With his reelection campaign officially underway and already stumbling, vulnerable GOP Senator Pat Toomey is hard at work trying to rewrite his record in order to please whichever group he’s talking to on any given day. Earlier this week it was revealed that Toomey pandered to gun-rights groups in order to avoid a demonstration outside his campaign launch. But after tying himself in knots all week trying to walk back the issue, the only thing that’s clear is that Toomey has a pretty high tightrope to walk in 2016.
Unfortunately for Senator Toomey, he won’t be able to erase a record as extreme as the one he’s built during his first term. While in office,Toomey has voted along party lines an average of 93% of the time and the extreme Club for Growth, a Washington special interest group he once led, has awarded him a 92% lifetime rating.
“As Senator Toomey faces an extremely difficult reelection he is desperately trying to rewrite the past and moderate his image because his record is too extreme for Pennsylvania,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Sadie Weiner. “But no matter how fast Senator Toomey tries to run away from the facts, he won’t be able to pull the wool over the eyes of Pennsylvania voters in 2016.”
BACKGROUND:
Toomey Had A 92% Lifetime Ratings From The Club For Growth. According to Club for Growth’s 2014 Congressional scorecard Toomey had a lifetime rating of 92% with the group. [Club for Growth, Accessed 9/16/15]
Toomey Voted With His Party An Average Of 93% Of The Time Every Year He Had Been In The Senate:
| PARTY UNITY | ||
| Year | Support | Oppose |
| 2014 | 91% | 9% |
| 2013 | 94% | 6% |
| 2012 | 93% | 7% |
| 2011 | 95% | 5% |
[CQ Voting Studies, 6/15]
