Toomey fends off Dem challenger in Pa. Senate race

Incumbent GOP Sen. Pat Toomey is projected to win the Pennsylvania Senate race, striking a blow to the heart of Democrats’ efforts to win back the upper chamber. 

Democrats need to net five seats — or four if the party’s nominee, Hillary Clinton, wins the White House — to reclaim the Senate majority, and they were increasingly confident that GOP nominee Donald Trump would sink the freshman senator in a state that leans blue in presidential election years.

{mosads}But Toomey worked overtime to distance himself from the real estate mogul’s long shadow. He made an overt grab for moderate and split-ticket voters, using ads to highlight praise he has received from President Obama and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the vice presidential nominee.

And reflecting a larger narrative for vulnerable Republicans, Toomey pitched himself as a check on a Clinton administration, arguing his opponent, Katie McGinty, wouldn’t stand up to a Democrat-controlled White House. 

Toomey has trailed McGinty in the polls since mid-October, and Trump has lagged behind Clinton in the state for months. Republicans, however, remained bullish that if Trump could stick close to Clinton, Toomey would ultimately prevail in the Senate fight.

Democrats missed no opportunity to try to link Toomey to his party’s nominee as they aimed to nationalize the race. The GOP senator has refused to say for months if he would ultimately support Trump, despite disagreeing with his controversial statements. 

Political experts and consultants in the state say staying noncommittal was Toomey’s best option: Embracing Trump would have turned off moderate voters, while cutting ties with him could have alienated the much-needed conservative base.

Toomey countered that media outlets were more interested in his presidential pick than voters, and his frustration with both Clinton and Trump was something Pennsylvanians could relate to.

But Democrats used the indecision to attack him, with McGinty saying Monday while campaigning with Clinton that Toomey “hasn’t manned up” to Trump. The political limbo also caught the attention of late-night TV, with Jimmy Kimmel dedicating a segment to Toomey’s indecision. 

Both sides poured tens of millions into Pennsylvania as the battle for the upper chamber tightened, making it the most expensive Senate race in the country, according to Open Secrets.

Outside groups spent nearly $118 million, with both sides spending more than a combined $13 million on ads in the final week.