Open primary could benefit Specter

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has been sounding out Republican state senators about whether Pennsylvania should allow independent voters to participate in the party primaries that Republicans and Democrats hold each May.

Some political observers say they think Specter would benefit from an open primary in May 2010, when he is likely to face Pat Toomey, a conservative Republican and former congressman from Allentown whom Specter narrowly defeated in 2004, and possibly another conservative challenger, Peg Luksik of Johnstown.

Specter, a moderate who will be seeking his sixth term, has alienated many conservative Republicans, most recently over voting for President Obama's economic-stimulus package.

"An open primary would be a godsend for Arlen Specter," said pollster Christopher Borick of Muhlenberg College in Allentown. "Many independents in Pennsylvania who have supported him in the past would come to his aid. He would love it. But both parties have resisted it."

The senator is interested in the open primary notion as a possible way of "increasing participation, and helping the Republican Party and growing the party," said his campaign manager, Chris Nicholas.

Nicholas stressed that Specter is not interested in the wide open primaries used by some states, in which any registered voter, no matter the party affiliation, could vote in the GOP primary. He is talking about a modified version, in which only unaffiliated voters, and Republicans, would be allowed to vote.

The senator was "gauging interest in the issue. We'll see what comes of it," he said.

But Republicans, who control the state Senate, are not crazy about open primaries.

"I don't think the idea went over very well" in a March 16 meeting with Specter, said Sen. John Eichelberger (R., Blair). "No vote was taken, but I think you could tell from the expressions and comments of other senators that there wasn't a lot of support for it."

Sen. Patrick Browne (R., Lehigh) said: "Primaries are the party nomination process. To have independents in those election cycles undermines the basic purpose of a primary."

GOP Sens. Mike Folmer of Lebanon and Jeffrey Piccola of Dauphin also opposed open primaries.

"Registered Republicans should choose the Republican candidates," Piccola said. "If you want to participate in a Republican primary, then register as a Republican. Open primaries just confuse the issue."

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware) said he was open to studying the issue.

"Moving to an open primary system is an idea that has merit," he said. But he added: "To date, I am not convinced that the benefits outweigh the negatives."

Leaders from four Harrisburg government watchdog groups - Common Cause, the Commonwealth Foundation, Democracy Rising PA, and the League of Women Voters - met Monday and discussed open primary ideas, said Democracy Rising's Tim Potts.

"There are a million voters shut out of voting. Either do away with taxpayer-funded primaries or allow all of the taxpayers to vote in them," Potts said.