Tom Smith. His $4.4 million cash-on hand is a game-changer in the U.S. Senate race: primary and general. All of a sudden the GOP has a candidate whose financial resources practically match Bob Casey’s. Sure, more than $5 million of his net contributions thus far are self-loans from the candidate. But it all spends the same. The longer he stays on TV (he extended his $300,000K+ buy on Monday), the more he can max out his opponents.
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John Brabender. Many national political observers wrote off Rick Santorum’s presidential bid months ago. But their campaign plan – to ride the Iowa evangelical vote to success – was executed to perfection. It’s due in large part to Brabender’s positive ads.
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Tom Creighton. This one slipped by us in the hustle and bustle of redistricting, but it bears note. For his entire career, the Lancaster Co. State Rep. campaigned heavily on his refusal to accept a generous lawmakers’ pension. Now that he’s retiring, guess what. In a naked flip-flop, he signed up to pull in $30,000 annually from the state.
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Brian Sims. The 33-year-old attorney and LGBT activist has an uphill battle against Rep. Babette Josephs, who has historically enjoyed support from voters in Pa.’s largest gay community. But he got off to a good start, boasting a strong $72,000 raised in 2011. Not bad for a state rep. primary challenger.
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Arlen Specter. The former senator is back on the scene with a new television show where he’ll host a thoughtful, half-hour public policy discussion featuring a few principal guests as well as input from various stakeholders and opinion leaders. It’s more “Charlie Rose” than “Crossfire” and wonkish viewers of any political stripe are likely to enjoy it.
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Kathleen Kane. The Democratic Attorney General hopeful made a big splash this week with her announcement that she has $2 million on hand. Most of it is likely self-loans, but who cares? She and her opponents have limited statewide name ID, and the campaign will be a money race. That said, she’s not running away with it. Former Cong. Pat Murphy has well over $1 million at this point.
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Larry Ceisler. Sure, he’s a co-owner of PoliticsPA. But that’s not why he makes the list this week. Check out the prescient piece he wrote back in 2005 about Santorum’s matchup with Casey:

“I think Rick Santorum is fully prepared to lose to Bob Casey and he wants to do it before a national audience carrying the torch of the brand of conservatism that will nominate the next GOP candidate for president. By publishing this book [“It Takes a Family”] he has sent a strong signal his campaign will be waged without ideological compromise.”

Sound familiar? It’s the newfound narrative of Santorum’s all of a suddenly serious presidential campaign.