"It's not [just] that nobody knows him west of Harrisburg," Rendell said. "It's that nobody knows him in Bucks County, nobody knows him in Philadelphia."
But Specter's support may be soft. A recent labor-funded poll of likely Democratic voters, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, shows that Specter leads Sestak by only 8 points when respondents are read a positive profile of each candidate. Among voters who already know both candidates, Sestak actually leads Specter 52-44.
Raising the kind of money Sestak needs to get his message out will be difficult, with Democratic leaders leaning on donors to contribute to Specter. The congressman has a respectable $3.5 million in the bank, but Specter already had about $6.7 million at the close of the last quarter.
"If he does run against Arlen," said Upper Darby GOP Chairman John McNichol, "[Sestak] doesn't have a prayer."
But he has a strategy. It consists not solely of attacking Specter from the left, but flanking him on both sides by gathering support from liberal Democrats as well as moderate Republicans, including those who joined the party last year to vote for Obama or Hillary Clinton.
"There are some solid advantages for Specter - given his name recognition, the cast of supporters he has and his financial resources - that make him the front-runner," said Christopher Borick, director of Muhlenberg College's Institute of Public Opinion.
"But I truly believe there are soft sides to his front-runner status. For Democratic voters that are seeking to find a candidate that matches them as well as possible, Specter absolutely has liabilities."
Sestak, who said that 25 of the state's 67 county Democratic organizations have expressed interest in supporting his candidacy, will be looking to veterans groups and "netroots" activists for money.
This week, Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas and OpenLeft's Chris Bowers, who is also a Democratic state committeeman, voiced their support for Sestak, who raised a large sum of money online during his 2006 campaign.
Also, 63 percent of Democrats believe that Specter should earn their party's nomination in a primary, according to a recent poll by Susquehanna Polling and Research, a Republican firm.
Specter got a warm welcome last weekend at the state Democratic Party's committee meeting in Pittsburgh, where he received five standing ovations. He cast off his Republican credentials, referring to the GOP as "obstructionist," and said, "I'm again a Democrat, and I'm pleased and proud to be a Democrat."
But at a labor rally there, he got a mixed reception from union members who are anxious to see how he votes on the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for unions to organize. Specter assured them that he's working on a compromise and said, "I believe you'll be satisfied with my vote on this issue." Sestak is a co-sponsor of the act.
Sestak clearly is not going to win the battle for big-name endorsements, but some elected officials already are raising concerns about nominating Specter.
Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, a former congressman who ran against Specter in 2004, said that he would back Sestak in the primary. He has cited Specter's support for President Bush, whom he called "the worst President this country has ever had."
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said this week that he's concerned about Specter's "erratic behavior," and questioned whether he's a true Democrat.
"I don't think he's as reliable a vote for the things I care about as another Democrat would be," Frank said, adding that he'd back Sestak over Specter.
Specter's campaign manager, Christopher Nicholas, said yesterday that the senator considers health-care reform a "top priority" and pledged to work with Obama if re-elected. But Specter knows that Obama's endorsement doesn't mean a clear path to re-election.
"The senator's always had difficult primary campaigns," Nicholas said. "This one, if it pans out, will be no exception. We're ready to fight it out."
Despite some Republicans' doubts that he'll run, Sestak doesn't appear to be bluffing. After the interview Sunday night, he awoke at 1:30 a.m. to drive five hours to Pittsburgh to meet with reporters, then drove to Washington Monday night.
He can function on minimal sleep, a trait that he attributes to his years commanding ships at sea.
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