United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2000
Encyclopedia
The 2000 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Rick Santorum
won re-election to a second term.
and former Lieutenant Governor nominee Tom Foley
by running on the message that he was the only candidate capable to defeating the Republican. Klink was viewed as a viable choice because he was a traditional Democrat on most issues and had strong union ties but also was pro-life, which Democrats hoped would return votes to their party in the heavily Catholic
but economically liberal coal regions of the state. However, enthusiasm around Klink's campaign quickly waned, as he was unable to appeal to either liberal or moderate Democrats. Santorum, in contrast, successfully balanced his national recognition on social issues with local concerns in route to a surprisingly large victory.http://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=1998+ridge+itkin&source=bl&ots=AK6b-Ut25d&sig=ln8QefiZodyBTkRiIzEYxTt21Ro&hl=en&ei=cPjETOLTOoOglAenj8EH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=santorum&f=false
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
won re-election to a second term.
Campaign
Santorum had gained a reputation as a polarizing figure during his first term in the Senate, but he entered the race with a large fundraising advantage and high levels of support from the political right. The contest began for Democrats with a brutal primary challenge; U.S. Congressman Klink narrowly bested State Senator Allyson SchwartzAllyson Schwartz
Allyson Young Schwartz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia...
and former Lieutenant Governor nominee Tom Foley
Tom Foley (Pennsylvania)
Thomas Patrick "Tom" Foley is a Democratic politician from Pennsylvania.-Early life:Foley grew up in a working class family the Philadelphia suburb of Flourtown...
by running on the message that he was the only candidate capable to defeating the Republican. Klink was viewed as a viable choice because he was a traditional Democrat on most issues and had strong union ties but also was pro-life, which Democrats hoped would return votes to their party in the heavily Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
but economically liberal coal regions of the state. However, enthusiasm around Klink's campaign quickly waned, as he was unable to appeal to either liberal or moderate Democrats. Santorum, in contrast, successfully balanced his national recognition on social issues with local concerns in route to a surprisingly large victory.http://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=1998+ridge+itkin&source=bl&ots=AK6b-Ut25d&sig=ln8QefiZodyBTkRiIzEYxTt21Ro&hl=en&ei=cPjETOLTOoOglAenj8EH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=santorum&f=false