[24] As the race progressed, Specter grew more strongly critical of Sestak, attacking his House attendance record,[25] accusing him of failing to pay his staffers' minimum wage,[26] and claiming that he was demoted in the Navy for creating a "poor command climate".

[28] Political observers said the commercials played a major part in Sestak's victory, and that a national swing in momentum toward Republicans and against incumbents ultimately harmed Specter's chances.

This drew allegations from Republicans that the administration violated federal statutes forbidding government employees from interfering with a Senate election,[31][32] but no formal investigation was opened.

Although Toomey ultimately lost, he came within 17,000 votes (less than two percentage points) of beating Specter, despite the long-time Senator's strong name recognition and wide support from party leaders.

Unfortunately, the recent extraordinary response of the federal government – more corporate bailouts, unprecedented spending and debt, higher taxes – is likely to make things worse.

Although some questioned her lack of elected office experience and limited knowledge of foreign affairs, Luksik said she planned to be an advocate against big government and excessive spending.

[73][76] She said she did not feel betrayed by Toomey's surprise announcement, adding, "I understand these two men have a long, personal and rather vindictive history and there's a real desire for the two of them to go and hit each other with sticks.

[73] Pat Toomey formally announced his candidacy on April 15, 2009, Tax Day, via a video on his website,[4] and stepped down as head of the anti-tax political organization Club for Growth to concentrate on his campaign.

Toomey rejected such concerns, pointed to his two successful reelections in the Democratic-leaning Lehigh Valley congressional district as proof he could win votes from the opposing party.

"[91] Names of other potential Republican candidates began to be floated, like Congressman Jim Gerlach, Lieutenant Governor Joseph B. Scarnati, and State Senate Majority Leader Dominic F. Pileggi, none of whom ruled out running.

Specter was not invited to participate, and political pollster G. Terry Madonna described it as an "informal pact" between Sestak and Toomey to weaken their joint rival, something the two men denied.

Toomey's campaign continued to portray him as a political outsider and small-government advocate while condemning Specter and Sestak as "a rubber stamp for the Reid-Pelosi big government agenda".

[82] Toomey told the committee he would work to restore fiscally conservative principals to Washington and fight to eliminate street money, or state grants offered in exchange for support on key issues.

[21][123] Pollsters indicated Specter was benefiting greatly from the large amount of media attention the Democratic primary had received,[123] as well as the Senator's strong name recognition, whereas Sestak and Toomey remained relatively unknown.

[128][129] On May 10, he ran his first television advertisement, which called for more jobs and less government and included a narrator saying, "Trillion dollar bailouts and deficits, government-run health care, record unemployment.

Shortly after Joe Sestak's primary victory, Arlen Specter called him to offer congratulations and vowed to support his candidacy, saying that "I think it's vital to keep this seat in the Democratic Party.

Before reporting to Capitol Hill for House matters, Sestak appeared in interviews on several national media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, NPR and CBS News.

[140][148] Meanwhile, Sestak said Toomey needed to be held accountable for his support of bank deregulation and former President George W. Bush's financial policies which helped lead to the economic recession.

Early polls showed varied results over who was leading, although some indicated Sestak had an advantage due to the positive press he received for defeating Arlen Specter.

Sestak and Toomey had wildly different views on almost every issue, including abortion, health care, energy, social security and the recent stimulus bill and financial bailouts.

[156] Sestak favored the bailouts of the United States financial system, automobile industry and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, claiming they saved many jobs and homes.

[157] Sestak praised the financial regulatory reform bill before Congress as "a victory for the American people over Wall Street" that would protect the economy from shadow banking and toxic assets.

[158] Toomey also argued against a proposed cap and trade bill, which he said would encourage firms to move manufacturing jobs overseas and force Pennsylvania businesses to close.

"[159] Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Sestak criticized Toomey for his support of offshore drilling in Lake Erie, claiming the proposal risked placing 90 percent of the country's surface water in danger.

Additionally, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $1.4 million of the allotted sum in support of Specter during the primary, which left them with only $200,000 for the general election race.

[163] Also in July, the United States Chamber of Commerce began running television advertisements criticizing Sestak's support of "a government takeover of health care" and "billions in job-killing energy taxes", claiming he voted with Nancy Pelosi "100 percent of the time".

Although a common practice among political candidates, Sestak had advocated banning earmarks in favor of a competitive grant program, and vowed on his website to return any contributions from organizations or individuals who "has made a request for an appropriations project".

[169] While Sestak presented economists who agreed with his positions, the conservative non-profit Citizens Against Government Waste gave him a zero rating on spending issues based on a review of 120 of his votes in Congress.

[183] Sestak received newspaper endorsements from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,[184] The Philadelphia Inquirer,[185] the Erie Times-News,[186] The Citizens' Voice,[187] The Patriot-News,[188] the Observer-Reporter,[189] and The Huffington Post.

[8] Toomey gave his victory speech at a get together in Allentown, stating that the election was a "simple, clear message to the establishment" with some conciliatory notes that he would cooperate with the White House and fellow Pennsylvania Senator, Bob Casey Jr, a Democrat.