Sestak backed
Newcomer gets nod over Specter Arlen Specter may be the longest-serving senator in Pennsylvania history, representing the Keystone state for 20 years, but the Herald-Standard Editorial Board believes that Joe Sestak represents the best choice for Fayette County. As such, we strongly endorse him in the Democratic primary on May 18.
Sestak has been aggressive in courting our area, making two stops in the county, and conducting a phone interview with our editorial board. Meanwhile, we were disappointed Specter did not meet with our editorial board, as he has done numerous times in the past.
While there was some concern that Sestak does not present as strong a general election candidate as Specter would – he is notably more left-leaning than the senator who until recently called the GOP home – we feel strongly that Sestak is the better choice because voters can predict where he stands on issues, which isn’t something you can say for the incumbent.
In fact, Sestak is arguably the only Democrat in the race. Specter came across the aisle because he – rightly, we believe – expected he would not survive a Republican primary after his many cross-party forays.
We’re also impressed by Sestak’s decision to give up his seat as U.S. Representative for the state’s 7th Congressional District. He could’ve run for both offices simultaneously and had a back up if his bid against Specter failed. It’s the safe move that most politicians would’ve taken. We admire the boldness it takes to put it all on the line.
Conversely, we have been disappointed by the type of campaign Specter has run. Specter is an impressive and knowledgeable politician who we would think would have no problem running on his record against Sestak. Instead, Specter has resorted to reprehensible Swift Boat-style attacks against Sestak’s military record and Rove-ian fake “issues” like pay for campaign volunteers.
Meanwhile, we are not endorsing a candidate for the Republican primary, as they did not meet with our editorial board. As such, they did not answer our questions about what they would do for Fayette County, so we’re not certain which Republican candidate we’d recommend.