PENNSYLVANIA
      Nov. 2, 2010 U.S. Senate

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+Pat Toomey (R)
2,028,945
 		51.01%
Joe Sestak (D)
 1,948,716
 		48.99%

3,977,661
Voter registration: 8,478,509.
Plurality: 80,229 votes (2.02 percentage points).
PA Department of State

REPUBLICAN PICK-UP
Notes:  Former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey (R) defeated U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak (D) to put this seat back in the Republican column (1, 2). 

The race had a unique backstory.  On Apr. 28, 2009, the incumbent, longtime Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980, announced that as his prospects in the Republican primary were "bleak," he would run for re-election in the Democratic primary (>).  President Obama quickly endorsed Specter.  On Aug. 5, Specter drew a challenger as Sestak announced his candidacy (>).  In Feb. 2010 the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee endorsed Specter.  The campaign continued (>).  When the votes were tallied in the May 18 Democratic primary, Sestak defeated Specter by 568,563 votes (53.85%) to 487,217 votes (46.15%) winning 64 of 67 counties (>).  In the Republican primary, Toomey defeated Peg Luksik by 671,591 votes (81.43%) to 153,154 votes (18.57%).

Toomey, who started out his career in investment banking, was first elected to Congress representing PA-15 (Allentown/Lehigh Valley) in 1998 and served three terms.  In 2004 he challenged Specter in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, narrowly losing.  He then served for four years as president of the Club for Growth.  Sestak was first elected to Congress representing PA-7 (Philadelphia suburbs) in 2006 after serving 31 years in the U.S. Navy; he retired as a three-star admiral.

Sestak and Toomey engaged in a health care town hall at Muhlenberg College in Allentown on Sept. 2, 2009 (>).

In the general election, Sestak and Toomey debated twice:

Oct. 20 - at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia broadcast by WPVI-TV 6 ABC (>); and
 
Oct. 22 - broadcast by WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh (>).

According to Open Secrets, considering all candidates and outside groups, this was the second most expensive Senate race of the cycle, totaling $80.6 million spent (>).  The Toomey campaign raised $17.2 million and spent $17.0 million, while the Sestak campaign, which had a competitive primary, raised $13.5 million and spent $13.4 million (>).  $32.3 million in outside spending flowed into the race, led by the parties' senatorial committees; the DSCC spent $10.2 million and the NRSC $8.3 million.



Campaign Managers:
Pat Toomey:  Mark Harris
(Apr. 2009)  Account executive at Jamestown Associates, Jan.-Apr. 2009.  Campaign manager on Hackett for Congress (PA-10), Dec. 2007-Nov. 2008.  Deputy campaign manager on Ogonowski for Congress (MA special), Sept.-Oct. 2007.  National director of Students for Saving Social Security, Nov. 2006-May 2007.  Ran for State House in 2006, defeating an incumbent in the primary but losing the general election.  Director of grassroots and policy relations at Americans for Prosperity, 2004-05.  Deputy political director on Herman Cain's 2004 U.S. Senate campaign in Georgia.  Youth coordinator (vol.) on Toomey's 2004 Senate campaign.  B.A. in political science from The George Washington University, 2006.  Originally from Mt. Lebanon, PA.

Joe Sestak:  Rich Sestak
(Joe Sestak's brother)  Worked as an attorney in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.  Southeastern PA political and field director on Hillary Clinton for President.  Strategist on Joe Sestak's congressional campaigns.  J.D. and undergraduate degree from Villanova University.  From Delaware County.



See also:
Harold I. Gullan.  2012.  TOOMEY'S TRIUMPH: Inside a Key Senate Campaign.  Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

David M. Herszenhorn.  "In Pennsylvania, Anger Fuels a Race for Senate."  The New York Times, Oct. 10, 2010.

Sy Snyder.  "Profile of Mark Harris, Campaign Manager, Toomey for Senate."  PoliticsPA, Oct. 5, 2010.

Shira Toeplitz.  "Sestak silence worries Pa. officials."  Politico,  June 15, 2010.

--.  "Democrats overwhelmingly endorse Specter."  The Morning Call, Feb. 7, 2010.

Laura Vecsey.  "Sestak & Toomey form odd couple for sake of discrediting Specter."  Patriot-News, Aug. 24, 2009.

Rick Klein.  "Specter Switch Makes New Enemies - In Both Parties."  ABC News, May 5, 2009.

Jonathan Martin.  "Obama gives Specter 'full support.'"  Politico, Apr. 28, 2009.
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