Race of the day: Pennsylvania's 'neck and neck' Senate contest
Retired admiral and sometimes-lightening rod Joe Sestak is hoping for a comeback victory in his Senate race against GOP Rep. Pat Toomey
Name & Party:
Joe Sestak
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
REPUBLICAN
Pat Toomey
Basic Info:
Ret. Admiral, Congressman
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Age: 58
Three-term Congressman
Age: 48
Issues:
- Voted for healthcare reform
- Pro gun control--"F" rating from NRA
- Prominent voice for gay rights
- Wants to repeal health-care law
- Anti gun control--"A" rating from NRA
- Voted for constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage
Polling At:44%46%Campaign Chest:$2.1 million$4.7 millionKey Quote:"I always take a vote as an Independent who happens to be a Democrat.""He is in complete lockstep with Nancy Pelosi's whole agenda."Petty Controversy:In attack ad, used an unflattering photo taken while his primary opponent, Arlen Specter, was undergoing chemotherapyAfter crusading against earmarks, collected $9 million in his first term (before eventually swearing them off)Wild card:Generally considered the underdog, Sestak has a history of last-minute electoral comebacks
Dueling Ads:"Belle": Sestak compares cleaning up after Toomey and Bush in the financial crisis to cleaning up after his family dog"Bailout Belle": Toomey responds to Sestak's "Belle" ad, suggesting Sestak's bank bailout vote wasn't reluctant at all
Joe Sestak's "Belle":
Pat Toomey's "Bailout Belle":
* "neck and neck" - The Takeaway
-
Why Saudi Arabia is muscling in on the world of animeUnder the Radar The anime industry is the latest focus of the kingdom’s ‘soft power’ portfolio
-
Scoundrels, spies and squires in January TVthe week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘The Pitt,’ ‘Industry,’ ‘Ponies’ and ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’
-
Venezuela: The ‘Donroe doctrine’ takes shapeFeature President Trump wants to impose “American dominance”
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardonTalking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidentsThe Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred