The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO has endorsed Arlen Specter for reelection. Specter got a 46% from the AFL-CIO in 2003, and Hoeffel got a 100%. Apparently, though, what really counts is having friends in high places. Even if they aren't really your friends.
This certainly is not good for Hoeffel, but he certainly still has a serious shot, and he needs our help. Remember that two months before the April primary, Specter was ahead of Toomey 55-17. Specter ended up outspending Toomey 4-1, and beat him 51-49.
Hoeffel, who, like Toomey, struggles with name ID, is 15-20 points behind Specter in all the polls. Specter tends to be at or just below 50, but has high disapproval ratings (as high as 55 in some polls), and there are almost always majorities for "time for a change."
Hoeffel has yet to spend a single penny on television or radio advertising. Yesterday, Bill Clinton headlined a fundraiser for Hoeffel. He raised $1.1 million, more than any other Democratic Senate challenger in the second quarter, and he's certain to top that this quarter. Not only that, there's a serious third party candidate, Jim Clymer, challenging Specter from the right, and the potential is there for him to gain some serious traction among disaffected anti-choice Toomey supporters.
Hoeffel can win this. It won't be easy, and above all, he needs money so that Specter can only outspend him 2 or 3 to 1, rather than 4 or 5 to 1. We need to help him though. Hoeffel is a progressive who deserves the unified support of the left, and the AFL-CIO needs to hear that it's not acceptable for them to abandon Pennsylvania Democrats in their hour of need. I know Kos decided that Hoeffel doesn't belong the Kos Dozen because he bailed on us during MercenaryGate (which was indeed lame of Joe), but I can't think of any Senate race where our dollars will go further.