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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.

LEBANON, Pennsylvania (CNN) - A hostile crowd shouted questions and made angry statements against overhauling the health-care system at a town hall meeting Tuesday led by Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter.

The meeting drew an overflow crowd of 250 people, with more gathered outside the hall to demonstrate for and against President Barack Obama's push to expand health insurance for 46 million people now without coverage while bringing down costs.

It was the latest in a series of emotional public meetings on the health-care issue that have prompted Obama and Democratic leaders to complain of a campaign by opponents to drown out the debate with unruly disruptions.

At one point, Specter shouted into his microphone that demonstrators disrupting the proceedings would be thrown out.

"We're not going to tolerate any demonstrations or any booing," he said after one audience member shoved another making an unsolicited speech. "So it's up to you."

Many in the crowd identified themselves as conservative Republicans, with one man noting they had voted Specter to Congress before the senator changed parties earlier this year.

Related video: Watch more of Specter's Tuesday town hall

A woman prompted a standing ovation by telling Specter: "I don't believe this is just health care. This is about the systematic dismantling of this country. … I don't want this country turning into Russia, turning into a socialized country. What are you going to do to restore this country back to what our founders created, according to the Constitution?"

Specter responded by noting his support for the Constitution as a past chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on issues such as warrantless wiretaps.

"When you ask me to defend the Constitution, that's what I've been doing," Specter said.

However, Specter also noted that overhauling the health-care system is about America taking care of all its people.

"In our social contract, we have provisions that see to it that you take care of people who need some help," he said.

Several people asked if a health-care bill would mean taxpayer dollars would pay for others to get abortions. Specter responded that any measure passed by Congress would allow people to choose a plan that didn't cover abortions.
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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) - It's not easy being an incumbent governor nowadays.

Just ask Pennsylvania's Ed Rendell: A new poll of Keystone State voters suggests that second-term governor's approval rating has dropped to an all-time low.

Thirty-nine percent of those questioned in a Quinnipiac University survey released Tuesday approve of the job Rendell's doing as Pennsylvania governor. That's a drop of 15 points from May, and marks Rendell's lowest level ever in Quinnipiac polling.

The survey indicates that nine out of ten Pennsylvania voters say the inability of Rendell and state lawmakers to come up with a budget agreement by the June 30th deadline is a serious problem, and Rendell gets much of the blame.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) - By any measure, Pat Toomey's having a pretty good week.

On Monday, the Pennsylvania Republican learned that state senator Jane Orie wouldn't be challenging him in the GOP Senate primary next year – news that broke, coincidentally enough, the same day the former congressman's campaign announced a cash haul of $1.6 million for the quarter.

And today, the frontrunner got the nod from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The NRSC resisted calls to endorse Toomey after Arlen Specter defected to the Democratic Party, as rumors swirled they were looking for a more moderate candidate to take on the incumbent. Last week, NRSC officials met with Orie – a visit they described as a courtesy call.

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(CNN) – A new poll of Pennsylvania voters suggests that Sen. Arlen Specter's job approval rating has nose-dived over the past few months.

Thirty-four percent of those questioned in a Franklin and Marshall College survey released Thursday approve of the job Specter's doing as senator. That's down 18 points from a 52 percent approval rating in a Franklin and Marshall poll conducted in March.

The survey also indicates that only 28 percent believe Specter deserves to be re-elected next year, down from 40 percent in March.

Specter switched his political affiliation from the Republican to Democratic party in late April.

"The poll indicates that the party switch hurt him among Republicans - which is not surprising - but that it also hurt him among Independents," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

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(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) - 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) – After much speculation, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge announced Thursday that he would not run for the Senate in 2010.

Ridge, a centrist Republican, had been courted by some elders in his party to seek the GOP nomination after Sen. Arlen Specter switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat.

"I am enormously grateful for the confidence my party expressed in me, the encouragement and kindness of my fellow citizens in Pennsylvania and the valuable counsel I received from so many of my party colleagues," Ridge said in a statement. "The 2010 race has significant implications for my party, and that required thoughtful reflection. All of the above made my decision a difficult and deeply personal conclusion to reach."

Ridge said he will continue to stay involved in politics and added that he will help the GOP "craft solutions that both sides of the aisle can embrace."

"To those who believe that the Republican Party is facing challenges, they are right," Ridge said. "To those who believe the Democratic Party is without its own difficulties, they are wrong. No one party has a monopoly on all of the answers. The more important view, in my mind, is that we remember, whether Republican or Democrat, we are foremost Americans. And as Americans, we have always overcome challenges when we put partisanship aside and solutions first."

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.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new poll of Pennsylvania voters suggests that the newest Democrat in Congress, Sen. Arlen Specter, would easily beat his old rival, Republican Pat Toomey, in Specter's battle for re-election next year.

But the Quinnipiac University survey, released Monday, indicates that Specter would have a much tougher re-election fight on his hands if he faces
off in 2010 against former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.

Last Tuesday Specter, who has represented Pennsylvania in the Senate for nearly 30 years as a Republican, announced he was switching his party affiliation from the GOP to the Democrats.

The longtime moderate Republican said he was "anxious" to stay in the Senate, and didn't want to face a Republican primary in order to keep his seat next year.

"I was unwilling to subject my 29-year record in the U.S. Senate to the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate," Specter said Tuesday. "But I am pleased to run in the primary on the Democratic ticket and am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers in the general election."

Fifty-three percent of Pennsylvania voters say they would back Specter if their state's Senate race were held today, with 33 percent supporting Toomey. The fiscally conservative former congressman narrowly lost to Specter in the 2004 Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary and decided to take on Specter a second time after Specter was one of only three Republicans in Congress to vote for President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus package.

But if Specter faces off against Ridge, a popular former Pennsylvania governor before joining the Bush Administration after the September 11th attacks as the first director and then secretary of Homeland Security, the poll indicates the race, if held today, would be extremely close. Forty-six percent of those questioned back Specter, with 43 percent supporting Ridge.

CNN's Dana Bash reports that Ridge has been formally approached by the Republican establishment in Pennsylvania to try and run in next year's election. A GOP strategist tells Bash that while it would be a struggle to encourage Ridge to run, the former governor did not close the door to the suggestion in his private conversation with top state Republicans.

"Gov. Tom Ridge is probably the only political figure in Pennsylvania who could give Sen. Arlen Specter a run for his money. But even if he gets a strong challenge from a Republican, Specter is still better off for having changed parties because he seemed headed to certain defeat had he stayed a Republican and faced Toomey in a primary," says Clay Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
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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) - 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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WASHINGTON (CNN) - The chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman said Tuesday that Arlen Specter owes Republican voters in the state an apology for saying in the past he would not switch parties.

"I, like many of my fellow Pennsylvania Republicans, took Senator Specter at his word when he said that he would not switch parties, and I believe he owes every Republican who has supported him over the last three decades an apology," said state GOP chairman Rob Gleason in a statement.

Gleason also said Specter should "do the right thing and proactively return any and all campaign contributions he has received in recent months to run as a Republican in the upcoming election."

Specter said in a statement earlier Tuesday that he planned to return donations if he was asked to do so. "Upon request, I will return campaign contributions contributed during this cycle," he said.

Saying he is "deeply disappointed" in Specter, Gleason made a point of stressing that "the Republican Party has room for conservatives and moderates because we are the party of ideas."

(CNN) - It's official. Former Rep. Pat Toomey is challenging Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter for his Senate seat, again.

Toomey formally announced his 2010 Senate bid Wednesday, the second time he will challenge the incumbent Pennsylvania senator after running an unsuccessful primary campaign against him in 2004.

"I'm running against Arlen Specter in the Republican primary because we need a new direction and positive solutions," Toomey says on his campaign website, ToomeyForSenate.com.

Toomey announced Monday he would begin taking steps to challenge Specter, but formally announced his candidacy Wednesday. Specter had already begun releasing campaign ads targeting his opponent before the former congressman made his announcement official.

Toomey's replacement at the head of the limited-government, anti-tax Club for Growth is former Rep. Chris Chocola. The new president announced Wednesday the group was making its first two Senate endorsements of the 2010 cycle, backing incumbent Republicans Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. Arlen Specter is wasting no time trying to get the upper hand in what might be a bloody 2010 Senate Republican primary battle.

The Pennsylvania senator is airing a new 30-second television ad that targets fellow Republican Pat Toomey, who challenged Specter in the 2004 GOP primary but hasn't yet announced a 2010 run.

"Toomey has been attacking Sen. Specter non-stop for the last six weeks, so we decided to reply," Specter campaign manager Christopher Nicholas told CNN about Specter's early bird strategy.

As the nation continues to battle a recession, the spot focuses on Toomey's background as a Wall Street trader and his views on financial and economic policy matters.

Entitled "Bonus," the new ad began airing Thursday on cable networks across Pennsylvania. It is supported by $100,000 ad buy, according to Nicholas.

A Quinnipiac University survey of registered Pennsylvania voters released last week suggested Specter trails Toomey in a hypothetical Republican primary matchup by a 41 to 27 percent margin, with 28 percent unsure. But a Franklin and Marshall College poll released the same day indicates that Specter leads Toomey 33 percent to 18 percent, with 7 percent for other candidates and 42 percent unsure. While the Franklin and Marshall survey suggests that Specter leads in the matchup, 51 percent of Republicans questioned in that poll believe its time for a change rather than see Specter re-elected.

(Full script after the jump)

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(CNN) - As Sen. Arlen Specter gets ready to run for a sixth term next year, two new polls offer mixed signals on just how hard a road to re-election the Pennsylvania Republican faces.

A Quinnipiac University survey of registered Pennsylvania voters released Wednesday suggests Specter trails conservative Pat Toomey in a hypothetical Republican primary matchup by a 41 to 27 percent margin, with 28 percent unsure. But a Franklin and Marshall College poll released the same day indicates that Specter leads Toomey 33 percent to 18 percent, with 7 percent for other candidates and 42 percent unsure. While the Franklin and Marshall survey suggests that Specter leads in the matchup, 51 percent of Republicans questioned in that poll believe its time for a change rather than see Specter re-elected.

In the Republican primary six years ago, Specter narrowly edged out Toomey, at the time a three term member of the House of Representatives. Nowadays Toomey is the president of the Club for Growth, a conservative political organization that raises money for candidates who support a low tax and limited government agenda. Toomey is inching closer to a rematch with Specter.

Specter was one of only three Republican lawmakers in Congress who supported President Barack Obama's stimulus plan. His vote in favor of the stimulus, along with fellow Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, were crucial to the passage of the bill.

The Quinnipiac poll suggests that Specter is paying a political price for his support of the stimulus. The survey indicates that Specter has an overall approval rating of 52 percent, but that drops to 36 percent among Republicans. Seven out of ten Democrats approve of how Specter's handling his job as senator. Eight-seven percent of Democrats support Specter's vote on the stimulus, while seven out of ten Republican disapprove of his vote.

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