Sen. Alen Specter (D-PA) isn’t doing very well as a new Democrat. Did Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) promise him seniority upon departing the Republican Party? Well, it isn’t happening! Specter’s Democrat peers aren’t granting him the seniority as he’d hoped for. Now he’ll just be a senate junior Democrat, his influence greatly limited. His peers want to see how he performs in his 2010 re-election before giving him the perks.
It’s becoming evident that Specter’s career may not improve even with his jump to the Democrat Party. Had he remained a Republican to face Pat Toomey in the Republican primary for 2010, he’ll likely lose but at least his he wouldn’t have been seen as so self-serving. Now as a Democrat, he may still face an uphill battle as Republicans galvanize and gather resources to defeat him in Pennsylvania.
We’ll know in 2010 whether this move becomes Specter’s biggest career mistake.
