Specter’s future is uncertain

Allentown Morning Call

WASHINGTON — Illustrating Sen. Arlen Specter’s uncertain political future, a pair of new Pennsylvania surveys suggest that voters are ready to reject him, with a majority of Republicans saying he does not deserve re-election.

The findings by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., show conflicting head-to-head results in hypothetical matchups between Specter and possible GOP challenger Pat Toomey, with each holding a double-digit lead over the other.

But in both polls, Specter registers a third or less of Republican support, a dangerously low level for a well-known incumbent, analysts said.

Specter has had a high-profile role in the new Congress. His willingness to cross the aisle for President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus bill was critical to the new administration but has threatened to derail the senator’s bid for a sixth term next year.

The polls surveyed voters before Specter’s announcement Tuesday that he would oppose a major labor rights bill. They add pressure on the senator as he considers whether to help Senate Democrats when they need at least 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

“This is a crucial juncture for Obama because of the things he wants to do with health care, energy and education,” Franklin & Marshall College political scientist G. Terry Madonna said.

“On substance, I think Specter would support a lot of that. But he has to be careful not to be viewed as a carrier for Obama’s agenda,” he said.

Adding to the weight of Specter’s upcoming decisions in the Senate is a Republican electorate in Pennsylvania that has rarely been so dissatisfied with the senator.

Both polls show slightly more than half of Republicans saying the 79-year-old Specter doesn’t deserve another term.

Specter’s announcement this week that he opposes legislation that makes it easier for workers to unionize takes one controversial issue off his plate.

His decision, apparently killing the measure, was a reversal from 2007 and came after weeks of intense lobbying by labor and business groups — and threats from some of his most faithful financial backers that they would abandon him if he backed the legislation.

But ahead of Specter lies a slew of other issues Obama is pushing, including a $3.6 trillion budget resolution.

Specter said in an interview Wednesday he has “grave doubts” about the spending level in the budget, but that he is undecided on how he’ll vote.