35 WSEE: "Santorum Out-Fundraises Casey; Still Trails in Polls
National Republican leaders are having a rough fall season. A failed Supreme Court nominee, indictments implicating the Vice Presidents office as well as the House majority leader and growing dissatisfaction with the president's war policies among Americans.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's investment holdings and the way he sold his family's hospital stock.
The majority leader, thought to have his eye on the presidency in 2008, isn’t the only one having trouble; the Senate’s third-in-command, Pennsylvania’s Rick Santorum, is having a tough time with his upcoming re-election bid.
Muhlenberg College political science professor Christopher Borick says, "For an incumbent with high name recognition and a prestigious position in Washington, it seems to be a precarious position."
That’s because Santorum has been trailing behind his opponent, State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., in every major poll since Casey announced back in February he was seeking Santorum’s senate seat.
Money is a big factor in a race as high profile—and as tight—as this one.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if Santorum outspends Casey two to one, or at least by a very large margin," Borick said.
Santorum has the money to spend. As of mid-October, Santorum had more than twice the amount of cash available as Casey.
In 2000, Santorum raised and spent four times his Democratic opponent Ron Klink but only won by eight percent of the vote against the former Congressman.
"If we are to assume right now that because Casey’s been doing so well in the polls and taken on the mantle of front-runner--a front-runner doesn’t usually need as many resources," Borick said.
Borick also says Santorum may be too far right for mainstream Pennsylvania politics. The combination of a lagging incumbent and outsized campaign fund-raising—and spending—may make this the most closely watched Senate race in 2006.
Sarah Mirza
WSEE Washington Bureau"
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