

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D) is eyeing a run against Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) in 2016, sources tell The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kane, a rising Democratic star in the state, has been viewed as a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2014. But sources tell the Inquirer she’s likely to wait two more years rather than join the crowded Democratic field to challenge Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R).

{mosads}A Kane Senate bid would set likely up a high-profile primary against former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), who lost a hard-fought race to Toomey in 2010 after defeating Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) in a primary. Sestak has already indicated he’s aiming for a rematch against Toomey.

Toomey will likely be a top Democratic target in 2016. He beat Sestak by just 2 percentage points in the swing state in 2010, a banner year for Republicans nationwide, and a late November poll from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling found Toomey tied with Sestak at 42 percent and trailing Kane by 46 percent to 42 percent.