Specter Now Against EFCA

Arlen Specter, the lone Republican to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act in the last congress, says he’s not longer supporting it. He has a nominal rationale, but I think it’s fair to say that an important consideration is his need to fend off a primary challenge from Pat Toomey. If Specter hews to the anti-union lines, many business-types will support him in the primaries as the candidate more likely to hold the seat for the GOP. But if Specter were to cross big business on EFCA, the nomination would be as good as Toomey’s.

Specter secured substantial union support in his last re-election bid, but after selling labor out on their key priority he now looks like a much more vulnerable general election candidate than he was last time around.