Specter starts anew with longtime constituents

HERSHEY, Pennsylvania (CNN) - He has represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate for nearly three decades, but Arlen Specter now has to re-introduce himself back home.

That was the primary goal at Specter's first town-hall meeting as a Democrat on Monday, where he was still stunningly blunt about the real reason he left the GOP: Specter knew he would lose his seat as a Republican.

"Do I want to stay in the Senate, of course I do. Do you like your jobs? Sure you do," Specter quipped to an audience of some 300 at the Hershey Medical Center.

But Specter also made clear he is now on a campaign to convince voters that his abrupt party switch isn't just about him, it's about what he does for them.

"My senior position on appropriations has enabled me to bring a lot of jobs and a lot of federal funding to this state," Specter said.

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