Thousands of Republicans who came out to vote on Tuesday left the polls without supporting one of the GOP's top priorities: U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's re-election.
Statewide, the Republican incumbent unofficially came away with more than 21,000 fewer GOP votes than gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann, with 98 percent of votes counted. Neither faced a primary opponent, but both will be immersed in contested races in the fall.
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In the southeastern part of the state, Santorum received about as many GOP votes as Swann. But in the southwest, an area that analysts agreed is critical for the senator's re-election bid, Santorum received 6,000 fewer votes than Swann.
That has to be a concern because the southwest is Santorum's home base, Young said.
"I think his problems are greater in the southwest, where the anger is more palpable and more serious for him in that he needs the support out there if he's going to have a chance to beat Casey," Young said.
Ricky really pissed people off in the Pittsburgh area over his spending the school district's money to educate his kids in Virginia where they live.