In a head-to-head fall matchup, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) maintains a lead over Republican Pat Toomey, although the former Lehigh Valley congressman has gained ground, according to a poll released this morning.

Specter holds a 46-37, percent edge, Quinnipiac University found. That is down from a 53-33 percent margin Specter enjoyed in a May 4 poll by the Connecticut university.

“Sen. Arlen Specter’s numbers have slipped since the controversy that followed his switch to the Democratic Party, but he’s still better off than he would have been if he stayed a Republican and faced a tough primary challenge from former Rep. Pat Toomey,” said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac’s Polling Institute.

The survey shows that Specter and Toomey hold huge leads in head-to-head matchups with possible primary opponents: Specter is besting Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak 50-21, while Toomey is topping U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach 38-10 percent.

The poll surveyed 1,191 state voters from May 20-26 and has a margin of error of 2.8 percent.

It also showed that Pennsylvanians are giving high approval ratings to President Obama (62-31), Gov. Rendell (54-37) and Sen. Robert P. Casey (56-21).

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Allegheny County executive Dan Onorato is not yet a candidate for governor but his supporters are opening their wallets for him anyway.

Onorato, a Democrat, is reporting more than $4 million in his campaign account, about $1 million more than the combined cash of the six other likely candidates, according to the Tribune-Review.

Onorato will need a healthy war chest to take on candidates who have personal fortunes to bank roll their campaigns (Philly businessman Tom Knox) and those who have won statewide elections, including Democrat Auditor General Jack Wagner and Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett.

Knox, who spent a whopping $12 million in his unsuccessful 2007 bid for Philadelphia mayor, had just $76,000 in his campaign account at the end of 2008. He told the Tribune-Review he is willing to spend "whatever is necessary" in the 2010 governor's race.

Also considering entering the race are Republicans U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach and former U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan and Democrat Don Cunningham, the Lehigh County executive.

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The Rendell administration’s full frontal assault on the budget adopted by the GOP-controlled Senate continued today, and Republicans have had about enough of it.

Pennsylvania’s top insurance official warned that the spending plan would devastate the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program.

“If these cuts remain unaltered, we will be faced with decidedly harsh choices,” Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario said at a Capitol news conference. “We will be turning away many, many children in need of health care, or significantly scaling back the CHIP benefit package – or both.”

The Senate earlier this month passed a $27.3-billion budget, one that is greatly scaled back from the $29 billion in spending Rendell had proposed.

Ever since, the administration in a concerted PR campaign has complained about the cuts. They are bad for the health of our children. They are bad for the environment. They are bad for education.

You name it, and it’s just plain bad, according to a chorus of Rendell administration officials who have lined up each day to deride the GOP plan.

It’s getting so contentious that Republicans on the House Education Committee yesterday boycotted a panel meeting because of expectations of continued harping.

Republicans, meantime, have turned to accusing the governor of doing his best Chicken Little imitation.

When top Conservation and Natural Resources department officials released a list of dozens of state parks that would be forced to close, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati fired back.

“Citizens have, sadly, come to expect some exaggeration from state agencies seeking additional tax dollars,” said Scarnati (R., Jefferson). “But the claims made by DCNR are over the line.”

And today, Ario’s comments were met with a stiff rebuke by Sen. Don White (R., Indiana).

Rendell, White said, “has marched out his cabinet members on an almost daily basis to forecast gloom and doom if the Legislature doesn’t accept his budget.”

White said the Senate budget maintains CHIP funding at its current level, thereby ensuring that a monthly average of 195,000 children receive subsidized health coverage.

Fair warning: The public should expect more of the same backbiting as the legislature and the administration move towards a budget compromise in the coming weeks.
 

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Former LG Bill Scranton, a prominent Republican moderate, endorses conservative Pat Toomey for Senate this morning. It's a coup for Toomey, a sign he is making progress in efforts to consolidate support in the party.

“I’m very confident in Pat Toomey and happy to support his candidacy," Scranton said in a statement. "Pat’s message of government reform, fiscal discipline, and restrained spending is one that all Pennsylvanians can rally around.  I call upon our party leaders to unite around Pat Toomey’s candidacy and help put a Republican back in the Senate.”

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Newly-minted Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter is busy trying to woo Democratic leaders from the party chair on down.

Politico reports this morning that Specter is making calls and dropping by to talk to local elected Democratic leaders, county and ward leaders hoping to secure their support in 2010.

Even with the backing of President Obama and Gov. Rendell, it may well be an uphill battle for the former Republican to win over state Democrats, who until recently had been busy lining up candidates to defeat him.

Specter got positive marks from Peggy Grove, chairwoman of the south-central region’s Democratic caucus.

“He sounded energized; he sounded on top of every issue,” said Grove. “I wanted to see whether he was still on top of his game, and he is.”

But Allegheny County Democratic Party chairman James Burn said the "comfort level" among Democrats doesn't exist yet.

“If the primary were tomorrow and there were one or two other formidable contenders in the race, I wouldn’t say with any certainty that he would win," he said.

Specter's only confirmed competition in the Democratic primary is state Rep. William Kortz II from Allegheny County. U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak has not yet decided whether he will run.

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First Lady Michelle Obama has touched off a gardening frenzy among the nation's governors.

In the backyards of executive mansions from coast to coast governors are posing for photos ops  - shovel in hand - to show off their new vegetable patches. 

Today Gov. Rendell joins the burgeoning governors gardening movement, announcing the groundbreaking of a garden at his official residence in Harrisburg.

Only he's not going to be there. The press release says the "governor's staff" along with students from the Future Farmers of America program will plant a vegetable and herb garden on the grounds of the governor's mansion this morning.

Also on hand will be the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association to answer questions about the garden. And executive Chef Barry Crumlich will serve up samples of foods that can be made with fresh homegrown ingredients.

One Capitol observer said he was not surprised at Rendell's absence, figuring the planting of fresh veggies were not high on his priority list. The cheesesteak-loving governor is associated with meat, he said. The idea of Rendell chowing down on a big bowl of the "green and leafys," not so much.

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After weeks of rumblings from the left and a continuing flirtation with a primary challenge by Rep. Joe Sestak, the White House struck back today on behalf of NewDem Sen. Arlen Specter.

Vice President Biden sent an email to more than 500,000 DNC and Organizing for American supporters in Pennsylvania asking them to welcome "my friend Arlen" to the Democratic Party. It's just a little reminder of the reach of the party establishment that Specter will have on his side as he seeks a sixth term in 2010.

It reads, in part:

"His independence, integrity, and piercing intellect will continue to be a tremendous asset to the people of Pennsylvania, and now, to the Democratic caucus in the Senate.

I know that he'll keep up his great work on issues ranging from cancer research funding to global warming, deficit control to immigration reform -- and in our coming debate to reform America's health care system.

Thousands of you have already written messages of support, welcoming Arlen to the party, and he was tremendously pleased to receive them.

I know that once you come to know him like I do, you'll be just as happy as I am to have him."

Biden's email also refers people to this link to learn more about Specter.

 

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The biggest question in Pennsylvania politics at the moment is: Will Joe run? That is, will U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak challenge new Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2010 Senate primary? 

And if Sestak is in, the next question is who will seek his Congressional seat? Columnist Hal Donahue, writing in the Huffington Post, says state House Rep. Bryan Lentz is the candidate for the 7th Congressional district. Donahue waxes effusive over Lentz' heroic military service in Iraq and his support for veterans' issues along with Democratic causes, like the environment, abortion rights and gay rights. 

For his part, Lentz told Commonwealth Confidential today he's strongly considering going after Sestak's seat if Sestak decides to take on Specter.

"I'm likely go after the Democratic nomination to replace him," said Lentz, a two-term lawmaker from Delaware County. "I love the job of being a legislator and the opportunity to serve at the federal level doesn't come up that often, so I would likely to take advantage of that opportunity and pursue the seat."

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Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Pat Toomey sounded off on everything from the state of the economy to waterboarding during an appearance earlier today at the monthly Press Club luncheon in Harrisburg.

Toomey spent the first half hour of his speech chronicling what he believes led to the economic debacle that has even the most veteran of economists divided on how to fix the problem. (Hint: among other things, he talked about the Fed keeping interest rates too low and creating a credit bubble that morphed into a real-estate bubble; and he took aim at what he called the "politicization of the mortgage industry," with loans being extended to people who couldn't demonstrate the ability to pay them back -- subprime loans, anyone??).

During the question and answer period, Toomey was asked whether he thought waterboarding was a form of torture (he declined to answer the question); and whether he believes in prosecuting those who pushed the practice (he said he believes it would not be "constructive" and would have "a profoundly chilling effect on our ability to get the best possible advice from people serving in our government in the future.").

And after the event was over, Toomey was encircled by reporters, during which he laid into U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, whose recent switch to the Democratic party is still reverberating politically.

About Specter, Toomey said he believes he'll have problems winning the trust of Democratic voters, who could view his party affiliation change as an example of flip-flopping for political expediency.

"And that's a problem," said Toomey. "I'm not sure Sen. Specter can overcome that problem."

Asked about his own chances of winning in a state that has historically been unkind to conservative candidates, Toomey said "you can't get hung up on labels," and believes his message of personal and fiscal responsibility will resonate with voters.

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