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(CNN) - Rep. Joe Sestak gets the backing of a big name Monday morning as House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank endorses his fellow Democrat's bid for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter.

According to a press release from the Sestak campaign, Frank will endorse the representative from Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district when the two men team up at a news conference in Philadelphia.

Specter, up for re-election next year, is fighting for a sixth term in the Senate. The longtime Republican switched his party identity from Republican to Democrat earlier this year. Even though Specter has the backing of the Democratic Party and the White House, he's facing a primary challenge from Sestak, a former Navy admiral who first won election to Congress in 2006.

In published interviews, Frank has been critical of Specter's party switch.

Polls in Pennsylvania indicate that Specter's large primary lead over Sestak has shrunk to the low double digits.

Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Rep. Joe Sestak, a Pennsylvania Democrat who served in the Navy for 30 years, called a group of servicemen responsible for hazing a gay colleague a "rogue unit" and an "aberration."

Sestak told CNN Monday that the case of Joseph Rocha, a gay sailor who was abused by his colleagues in a canine unit in Bahrain, was "almost nauseating."

Rocha in an earlier interview said his supervisor was responsible for the hazing and said he believes that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy – which bars gays and lesbians from openly serving - played a role.

Sestak has asked the Navy to do a further investigation into the case and he told CNN that "don't ask, don't tell" should have been repealed a long time ago.

"We should have done away with it years ago," Sestak CNN’s “The Situation Room.” "We're absolutely not adhering to the ideals of our nation, that everyone is treated and respected equally, and I think that was part of what led to this. Although on the whole it's a lack of accountability, and I hope that this year, prior to December, that our president having taken care of the economy and health care is to then repeal 'don't ask, don't tell.'"

(CNN) – Democratic Reps. Jason Altmire and Joe Sestak, both second-term congressmen who marched in Monday's Allegheny County Labor Day parade in Pittsburgh, represent districts on opposite ends of the state. Also miles apart: their views on the best way to approach health care reform.

Hours away from Washington, the fight over the nation's health care system - and questions over what President Obama should say this week - took center stage at the Monday parade in Pittsburgh. Some union members marched with signs calling for health care reform. Others carried signs pushing a government-run system.

Altmire, a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dogs, is emphasizing cost containment and does not want to see any tax increases to help pay for reform - a concern that led to his vote against the Democratic bill in the Health, Education and Labor committee.

"I don't want to do that on the tax side. I don't want to have to raise taxes to do health care reform. If the Senate sends us a bill with that, we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it," Altmire tells CNN. He says he might consider supporting a proposed government insurance plan - a so-called "public option" - as long as it doesn't unfairly undercut private insurance companies.

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WASHINGTON (CNN) – Rep. Joe Sestak beat out Sen. Arlen Specter in a straw poll conducted at the 2009 Netroots Nation conference in Pittsburgh, an annual gathering of liberal online political activists and bloggers.

Sestak received 46 percent of the vote, while Specter got 10 percent, in this unscientific survey of 235 attendees who participated. Sestak is challenging Specter in the 2010 Pennsylvania Democratic primary.

Specter left the Republican Party earlier this year to became a Democrat.

Thirty-three percent of those queried in the straw poll said they did not know who they supported in the upcoming Democratic primary and seven percent said they supported neither Sestak nor Specter.

Related: CNN's Mark Preston discusses 'Netroots Nation' in a CNN Radio podcast

Among the field of likely contenders for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, 36 percent of participants in the straw poll rated former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin as the easiest to beat. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty were each rated easiest to beat by one percent of those surveyed in the straw poll.

The straw poll was conducted Aug. 13-14 at the conference by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and Democracy Corps in conjunction with the Campaign for America’s Future.

Conservative online political activists and bloggers are also gathering in Pittsburgh for the 2009 RightOnline conference over the weekend.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Rep. Joe Sestak officially declared his candidacy for the the Democratic Senate nomination in Pennsylvania Tuesday, setting up a primary season showdown with incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter.

Although his campaign team has been sharply critical of Specter since he began considering a run, Sestak focused on policy matters in his announcement - the economy, health care and other challenges.

"These problems, when I am your senator, are not going to just disappear overnight - I can't promise you that," he said. "But I can promise you that you will have working for you the hardest working senator. That you will have the most honest of senators, the most accountable of senators. You will have the most caring of senators, and you will have the senator with the most energy."

As for Specter: "We are where we are today, and if everybody's happy with that, he's your guy."

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WASHINGTON (CNN) – Rep. Joe Sestak is expected to officially declare his candidacy for the Democratic Senate nomination Tuesday, setting up a primary season showdown with incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter, a source close to Sestak confirmed to CNN Monday.

Sestak's campaign said in a Twitter message Monday morning that the Philadelphia-area congressman will be making a "major announcement" Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. The announcement, which will take place at a VFW hall in his district, will be webcast live on his campaign site.

A Quinnipiac poll late last month indicated that Specter, who's received the public backing of President Obama and party leaders since his defection from the Republican Party this spring, had a 55 percent to 23 percent advantage in a hypothetical Democratic primary matchup – though his 20-point edge over prospective GOP challenger Pat Toomey had vanished.

(CNN) - A new poll of Pennsylvania voters suggests that Sen. Arlen Specter's double-digit lead over Republican challenger Pat Toomey in his bid for re-election next year has disappeared.

Forty-five percent of people questioned in a Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday say they'd back Specter if the 2010 election were held today, with 44 percent supporting Toomey. That's a dramatic change from early May, soon after Specter switched from the Republican to Democratic parties, when a Quinnipiac poll indicated Specter held a 20 point lead over Toomey.

By a 49 to 40 percent margin, the poll indicates that Specter does not deserve to be re-elected to a sixth term next year. And 47 percent approve of how Specter's handling his duties as senator, matching his lowest approval rating ever in Quinnipiac polling. Forty-six percent disapprove, the highest disapproval rating ever.

"Sen. Arlen Specter's 20-point lead over former Congressman Pat Toomey less than three months ago has virtually vanished," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Voters see Sen. Specter much less favorably than they once did and are net negative about giving him a sixth term in the U.S. Senate."
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(CNN) – Sen. Arlen Specter's campaign said Tuesday it raked in $1.73 million in the second quarter of this year, giving the Republican-turned-Democrat from Pennsylvania around $7.5 million in cash on hand.

"Our impressive fundraising this quarter demonstrates the strong support I have in the Democratic Party and across Pennsylvania," said Specter in a statement released by his campaign Tuesday.

Rep. Joe Sestak's re-election campaign reported Monday that the Pennsylvania Democrat raised more than $1 million in this year's second quarter, with around $4.2 million in the bank.

The two-term congressman from the state's 7th District has said that he plans to challenge Specter for the Democratic Senate nomination next year. Specter has the backing of President Barack Obama and party leaders as he gears up for re-election in 2010. On Tuesday, his campaign pointed to a new string of endorsements by local Democratic officials as evidence he was making headway in his efforts to win over the party's base.

On Monday, Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey said his campaign for the Senate has raised $1.6 million since he jumped into the race on April 15. Toomey's campaign also announced that they have $1.1 million cash on hand.

(CNN) - Rep. Joe Sestak's re-election campaign reports Monday that the Pennsylvania Democrat raised more than $1 million in this year's second quarter, with around $4.2 million in the bank.

The two-term congressman from Pennsylvania's 7th District has said that he will challenge Sen. Arlen Specter for the Democratic Senate nomination next year. Specter, a long time Republican, switched his party registration to Democrat earlier this year and has the backing of President Barack Obama and party leaders, as he gears up for re-election in 2010.

Sestak is in the middle of a tour of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, and could have an official announcement regarding a Senate bid when that tour is over at the end of the month.

"We believe this means we will have more cash on hand than any Senate challenger. As you know, this was achieved without the institutional support of the Democratic establishment," says Sestak spokesman Joe Langdon.

Specter's campaign has not released their second quarter figures yet. At the end of the first quarter, Specter had more than $6.7 million in the bank.

Earlier Monday Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey said his campaign for the Senate has raked in $1.6 million since he jumped into the race on April 15. Toomey's campaign also announced that they have $1.1 million cash on hand.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter called his fellow Democrat, Rep. Joe Sestak, a "flagrant hypocrite" and accused his rival of registering as a Democrat "just in time to run for Congress."

Sestak has said that he will challenge Specter, who has the backing of President Obama and party leaders, for the Democratic Senate nomination next year. Specter, a longtime Republican, switched his party registration to Democrat this year.

On Thursday, Specter's campaign sought to bring into question Sestak's roots to the Democratic Party. Specter's campaign sent out a list of Sestak's voting history in Delaware County, which the senator's campaign said showed that Sestak registered as an Independent in 1971, didn't vote in any primary elections from 1971-2005 and that he officially registered as a Democrat in February of 2006. Sestak was elected as a Democrat to the House in 2006.

"Congressman Sestak is a flagrant hypocrite in challenging my being a real Democrat when he did not register as a Democrat until 2006 just in time to run for Congress," Specter said in the statement. "His lame excuse for avoiding party affiliation, because he was in the service, is undercut by his documented disinterest in the political process."

Update, 7:11 p.m.: In a statement given to CNN, Sestak defended his record, saying he was an Independent while he served in the Navy because he believed that "military officers should be nonpartisan." He said he voted numerous times by absentee ballot, but that it is "all too common" for military votes to go uncounted because they arrive late.

"We've learned today that Arlen Specter can abandon his party, but he just cant quit making Republican swift-boat attacks on the integrity of Democrats who served in our military," Sestak also said in the statement. He added, "My question to Arlen Specter is this: do you regret voting for George Bush and John McCain? Why should Democrats support someone like you who actively campaigned as recently as last year for politicians with values like George W. Bush?"

(CNN) - A new poll of Pennsylvania voters suggests that Sen. Arlen Specter's lead over his most likely Republican challenger in next year's re-election battle is shrinking.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday indicates that Specter tops former Rep. Pat Toomey by nine points, 46 percent to 37 percent. That's down from a 20 point lead that Specter held over Toomey in Quinnipiac's previous poll, which was released at the beginning of May, around the time that Specter switched from a Republican to a Democrat.

The poll suggests that Specter would top Rep. Joe Sestak 50 percent to 21 percent in a probable Democratic primary matchup. On Wednesday, Sestak announced that he would challenge Specter as long as his family goes along with the decision. The poll was conducted before Sestak's decision was announced.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) – Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak told CNN Wednesday he intends to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in a Pennsylvania Democratic primary pending a discussion with his wife and young daughter.

"I personally have made a decision that I intend to get in this race with one other item," Sestak told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. "I haven't … had the time to sit down with my eight-year-old daughter or my wife to make sure that we are all ready to get in."

Earlier Wednesday, CNN's Candy Crowley confirmed Sestak has informed supporters he intends to run and is seeking to fundraise for the bid ahead of the second quarter filing deadline in June.

In his interview with CNN, Sestak said he is not deterred by the fact President Obama and congressional Democrats have already aligned behind Specter.

"I was disappointed that the Washington political establishment had decided to anoint someone from Pennsylvania, and so I said I would wait and listen," he said. "And I spent the last weeks going around Pennsylvania to see if others felt like me."

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(CNN) -- Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak has informed supporters he plans to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary, a spokesman for the congressman tells CNN.

Jonathon Dworkin, Sestak's communications director, confirmed the authenticity of a handwritten letter from Sestak - first posted on the Web site Talking Points Memo - to a supporter in which the congressman states, "I intend to run for the U.S. Senate."

Dworkin also confirms quotes from Sestak's sister to TPM stating, "He intends to get in the race,..."In the not too distant future, he will sit down with his wife and daughter to make the final decision."

Sestak’s decision to challenge Specter, who recently switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, puts the congressman at odds with Democratic congressional leaders and President Obama. The president and the congressional leaders have endorsed Specter for re-election in 2010.

Sestak will appear on CNN's The Situation Room to discuss the race at 6:45 p.m. EST.

Text of the letter:

"I am writing you as especially dear supporters to let you know I intend to run for the U.S. Senate...my candidacy's credibility will have much to do with my fundraising success by the 30 June FEC filing deadline at the end of this quarter. Would you help me bring the change for the future we Pennsylvanians need[?]"

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter received welcome news Thursday evening when his only current primary challenger abandoned a run for the Democratic Senate nomination, two Democratic sources tell CNN.

Joe Torsella, the former president of the National Constitution Center, will officially announce his decision on his campaign Web site Thursday evening.

Specter and national Democratic leaders are still waiting word on whether the former Republican will be challenged for the Democratic nomination by Rep. Joe Sestak, who has not ruled out a bid for the Senate nomination.

In several interviews since Specter's switch, Sestak has been critical of the senator.

"I'm not sure he's a Democrat yet," the congressman told CNN's John King on State of the Union nearly two weeks ago.

Specter recently renounced his GOP affiliation and joined the Democratic Party. His switch is key to helping give President Obama a filibuster-proof majority - in theory - in the Senate.

Specter gives Democrats 59 votes in the chamber. Democrat Al Franken would give Democrats the 60th vote needed once his Senate race with GOP Sen. Norm Coleman is resolved. It is believed that Franken, who holds a lead of a few hundred votes over Coleman, will prevail in the courts.

Obama and national Democratic leaders embraced Specter after he switched parties, and pledged to support him in his 2010 re-election bid.

UPDATE 9:33 pm.: Joe Torsella makes it official.
(See Torsella's statement and link to his video announcement after the jump.)
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WASHINGTON (CNN) – Pennsylvania’s junior Sen. Bob Casey appeared to open the door Sunday for a possible challenger to Arlen Specter, the state’s senior senator and a newly-minted Democrat.

Casey seemed to part ways with his party’s leadership when asked by CNN’s John King whether Democratic Party leaders - including President Obama, Vice President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell - should be making public pledges of support to Specter in an apparent effort to dissuade any would-be primary challengers to the former Republican.

“I don’t think anyone in our party should ever dictate to a candidate,” Casey said on State of the Union. “That’s really up to that candidate, to run or not run,” Casey, a longtime Obama backer added.

Casey, who recently announced his own support for Specter, seemed to be acknowledging the possible candidacy of Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak.

While Sestak has yet to formally announce that he will challenge Specter for Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senate nomination, the congressman has been critical of Specter in a number of interviews since Specter’s recent defection to the Democratic Party.

A week ago on State of the Union, Sestak questioned whether Specter was a Democrat yet. That criticism was shortly followed by Sestak suggesting that even if Specter won in 2010, he might not be a reliable member of the Democratic Party in 2016.

Pennsylvania Democrat Joe Torsella, who announced his intention to run before Specter’s party switch, has said he is staying in the race and will challenge Specter for the Democratic nod.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican who was considered a potentially formidable challenger to Specter in a general election match-up, recently announced that he will not run for election to the Senate in 2010.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak is stepping up his drumbeat of criticism directed at fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, who recently defected from the Republican Party in order to seek re-election as a Democrat in 2010.

During a Tuesday interview, Sestak rhetorically asked CNN's Rick Sanchez what Specter's positions were on issues including health care and education. "But, more than that . . . it's reliability," he told Sanchez.

"Will he be with us in 2016? This appears to me to be, unfortunately, more of the political Democratic establishment that made a understandably – but I think short-sighted - decision for expediency here in Washington. What's in it for Pennsylvanians is the question in the long term."

Sestak also said Tuesday that Specter's likely vote with Senate Republicans against the Employee Free Choice Act won't be the sole decisive factor in whether he challenges the incumbent in the Democratic primary.

Sestak, who told CNN Sunday that he wasn't sure whether Specter was a really Democrat yet, also said Tuesday that it was his new colleague's "responsibility to act how he thinks is right. It's our responsibility as Pennsylvanians to judge his actions."

Specter's recent decision to switch to the Democratic Party was immediately followed by pledges of support from President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

(CNN) - Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak told CNN Sunday that he wasn't sure Sen. Arlen Specter is really part of the Democratic Party, the latest in a series of tough comments aimed at his potential Senate primary rival.

"I'm not sure he's a Democrat yet," he told John King on State of the Union.

President Obama said earlier in the week that Specter had his support, with one administration official saying it took the president about "seven seconds" to make that decision.

Those remarks don't faze Sestak.

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(CNN) - Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak told CNN Sunday that he wasn't sure Sen. Arlen Specter is really part of the Democratic Party, the latest in a series of tough comments aimed at his potential Senate primary rival.

"I'm not sure he's a Democrat yet," he told John King on State of the Union.

President Obama said earlier in the week that Specter had his support, with one administration official saying it took the president about "seven seconds" to make that decision.

Those remarks don't faze Sestak.

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(CNN) - A suburban Philadelphia congressman says he has not ruled out a run for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2010 - even if that means bucking the Democratic leadership to challenge newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter.

Rep. Joe Sestak, a retired admiral, told CNN that he had paid no mind to the Democratic leadership when he ran for Congress in 2006.

"They said, 'We don't want you in the race,'" Sestak, 57, told CNN's Rick Sanchez. "'We have someone else.' Called me back the next day to say the same thing. I said, 'I wasn't asking. I was informing you.'

"Here's what I believe. The Democratic political establishment in Washington, D.C., can say whatever they want, and we need to listen to it," he said. "But at the end of the day, this decision is going to be made by us, very independent-minded Pennsylvanians. I'm in a district that's 53 percent Republican, 37 percent Democrat. I wouldn't have gotten elected as a Democrat unless they were independent-minded."

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