The Democratic primary for the Pennsylvania Senate seat remains tight now, while former Club for Growth President Pat Toomey (R) easily won his own contest.
Sen. Arlen Specter and Rep. Joe Sestak were tied at 50 percent in the Democratic Senate primary as of 9:50 p.m, with 37 percent reporting. The Associated Press and other outlets called the Republican primary for Toomey, who led activist and perennial candidate Peg Luksik 79-21 percent. Meanwhile, Democrat Mark Critz led Republican Tim Burns 58-40 percent in the special election to replace the late Rep. John Murtha (D), with just around 20 percent reporting.
Specter’s race against Sestak had become tougher in recent weeks as polls began to show the two tied or trading small leads. The last poll to be released, from Qunnipiac University, showed Sestak leading Specter by one point. Specter had been a Republican for 44 years before rejoining the Democrats in late April 2009. He was previously a registered Democrat from 1951 through 1965.
Burns hoped to make the special election in Pennsylvania’s 12th house district a referendum on Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership, while Critz distanced himself from the national party to a degree, labeling himself an “independent thinker.”
Updated at 9:50 p.m. on May 18.