Democrat Katie McGinty and incumbent Pat Toomey clash in the first of their two scheduled debates in one of the nation's most hotly contested - and most expensive - U.S. Senate races.
How heated is the rhetoric in this dead heat?
Both sides have resorted to tagging their foe with nicknames. McGinty has been labeled 'Shady Katie' by the Toomey forces, while she has responded by pegging him as 'Fraidy Pat.'
That stems from the constant in this race, the shroud that hangs over everything in U.S. politics these days.
That, of course, would be Donald Trump, the GOP candidate for president.
McGinty has been hammering away at Toomey for not telling the voters whether he will vote for the guy at the top of his ticket.
Toomey has been trying desperately to swim to the center on this topic. He has said many times that Trump would not have been his choice, and he has condemned many of the outlandish things Trump has said.
But he has not offered an endorsement, nor has he said he will not vote for Trump.
Don't expect one to be coming at today's debate, or in the weeks leading up to the election either.
While many other Republicans, such as U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7, have decided to cut their ties with Trump, Toomey has not. I am guessing Toomey would like nothing better than to dump Trump. His problem is he doesn't have that luxury. He's running a statewide race in which he will need every Republican vote he can get, and then some.
I talk about it in my weekly print column.
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