Former Santorum Aide to Challenge Casey
Politico reports:
A former staffer to Sen. Rick Santorum has emerged as the first Republican to throw his hat into the ring against Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey.
Marc Scaringi, a central Pennsylvania attorney who was a legislative aide to Santorum's Senate office in the 1990s, first discussed his candidacy in the 2012 race at a small event in Newport, Pa., last week. He followed that up with a formal announcement Tuesday.
"We have a president and his allies in Congress who are trying to transform an independent, prosperous people into dependents and wards of the government," Scaringi said in a statement first reported by The Morning Call of Allentown. "Casey is one of those."
Casey is a top target for Republicans hoping to retake control of the Senate in 2012. While Scaringi worked for the party's gubernatorial nominee in 2001, he's never held elected office before, and more viable opponents are expected to emerge. Among the Republicans most frequently cited as potential challengers are Reps. Jim Gerlach and Charlie Dent, as well as state Rep. Mike Turzai.
Casey ousted Santorum from the Senate in 2006. As a moderate, anti-abortion Democrat from working-class Scranton and the son of a former governor, Casey makes for a formidable incumbent on paper.
But Republicans are energized after sweeping races up and down the ballot in Pennsylvania earlier this month. And a slow fund-raising start - Casey had only $871,000 in the bank at the end of September - could further embolden potential opponents.
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