WASHINGTON
- U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and his opponent in next year's
primary, U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, R-Allentown, and their supporters
have been jousting for the upper hand for months.
The gloves may be about to come off.
The Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderate
Republicans including 63 members of Congress, will begin airing a
radio commercial tomorrow that questions Toomey's sincerity. The
spot also questions his conservative credentials.
The ads cite Toomey's votes against prohibiting the sale of
explicit material to children under 17, against pay increases for
the military and against improving military housing and medical
care. The 60-second radio spots also say he has
"waffled" on protecting the steel industry.
They cite his past opposition to bans on first trimester abortions
and even say he accepted campaign contributions from a national
abortion rights group. The ads will first run in Allentown and
later statewide.
"You love, you hate Arlen Specter, at least he's not a
hypocrite," said Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, Main Street's
executive director.
"It is obvious that the liberal establishment is nervous
about Senator Specter's political fate, and its only hope is to
level dishonest attacks against Congressman Toomey," said
Toomey spokesman Joe Sterns.
"But neither Specter nor his liberal allies can cover up 23
years of votes that fly in the face of the Republican Party's most
cherished principles."
For his part, Specter is also trying to question Toomey's
credentials and the role of conservatism in the election.
"My opponent is not far right, he's far out," he said.
The weeklong run of ads costing about $9,000 represents the first
time Main Street Partnership has aired negative commercials and
signals an effort to counter attacks against moderates. The group
has budgeted $1.1 million to support Specter.
The ads come in response to attacks against Specter by Toomey and
The Club for Growth, a conservative group that has steered
thousands of dollars to help Toomey.
The race quickly took a personal and nasty turn after Club for
Growth President Stephen Moore told a New York Times reporter that
blocking Specter's bid for a fifth term would be "a major
scalp on the wall."
"They want a four-term senator so the other senators will
behave," Specter said.
Much of the GOP leadership, including the White House and U.S.
Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., have come out squarely behind Specter
despite frequent splits on issues.
They want to retain control of the Senate, where Republicans hold
a 51-49 majority.
Presenting a more moderate face is crucial for Bush, who sees
Pennsylvania as a critical state to his re-election.
Yet many Pennsylvania conservatives, who tend to be more reliable
primary voters, feel uneasy about Specter.
"A lot of the party faithful understands that compromises
need to be made to get legislation," said Perry Stambaugh,
the Perry County Republican chairman. "But there is a sizable
percentage that are purists. I think they are very dismayed over
some of the positions that Senator Specter has taken over 24
years."
