By Salena Zito

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Thursday, October 15, 2009

 

 

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney didn't get to spend much time in Pennsylvania during the lead-up to the presidential primaries in 2008, mostly because Republican voters knocked him out of the race long before the state's April primary.

 

"That's definitely going to change," Romney said Wednesday in Pittsburgh after arriving in Philadelphia the day before to endorse Pat Toomey for the U.S. Senate.

 

"I told him I was going to be actively campaigning for him all over the state, and I stand by that pledge," Romney said in an interview after a meeting with Tribune-Review owner Dick Scaife.

 

Pennsylvania remains a critical state for the 2010 elections, Romney said.

 

"Whether Toomey is running against Sen. Arlen Specter or (U.S.) Rep. Joe Sestak, all eyes across the country are going to be on what happens here," he predicted. With business, industry and urban issues in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and rural concerns sandwiched in between, "Pennsylvania's issues are really a bellwether for the entire country," he said.

 

The Senate race has drawn challengers from both parties since Specter switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in April, after polls showed Toomey handily could defeat him in a Republican primary.

 

Sestak, a Delaware County Democrat, announced his intention to challenge Specter in next year's primary despite President Obama's and Gov. Ed Rendell's endorsements of Specter.

 

Toomey and conservative activist Peg Luksik of Johnstown are seeking the GOP nomination.

 

Romney, who ran for the GOP's presidential nomination last year, is considered a top contender for the 2012 race. He said he is working on a book entitled "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness," to be published by St. Martin's Press in March.

 

Toomey, a former U.S. House member, said he is thrilled to have Romney's endorsement.

 

"He is a distinguished national leader in the party, who has had a great record of accomplishments both inside and outside of the political world," Toomey said.

 

Indeed, said G. Terry Madonna, a professor and pollster from Franklin & Marshall College, "Any Republican would love to have Romney campaigning for them."

 

Romney is a center-right candidate, mostly identified with business issues, who "helps burnish the qualifications of Toomey," he said.

 

Romney's high-profile support for Toomey comes as Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to attend a Specter fundraiser in Pittsburgh on Monday.

 

Allegheny County Republican Committee Chairman Jim Roddey said the endorsement is a real boost for Toomey: "Mitt Romney is perceived as a well-qualified individual, a governor with decision-making experiences. Having his recommendation certainly helps."