Political Wire

Members should sign in for the full experience.

Clinton Hammers Toomey While Tying Him to Trump

October 22, 2016 at 7:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Hillary Clinton ripped Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) in a speech here in Pennsylvania, trying to link him to Donald Trump and a long list of Trump’s past incendiary statements, Politico reports.

Said Clinton: “He still refuses to stand up to Donald Trump. Now a lot of Republicans have. They have had the grit and the guts to stand up and say he does not represent me.”

She continued: “But Pat Toomey heard Donald attack a grieving Gold Star family who lost their son in the Iraq war. He heard Donald call Mexican immigrants rapists. He heard him say terrible things about women. He heard him spread the lie that our first black president wasn’t really born in America. Now how much more does Pat Toomey need to hear? If he doesn’t have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump after all this, then can you be sure he’ll stand up for you when it counts?”

Ruby Cramer: “It was the first time Clinton, who has been courting support from Republicans in the race against Donald Trump, has devoted a major part of her stump speech to a down-ballot GOP candidate.”

Toomey Refuses to Say If He’ll Vote for Trump

October 12, 2016 at 9:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) still won’t say whom he’ll support for president, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Toomey’s dilemma, with just four weeks to go until Election Day, reflects the way Trump has engulfed the political landscape and left Republicans flailing in his wake as his poll numbers plunge.”

McGinty Under Fire for College Claim

June 3, 2016 at 4:22 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 46 Comments

Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Katie McGinty (D) “found herself explaining an often-repeated line from the campaign trail after questions were raised about whether she was in fact the first in her family to go to a four-year college,” the Allentown Morning Call reports.

“She has described herself during the campaign both as the first in her family to go to college, and as the first in her family to go to a four-year college.”

But BuzzFeed discovered her older brother, John P. McGinty, earned a bachelor’s degree, and later a master’s degree.

McGinty Wins Senate Nod In Pennsylvania

April 27, 2016 at 6:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

Katie McGinty (D) won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, beating Joe Sestak (D) with a late surge fueled by millions of dollars and high-profile party support from Washington, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Toomey Way Ahead in Pennsylvania

August 25, 2015 at 10:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

A new Quinnipiac poll finds Sen. Pat Toomey (R) beating Joe Sestak (D) in a U.S. Senate match up, 48% to 33%, and topping Katie McGinty (D), 48% to 32%.

McGinty Will Run for U.S. Senate

July 23, 2015 at 1:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

Katie McGinty (D) will resign her position as chief of staff to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in preparation to run for the U.S. Senate, National Journal reports.

“McGinty’s entrance would be a major victory for Democrats in Washington, who have scoured Pennsylvania looking for a top-tier candidate in what should be a politically-crucial Senate battleground in 2016. Party leaders are wary about the only Democrat in the race, former Rep. Joe Sestak, concerned that his unwillingness to listen to strategic advice could cost them a winnable race against the well-entrenched Toomey.”

Pawlowski Suspends Campaign After Office Raid

July 7, 2015 at 1:27 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 5 Comments

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski (D) suspended his campaign for the U.S. Senate, four days after FBI agents executed search warrants at Allentown City Hall, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Poll Finds Close Senate Race in Pennsylvania

June 18, 2015 at 1:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 22 Comments

A new Franklin & Marshall poll in Pennsylvania finds Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) leads challenger Joe Sestak (D) by just four points, 35% to 31% — within the poll’s margin of error — though 34% of voters remain undecided.

Poll Gives Sestak the Edge in Pennsylvania

June 8, 2015 at 12:27 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

A new Robert Morris University poll in Pennsylvania shows Joe Sestak (D) leading Sen. Pat Toomey (R), 34% to 28%, but with an even larger percentage of undecided voters.

Said pollster Philip Harold: “People are just disengaged. It’s like asking someone what they’re going to have for breakfast 100 days from now.”

Toomey Maintains Lead in Pennsylvania

May 27, 2015 at 7:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

Despite his weak approval rating, a new Public Policy Polling survey finds Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) still leads half a dozen potential Democratic rivals by anywhere from 4 to 11 points.

The Democrat who comes closest to Toomey is 2010 candidate Joe Sestak (D), who trails by 4 points at 42% to 38%.

Shapiro Declines Senate Bid in Pennsylvania

May 24, 2015 at 12:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 54 Comments

Josh Shapiro (D) has told national Democratic Party leaders that he will not run for the nomination to challenge Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) next year, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Senior Democrats had been encouraging Shapiro to jump into the primary against Joe Sestak, a retired Navy rear admiral and former Delaware County congressman who lost a close race to Toomey in 2010 but who also has a strained relationship with members of the party establishment.”

Toomey Comfortably Ahead of All Rivals

May 12, 2015 at 6:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 14 Comments

A new Harper Polling survey in Pennsylvania finds Sen. Pat Toomey (R) with large leads over three possible Democratic challengers.

Toomey leads Ed Pawlowski (D), 54% to 30%, tops Jos Sestak (D), 53% to 32%, and beats Josh Shapiro (D), 55% to 27%.

Democrats Seek Alternative to Sestak in Pennsylvania

April 9, 2015 at 6:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 21 Comments

Top Democrats are pressuring Josh Shapiro (D) to run for the U.S. Senate, “a reflection of the party’s unease with second-time candidate, Joe Sestak (D),” the AP reports.

“Two people familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press this week that Democratic Senate leaders, including New York’s Chuck Schumer and the head of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, Montana’s Jon Tester, have spoken with Shapiro.”

Toomey Way Ahead of Sestak in Pennsylvania

April 6, 2015 at 12:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 41 Comments

A new Quinnipiac poll in Pennsylvania finds Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) with a 13 point edge over potential challenger Joe Sestak (D), 48% to 35%.

“Toomey’s job approval rating stood at 49 – 24, and 44 percent of voters see him favorably, compared to 23 percent who view him unfavorably. Sestak’s favorability was at 24-14, but 61 percent didn’t know enough about him to form an opinion.”

Democrats Look for Someone Better Than Sestak

February 19, 2015 at 2:59 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 34 Comments

“Anxious about a candidate considered to be an unreliable maverick and a political liability, Democratic Party leaders have undertaken a quiet, intensive search in recent months to recruit a serious primary challenger to former Rep. Joe Sestak, the party’s Senate nominee in 2010 who is again running for the seat,” National Journal reports.

“The effort has involved former congressman, state senators, county leaders and, recently, even a prominent district attorney. Their anxieties are being driven by party officials, who are concerned that Sestak could cost Democrats a must-win state in 2016. They’ve yet to turn up a successful alternative, but in their telling, it’s only a matter of time before a new challenger—one with the backing of the party establishment—enters the race.”

Toomey Holds Solid Lead Over Sestak

February 10, 2015 at 8:19 am EST By Taegan Goddard 34 Comments

A new Quinnipiac poll in Pennsylvania finds Sen. Pat Toomey (R) well ahead of likely challenger Joe Sestak (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 35%,

Toomey Holds Narrow Lead in Pennsylvania

January 20, 2015 at 11:35 am EST By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Pennsylvania finds the U.S. Senate race is picking up pretty much where the 2010 Senate race left off with Sen. Pat Toomey (R) holding a narrow edge over challenger Joe Sestak (D), 40% to 36%.

Sestak Could Avoid Primary Challenge

December 17, 2014 at 7:29 am EST By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

Former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) “never really stopped running against Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) after his narrow 2010 loss,” The Hill reports.

“Sestak announced in 2013 that he was already seeking another shot against Toomey. The former congressman has remained active in Pennsylvania politics since his loss, helping Democrats locally and statewide. And his strong, early signals that he would run again might have helped scare off many other potential opponents.”