Arlen Specter Gives It Back

Greg Giroux reports that the senior senator from Pennsylvania has given back $224,000 to donors who are angry about his party switch.

One prominent Republican who requested and received a contribution refund was Rob Gleason, the chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, which has even set up a Web site to help Republican donors request refunds.

Other notable Republicans who received refunds from Specter’s committee included Ken Mehlman, a former Republican National Committee chairman who managed President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign; his brother Bruce Mehlman, the executive director of the Technology CEO Council; Barbara Comstock, a Republican political consultant who’s running for the Virginia House this year; George Nethercutt, a former U.S. House member from Washington state; Scott W. Reed, who managed Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign; and Dan Meuser, a businessman who lost a 2008 Republican primary in the 10th District of Democratic Rep. Christopher Carney.

Specter has been firing hard against Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), who’s running a primary campaign against him, and generally ignoring likely Republican nominee Pat Toomey, who is increasingly competitive in the polls.