The Richard Norman Company

For the past week, since Arlen Specter ditched the GOP and went over to the place where his heart has always been, the Democrat Party, the press has been buzzing with rumors about Tom Ridge running for the Senate. Ridge appears to have seriously considered the possibility but today announced that he was not planing on running.

That is probably the best for Tom Ridge and Pat Toomey. In the end, had Ridge run, I believe Toomey would have beaten him. GOP Primary voters are always a more conservative group than the GOP as a whole. They almost took their nomination away from a four-term incumbent and gave it to challenger Toomey in 2004. Toomey missed by less than one vote per precinct. This, in spite of the fact that he was outspent three to one and he was a relative newcomer to most of the state.

Toomey has proven that he has voter appeal. With Ridge out of the way, the only possible primary opponent is the Congressman from the sixth district but he would not be as big a threat as Ridge.

Now is the time for conservatives across America to rally around Pat Toomey and let the people of Pennsylvania know they are pulling for Toomey. Now is the time for Republicans in Pennsylvania to get serious about beating Arlen Specter in the fall and get behind Toomey so he can focus on that victory.

Specter can be beaten and Pat Toomey is the man to do it.