Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), who has been mentioned as a possible Senate contender in Pennsylvania, is sending some pretty strong signals that he’s not going to swallow this Specter party-switch thing whole, and that he might go after Specter in a primary.
In a statement, he says Specter switched because he couldn’t win the GOP primary.
Could Sestak be the liberals’ hero once they realize Specter is going to annoy them as much as he annoyed Republicans?
A statement from Sestak’s office:
“This shows the principle rule of politics: tomorrow is always another day — as today was. This may be good for Arlen, politically; however, two key questions need to be answered. First, after 31 years in the military, I learned that you run for something, not against someone. Arlen has made a decision to leave a race because he could not win against someone. What needs to be known is what he is running for. Second, I watched then-Gov. Clinton and then-Sen. Obama take a leadership position in the Democratic Party and shape it. The leadership that would have been most impressive would be if Arlen had used his role to reshape the Republican Party that he said he had entered when it was a “big tent,” but now is leaving because it has gotten too small. In short, I believe that the principles of what he is running for and his commitment to accountable leadership are questions that still need to be addressed.”
Sestak made similar remarks earlier on MSNBC.
– Aaron Blake