PA Senate debates: on Principles & Values


Betsy Summers: Specter and Hoeffel are both big-government candidates

Specter is a big-government Republican and Hoeffel as a bigger-government Democrat. They will promise more programs for more people, but the programs operate very inefficiently and at your expense. Why send either back to Washington as part of the problem, not the solution?
Source: 2004 PA Senate debate, in Philadelphia Inquirer Oct 3, 2004

Jim Clymer: Both major parties are liberal on the major issues

Isn’t it interesting how you see Sen. Specter and Rep. Hoeffel tearing into each other and calling each other liars? The reason is that there really is no significant difference between them on the major issues. They try to argue who is the more liberal.
Source: 2004 PA Senate debate, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Oct 3, 2004

Arlen Specter: I’m in the center in this campaign

Clymer over on my right says the government shouldn’t be doing anything. Hoeffel on my far left says the government should be doing a lot more. It’s sort of a “cannons to the right of me, cannons to the left of me.” I’m in the center. Perhaps I’m doing something right.
Source: 2004 PA Senate debate, on WTAE Oct 2, 2004

  • The above quotations are from Pennsylvania Senate debates: Sen. Arlen Specter (R), Rep. Joe Hoeffel (D), Betsy Summers (Libertarian), and Jim Clymer (Constitution) - series of debates in October 2004.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Arlen Specter on Principles & Values.
  • Click here for more quotes by Joseph Hoeffel on Principles & Values.
Candidates and political leaders on Principles & Values:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Feb 20, 2019