TPM has broken the story that Rep. Joe Sestak intends to challenge Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Senate primary:

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) is privately telling supporters that he intends to run for Senate, TPMDC has confirmed.

It appears that all that is left is discussions with his family, who I figure are pretty much onboard, or it would not have gone this far.

I think that the family thing is largely a smokescreen for him pulling out if Rahmbo (Barack) pushes too hard.

This is an interesting race. Sestak is by no means a particularly liberal Congressman, but his pressure has already pushed Specter closer to the Democratic mainstream.

I support his bid for a number of reasons:

• Spector is a weasel, and a primary challenge will force him to appeal to the Democratic Party base, particularly to labor.
• Spector is a weasel, and even if he weren’t this “clearing the decks” for incumbents is bad for the party and for the nation. It creates a sense of entitlement among incumbents.
• Specter is a weasel.

In any case, I have added the “Draft Sestak” fund campaign to my Act Blue Page.