In a surprise announcement, former Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) will be running for Sen. Bob Casey’s senate seat in the 2012 primary election.

“Well after Joe Sestak’s successful run against me last year,” Specter quipped in a phone interview, “I thought running as an outsider in a Democratic primary might be the best way to get my seat back.”

In May of last year, the five-term incumbent was defeated in a contentious primary by then-Rep. Sestak. The former Navy admiral was unavailable for comment, but was last seen in the unemployment line thanking his supporters.

In a statement released to the press, Specter noted he came to this decision after watching Senator Toomey’s maiden floor speech, and throwing the remote at his TV.

“Now that I’ve been a private citizen for three months, I know what it’s like to be an outsider in politics and an average person,” Specter added. “It’s horrible. Where’s my driver?”

Last spring, Specter was among the first of many incumbents defeated during the momentous 2010 midterm election. Until this announcement, Specter had restarted his legal career in Philadelphia and was planning on being a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

“Nixon was defeated too,” Specter growled. “I’m never going away. Deal with it.”