Demagogue

I was glad to learn that Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey had announced his candidacy to oppose incumbent Senator Rick Santorum, whose views are more akin to Trent Lott's than Arlen Specter's.

And I was particularly pleased to see this recent poll that shows Casey leading Santorum by 7 percentage points.

The good news? Casey is running +4 among white voters and +14 among seniors. (The latter margin is critical in Pennsylvania -- Florida is the only state east of the Mississippi River with a larger share of 65-and-over residents.)

The bad news? Santorum is polling well in the northeast region of the state, Casey's backyard. And Santorum is polling very well (for a Republican, anyway) among blacks. He receives nearly one out of four African-American votes.

Unless these voters are all rabidly anti-gay, Casey can make inroads with them. Even if they're pro-life voters, Casey should have a shot at winning their votes -- he is economically liberal, but pro-life (like his father, the ex-governor).