State Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr. met with national Democratic leaders in Washington yesterday to discuss a possible run for the U.S. Senate next year against Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.

The meeting with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, was the latest development in the party's intensifying search for the best candidate to topple one of its top targets.

National operatives have urged Casey, an opponent of abortion and gun control, to run against the conservative Santorum in part because of his strong showing in November. Casey won the state treasurer's job with the largest number of votes in Pennsylvania history and by sweeping socially conservative counties that have rejected other Democrats in recent years.

The Democratic campaign committee support would be crucial in helping the party's eventual nominee raise the kind of money required for such a marquee race. Santorum, who is up for reelection in 2006, has said he hoped to raise $25 million himself.

Phil Singer, spokesman for the campaign committee, declined to disclose details of yesterday's private meeting. But he said it's no secret that the party wants to bring down Santorum, who holds the No. 3 leadership position among Senate Republicans.

"He's certainly among the top people that the Democrats are going after," Singer said. "This is going to be a high-profile race."

Casey, 44, has said he is considering running. But his family has endured five election campaigns during the last eight years, and he also has said he is concerned about the toll a Senate race might take on them. Casey has told some state Democrats that he would prefer an uncontested primary if he were to run against Santorum.

The opportunity came suddenly for Casey, who was sworn into his new office just two weeks ago. He was not mulling a Senate bid until his strong showing in November got the attention of national Democrats struggling to figure out how to appeal to the rural and small-town voters who trampled Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

State Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney, who also has been mentioned as a Senate contender, says that he and other party leaders will do all they can to unite around a single candidate, to avoid a draining primary that would make it harder to beat Santorum.

Meanwhile, two other big-name Democrats are weighing the Senate race.

Barbara Hafer, who just concluded two terms as state treasurer, said she met recently with Reid and has hired a pollster who could begin testing public opinion on a possible race as early as next week.

"I'm exploring, trying to find some basic information," Hafer, 61, said. "Everybody's talking but we don't have any hard data. What are each candidate's strengths and weaknesses? What's Rick's vulnerability? Right now, it's just a lot of talk."

Hafer, a staunch supporter of abortion rights, was a Republican long on the outs with her national party's conservative leadership. She became a Democrat after endorsing Gov. Rendell in the 2002 governor's race. "I don't think we're going to have a contested primary," she said.

Last year's Democratic Senate nominee, former U.S. Rep. Joseph Hoeffel, said he is interested in running against Santorum and does not believe a contested primary is a problem.

"I don't have any reluctance or fear about a primary," said Hoeffel, a supporter of abortion rights. "Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be in great shape against Santorum. The party in both the state and nationally will be quite united."

Both Hafer and Hoeffel said they expected that Rendell would have a role in sorting out the field.

"He is trying to come up with a strong ticket," Hoeffel said.

By Thomas Fitzgerald and Carrie Budoff, Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb 02, 2005

Back to News in Brief