Media coverage of Pennsylvania political races in The Philadelphia Inquirer


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OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Barack Obama: Insurers must provide contraception, but not employers.     Kathleen Sebelius: Make contraceptives available to everyone.     Tom Smith: No abortion under all circumstances, including rape & incest.     Bob Casey: Roe v. Wade Should Be Overturned.     Bob Casey: Right to Privacy means contraception, not unborn.

Budget & Economy     Tom Smith: Stagnant economy due to over-regulation & complex taxes.     Joe Sestak: Auto & bank bailouts were to clean up Bush's mess.     Pat Toomey: We can't borrow and spend our way to prosperity.     Joe Sestak: Deregulation of banks led to the economic meltdown.     Pat Toomey: Real threat to economy is billions on bailouts.

Civil Rights     Arlen Specter: Oppose gay marriage but support civil union.     Betsy Summers: Support gay marriage.     Jim Clymer: Oppose gay marriage and also oppose civil union.     Joseph Hoeffel: Oppose gay marriage but support civil union.

Corporations     Tom Smith: Compliance with regulations is strangling business.

Education     Bob Casey: Intelligent Design in religion class, not science class.     Joseph Hoeffel: Voted to increase funding for No Child Left Behind 4 times.

Energy & Oil     Katie McGinty: No fracking COMPANY donations; but some from fracking execs.     Tom Smith: Fossil fuels are key to reasonable energy prices.     Tom Smith: Former coal company executive; ease up on coal mining.

Families & Children     Mary Gay Scanlon: Helping women around the world key to helping their kids.     Bob Casey: Mandatory reporting of the pure evil of child abuse.

Health Care     Joseph Hoeffel: Voted against a sweet deal for pharmaceutical companies.

Homeland Security     Rick Santorum: We need to spend money to study the EMP threat.     Bob Casey: Don�t censure Bush for domestic spying.

Immigration     Katie McGinty: Communicate with federal officials instead of sanctuary city.     Pat Toomey: Withhold community funding from sanctuary cities like Philly.     Steve Lonegan: No on amnesty; tighter border security.

Jobs     Joe Sestak: Increase minimum wage to $10.80 now & $15 later.     John Fetterman: Backs $15-an-hour minimum wage.     Katie McGinty: Backs $15-an-hour minimum wage.

Principles & Values     Joe Sestak: TV ad: Toomey's record is same as Sen. Rick Santorum's.     Pat Toomey: TV ad: Sestak served well in Navy; but not on Congress.     Betsy Summers: Specter and Hoeffel are both big-government candidates.

Social Security     Joe Sestak: Never raise, never, the age for our seniors to retire.     Katie McGinty: Cuts to Social Security are wrong for working families.

Tax Reform     Tom Smith: Supports flat tax; remove loopholes but keep exemptions.

Technology     Rick Santorum: Scale of potential destruction from EMP demands action.

War & Peace     Bob Casey: Disagrees with timeline & pulling troops out.     Betsy Summers: Get soldiers out of Iraq as quickly as possible.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Arlen Specter Former Democratic incumbent (elected as Republican) Pennsylvania Barack Obama Democratic President (elected 2008) Betsy Summers 2004 former Libertarian Challenger Pennsylvania Bob Casey Democratic Sr Senator; previously state treasurer Pennsylvania Jim Clymer Joe Sestak Democratic Senate Challenger Pennsylvania John Fetterman Pennsylvania Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Joseph Hoeffel 2004 former Democratic challenger; US Representative Pennsylvania Kathleen Sebelius Kansas Former Democratic Governor (1994-2002); Cabinet Sec'y (HHS) Katie McGinty Democratic Senate candidate Pennsylvania Mary Gay Scanlon Democrat U.S. Rep Pennsylvania- 5 Pat Toomey Republican Jr Senator Pennsylvania Rick Santorum Republican Presidential candidate Steve Lonegan Republican Senate Challenger New Jersey Tom Smith Republican Challenger Pennsylvania