Why did sestak lose

Jump to: navigation , search. This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates. Democratic Party. Campaign website. Campaign Facebook. Campaign Twitter. Campaign Instagram. Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC. Clinton vs.

Johnson vs. Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress. Bob Casey D. Pat Toomey R. District 1. Brian Fitzpatrick R. Brendan Boyle D. Madeleine Dean D. Mary Scanlon D. Chrissy Houlahan D.

Matt Cartwright D. Lloyd Smucker R. John Joyce R. Guy Reschenthaler R. Glenn Thompson R. Mike Kelly R. Michael Doyle D. Democratic Party House Former marquee presidential candidate, Congress challenger challenger U. Senate candidate, Hidden category: Pages with reference errors. Voter information What's on my ballot? Where do I vote?

He leaves the race having never broken into the single digits in national polling. There, he became known for being a prolific author of legislation, for expecting his staff to work as hard as he did, and for being extremely accessible to his constituents. He mostly flew under the radar, however, until he tried to run for the Senate, primarying and defeating the man President Barack Obama had promised to deliver the seat to but not before briefly embroiling the president in controversy by saying the White House had offered him a job in exchange for dropping out of the race.

After embarrassing the leader of his party, Sestak lost the general election. He also decided to walk across Pennsylvania to campaign, a move leaders felt was ill-advised.

He lost that race, too. At the time, Sestak told voters his willingness to do what he felt was best showed that he wanted to put his constituents over the party. Not to party. Not to ideology. Not to self. Not to any special interests. Democratic primary voters did not buy into this vision of a president, but should Sestak like to continue seeking public office, the senator who ultimately won the seat Sestak ran for in — Republican Pat Toomey — will be up for reelection in Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding.

Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all.

Footage followed of Specter saying, "My change in party will enable me to be reelected. His approval rating dropping by half within a month, and he concluded he could not beat Toomey in a GOP primary.

He said so, bluntly. But Specter also said that the Republican Party had strayed too far to the right for moderates like him, and said he wanted to continue to deliver for the state. In the final days of the race, Specter reframed the switch in light of the billions he has delivered for Pennsylvania, and the possibility of more - an old-fashioned appeal to voter self-interest in an anti-incumbent climate.

Sestak made Specter's switch the central issue of his challenge, saying he was a political opportunist who could not be trusted. Sestak, 58, would not sit down when party leaders asked him to defer to the veteran Specter.

Sestak, serving a second term in the U. House, is a retired rear admiral who served for 31 years in the Navy, including a stint on the Clinton White House staff and command of a carrier battle group off Afghanistan in Obama was omnipresent for Specter in television and radio advertisements, telephone robo-calls, literature, and election-day "door hangers. But when the polls tightened, Obama and Vice President Biden stayed away from Pennsylvania, despite pleas from state Democrats and the Specter campaign.

White House aides said they wanted to avoid risking the president's political capital in another losing effort. Indeed, on Tuesday, Obama visited Youngstown, Ohio, 22 miles from the Pennsylvania line, to talk about the economy. Air Force One passed 22, feet over Pittsburgh at miles per hour to carry the president to his stop. After all, Obama has had a miserable track record of personal campaigning for Democrats.

Gubernatorial candidates for whom he campaigned lost in New Jersey and Virginia last fall, and a last-minute visit to Boston could not help Democrat Martha Coakley hold the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's seat for the party in a January special election.

A cold rain fell across Pennsylvania Tuesday, testing Specter's voter-turnout operation, which was staffed by union supporters and party organizations.