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Did DeMint's endorsement of Toomey set off Specter?

By: Timothy P. Carney
Examiner Columnist
04/28/09 1:30 PM EDT

Last Thursday night on the Senate floor, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., told Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, then still a Republican, that DeMint would be supporting Specter’s rival, former Rep. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., in next year’s Senate Republican primary. DeMint says Specter “pretty much cut me off and said, ‘I’ve heard enough.’”

DeMint wouldn’t speculate whether this conversation spurred Specter to switch parties, but the conversation came within hours of the release of a poll showing Toomey leading Specter among primary voters 51 percent to 30 percent. “We knew Pat was going to win the primary,” DeMint said in a Capitol Hill interview Tuesday, minutes after Specter announced his move. “This [party switch] shouldn’t surprise anyone. It was a clever political move.”

DeMint had not yet gone public with his support for Toomey by the time Specter switched.

DeMint said Specter's switch “shows that there were not principles attaching Arlen to the Republican Party, but the Republican Party was the means to get elected.”

Toomey had speculated in an interview with National Review's David Freddoso that Specter might leave the party before the primary, because Pennsylvania has a “sore loser law” that prevents primary losers from running for the same office on a different party line.

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Reader Comments

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Robert D'Agostino

Apr 28, 2009

Specter will be challenged in the Democrat primary and probably lose. If he wins, it will give the Republicans a good chance of a pick-up. Until then, unfortunately, he will be a lap-dog for Obama.

Apr 28, 2009

Good riddance to bad rubbish. The republican party needs to do some major purging like this, and this move by Specter shows that he's unprincipled and has no convictions except what benefits himself. He'll fit right in with the democrats and I disagree with Olympia Snowe that the moderates are being forced out. Only career politicians like Specter. We need a real change from the 70+ year democrat monopoly and dominance in our government and I believe republicans should be given a chance to govern, but with a solid not the slim majorities they've had. All we do is keep recycling retread democrats and nothing changes.

TomM

Apr 28, 2009

If we had term limits, we wouldn't have to worry about weasels like Spector. They have no principles, only want to be elected and have power. It's time for this man to retire.

Knockneil

Apr 28, 2009

Arlen Specter will be 80 years old in the 2010 campaign. Retirement? From the old boys club? That would be asking too much. I wonder if the NRA will still like him as a Democrat, or if the majority leadership in the senate will take away his only redeeming quality?

orogeny

Apr 28, 2009

I agree completely with Senator DeMint. 30 Republicans in the Senate would be much better than the 39 that we have now. The way things are going, Sen. DeMint may get his wish.

Magic Dog

Apr 28, 2009

As a Democrat, I will be happy to see Sen. Demint's fondest dreams come true.

C.O. in Pa

Apr 28, 2009

See Ya - Hate To Be Ya! Let's Go, Toomey! Now we need to purge McCain out & elect Simcox in his place, these "career politicians" need to go, like Specter said "I'm quitting my beliefs & principles because I was afraid of being fired!"

libarbarian

Apr 28, 2009

I think DeMint isn't thinking nearly big enough. Why stop at 30 when we can go so much farther? With hard work and effort I think we can get down to 5 completely pure Republicans by 2016. At least its worth a try.

jvill

Apr 28, 2009

DeMint continued: “I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who really believe in principles of limited government, free markets, free people, than to have 60 that don’t have a set of beliefs.” Absolutely! You guys should definitely get crackin' on that right away! Al: "We need a real change from the 70+ year democrat monopoly and dominance in our government and I believe republicans should be given a chance to govern, but with a solid not the slim majorities they've had." I'm not sure what's more funny... The fact that Republicans used to brag about controlling the White House, Supreme Court and Congress for much of the past 8 years... Or that fact that the only way Republicans can do what the REALLY want is when there is absolutely no one to oppose them... President George Bush: "We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections." Someone forgot to tell Al that those accountability moments don't always swing your way...

SuperMommy5

Apr 28, 2009

If it sent him over the edge, thanks again Senator DeMint. We love you in SC!

Phillies_Jon

Apr 29, 2009

Judging from my own experience as a former Pennsylvania Republican, I believe that the Republican party is going to continue to hemmorhage support in suburbs like mine if they focus on retribution and ideological rigidity rather than pragmatism. I think Sen. Specter will fine a more open tent in the Democratic Party and look forward to supporting him in the 2010 primary.

A.C.

Apr 29, 2009

Even for Specter, this level of supercynicism is incredible. 11/2010 is a ways off, and the environment will be anything but the halo of Obamadulation it is now. Toomey should run a scorched earth campaign nailing Specter's hypocrisy to his hide, and he'd have a very good chance of winning by larger margin than either of Santorum's two elections. But, I still think the Dems are crazy to leave an open field for Specter. All this MSM nonsense about how popular Specter is with PA Dems is just that-nonsense, a complete DC Beltway-driven mirage, if you look at real PA numbers. GOP could take this seat if they play it smart; watch them try to audition Toomey as a sensible moderate, and then lose.

GOP Eater

Apr 29, 2009

As a Republican, I am really saddened that a wonderful moderate like Specter felt he had to leave. To those who say, "good riddance", you are not Republicans. You could consider yourself something else (e.g. followers of Pat Buchanan, dittoheads or Club for Growth members), but not Republicans. Republicans want to see the party reverse this ebb and grow throughout the country, not shrink into an obscure Southern offshoot of the former national party. If you are glad Specter is gone, than you wish the death the GOP. Instead, we could just field a radical anti-abortion candidate that doesn't believe in government and get the 20% we deserve in the next presidential election.

JIM BREWSTER

Apr 29, 2009

LOOK

Tim from Philly

Apr 29, 2009

I agree it's not good riddance because we are now one less and the Dems are one more - a swing of two Senators (aka votes). However, I'm angry. As a Pa resident that voted for him last time around i feel disenfranchised.

A.C.

Apr 30, 2009

Yeah, because all "real" Republicans love Specter and hate Buchanan and the Club for Growth. Just be a man, GOP eater, and call yourself a democrat; at least some people might respect you. No republican who identifies as such has ever had any use for the pro-abort, big-gov. Specter.

Formerly from Philly

Apr 30, 2009

Remember Anita Hill? I do and Spector still needs to go.

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Did DeMint's endorsement of Toomey set off Specter?

By: Timothy P. Carney
Examiner Columnist
04/28/09 1:30 PM EDT