State Rep. Rick Geist, R-Altoona, said Tuesday that U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter met a month ago with the Republican Caucus in Harrisburg and said "no matter what" he would not switch from the Republican to Democratic party.
That promise went by the wayside Tuesday when Specter, R-Pa., reeling in the wake of polls that show his re-election bid 21 points behind his probable Republican opponent, Pat Toomey, announced he would run as a Democrat in 2010.
Toomey is a former congressman from the Lehigh Valley.
"When I supported the stimulus package, I knew it would not be popular with the Republican party. But I saw the stimulus as necessary to lessen the risk of a far more serious recession than we are now experiencing," Specter said in making his announcement and in addressing one of his votes that rankled many conservative Republicans.
The local reaction to Specter's announcement was varied, with U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-9th District, in Washington calling the move "disappointing." Blair County Republican Chairman A.C. Stickel vowed that after the 2010 election, Specter will be "going home." Blair County Republican committeeman Bill Fink of Tyrone said that Specter's move was an "act of cowardice."
Fink said Specter made a decision to vote for the stimulus package, and now he's taking flak.
"When you hit flak, you fight or you run," he said.
Frank Rosenhoover, chairman of the Blair County Democratic Party, pointed out that Specter, in his 29th year in the U.S. Senate, has not always voted with the Republicans.
"There have been times we welcomed his vote," Rosenhoover said.
He said Specter picked the right time to switch parties, giving himself a year prior to the Democratic primary in 2010 to gain the support of Democrats, "to win over the hearts and minds of the skeptics."
There is no assurance that Specter won't have competition. Two Democrats known statewide - Dan Onorato, the chief executive of Allegheny County, and Jack Wagner, the Pennsylvania auditor general - are both in the picture for a statewide race for either governor or senator, he pointed out.
Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, said he was in a Senate Committee meeting Tuesday when the news of Specter's party switch was sent to him.
He said a recent poll showed Specter to be trailing Toomey by 21 points, this after Specter ran a series of advertisements against Toomey.
"He feels he has to get out to preserve his place [in the Senate]. A lot of people feel it is a pretty selfish thing," Eichelberger said. "At this point, he is on the ropes and he knows it."
Specter's defection may not be a bad thing, Eichelberger pointed out. "A lot of people are glad to see him go," he said.
His departure will also clear the field, allowing Republicans to take a look at Toomey, who on many issues is the antithesis of Specter.
As for Specter, Eichelberger said, "I think he is taking a risk. I don't think he'll be welcomed by all Democratic leaders."
State Republican Committeeman Wade Kagarise, a Blair County deputy district attorney, said Specter "made the decision to be a Democrat because he can't win the Republican primary."
He said Specter was not someone the Republicans could count on, noting he's not pro-life and not fiscally conservative.
"This is just a calculated political move for his own self-interest," Kagarise said.
Pennsylvania Republican Chairman Rob Gleason of Johnstown said Specter decided to act in his own self-interest and put his political ambitions first.
"The Republican party has room for conservatives and moderates because we are the party of ideas," he said.
U.S. Senate candidate Peg Luksik of Johnstown, a Republican, said, "It was clear months ago that Sen. Specter had lost support from his Republican base, and could not succeed in next year's Republican primary. This move has now taken away all the ambiguity from the upcoming U.S. Senate race."
Mirror Staff Writer Phil Ray is at 946-7468.
