Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

May 04, 2009

Ridge Could Beat Specter in Pennsylvania

A new Susquehanna Polling & Research poll found that former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R) would edge Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), 39% to 38%, in a match up for U.S. Senate.

The poll also shows Specter would defeat former Rep. Pat Toomey (R), 42% to 36%.

Said pollster James Lee: "Arlen Specter -- not surprisingly -- is a strong candidate despite the party switch. He is not, however, invincible. A right-of-center Republican who is well liked in Southeastern Pennsylvania -- Tom Ridge or someone very much like him -- could win."

Earlier today, a new Quinnipiac poll also found Ridge to be competitive with Specter.

Meanwhile, DailyKos/Research 2000 currently has a poll in the field testing the same match ups.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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