Make no mistake - Joe Sestak is running.
He’s just not sure for what.
With word coming out earlier this week that U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D- 13, is almost a sure thing to seek the Democratic nod to face against Tom Corbett (if he runs again and if he beats back any challenges from inside the GOP), I figured it was time we look up our old pal and check his pulse.
It’s still racing. And running.
Sestak, the man who ended Curt Weldon’s 20-year reign as the congressman for the 7th District, basically has not stopped running since he lost a U.S. Senate race to Pat Toomey in 2010.
Sestak has been busy criss-crossing the state, meeting and greeting all along the way. He’s also been teaching a course at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, pushing his name recognition in the western part of the state, in particular the Democrat-heavy Pittsburgh region.
You could make an argument that Sestak has better name recognition across the state than any other Democrat, including Schwartz.
I was on a panel with Sestak for PCN at Temple University last fall in the lead-up to the November presidential election.
I got the distinct impression he was going to run, but for what I’m not sure.
Certainly he would immediately vault to the top of the Democratic hopefuls looking to tangle with a governor who is reeling from some of the worst poll numbers ever recorded. Tom Corbett has had a disastrous first two years. Now he’s going on the offensive, but he stepped on another grenade last week when new Democratic Attorney General Kathleen Kate shot down his plan to sell off management of the state lottery to a British firm. While trying to steer clear of any political angles, Kane made it clear that her office believes the deal as constructed was illegal because management of the lottery program falls under the auspices of the Legislature, not the governor. It’s not the first time Corbett and Kane have buttted heads. There is also that little matter of the way then Attorney General Corbett handled the investigation into child-sex claims against Jerry Sandusky. Kane has hired an outside investigator to handle that review.
All of this has a lot of people wondering if this could mean an end to Pennsylvania’s long tradition of re-electing incumbent governors. The state switches parties every eight years, but it almost never dumps a sitting governor after just one term.
When we finally tracked him down, Sestak was non-committal, at least in terms of running for governor.
But he made it clear he will run for something again.
“I want to serve again, and want to do it right," he told our Danielle Lynch.
Sestak runs a danger here. He bruised a lot of feelings in the Democratic party for his late entry into the 7th District Congressional race years ago, quickly brushing aside Bryan Lentz, who eventually ran for the state Legislature. Then there is his decision to fly in the face of the wishes of Democratic bosses when Arlen Specter switched parties and seemed to be handed the Democratic nomination on a silver plate by Ed Rendell, Joe Biden and others.
Sestak bristled, then decided not to step aside. The tireless campaigner beat Specter - and the party brass - before falling to Toomey in the general election.
It’s likely party leaders will pressure Sestak to make up his mind one way or the other on the gubernatorial race.
I wouldn’t count him out.
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