It Left A Mark

By Kleinheider Posted on May 10, 2009 at 7:08 pm

Sen. Bob Corker on the departure of Arlen Specter from the Republican Party:

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) concedes that the party-switch of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) that left Senate Democrats poised to enjoy a 60-seat majority was “a little bit of a solar plexus blow.”

See the full transcript here.

MORE: The Hill

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Tags: Arlen Specter, Bob Corker, solar plexus  

He Ain’t Mad Atcha

By Kleinheider Posted on April 29, 2009 at 4:15 pm

Sen. Bob Corker comments on his PAC’s request to Arlen Specter’s campaign to give them their money back:

“I’m not mad at him or anything,” Corker said. “I’m just honoring the wishes of the people who gave that money to help elect Republicans.”

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Tags: Arlen Specter, Bob Corker  

Alexander And Corker Want Money Back From Specter

By Kleinheider Posted on April 28, 2009 at 3:35 pm

In a statement earlier today on his party switch to the Democrats, Sen. Arlen Specter said he would return any monies donated to his campaign as a Republican upon request.

Sen. Lamar Alexander who just hours ago rebuked Specter for his actions will be taking him up on that offer.

Alexander was one of a group of Senators supporting Specter financially in his expected primary with conservative Pat Toomey. Now that Specter is no longer a Republican, Alexander will be asking for a refund of that money.

“Sen. Specter said he would return contributions made to him in this cycle, upon request. That’s the right thing for him to do, and we will request a refund,” Alexander said in a statement released by staff.

Tennessee’s other Senator, Bob Corker, will also be asking for a rebate on the money he has given the Senator from Pennsylvania. As point of fact, he already has.
When asked if the Senator would be asking for the campaign cash back, Post Politics was provided with a letter sent by Rock City PAC treasurer Kim Kaegi to the Specter campaign.

“[Rock City] PAC solicits funds to support Republican candidates and because Senator Specter in will no longer be running as a Republican in this election, we ask that the contribution be returned as soon as possible,” Kaegi says in the letter.

Specter’s primary challenger-to-be, Pat Toomey, is now expected to win the Republican nomination for Specter’s seat. It is unlikely that Specter will receive much of challenge in the Democratic Party primary although there have been rumblings to that effect.

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Tags: Arlen Specter, Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander, Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania, Rock City PAC  

Lamar Upbraids Specter For Party Switch

By Kleinheider Posted on at 2:06 pm

Ken Whitehouse has the statement from the senior Senator:

“I am very disappointed for the country, because it will make more difficult the Senate’s ability to restrain one-party rule. Historically, Americans have not liked what Alexis de Tocqueville called a ‘tyranny of the majority,’ and they are now more likely to get a taste of it.”

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Tags: Arlen Specter, Lamar Alexander  

A Specter Of Things To Come From Alexander?

By Kleinheider Posted on April 19, 2009 at 8:23 pm

Our senior U.S. Senator seems to have the back of one of the bodies most liberal Republicans:

The five-term Pennsylvania Republican, who faces a tough primary challenge from conservative former Rep. Patrick J. Toomey, received donations from 10 Republican senators in the first three months of this year.

The pro-Specter senators, who donated from either their candidate committees or their leadership PACs, include Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; John Cornyn of Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee; and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the Senate GOP Conference chairman.

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Tags: Arlen Specter, Lamar Alexander, U.S. Senate