Specter routs Dem. underdog

To the surprise of no one, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter breezed to re-election last night, becoming the first person in state history to be elected to a fourth term in office. The results of the election -- pitting the Republican Specter against Democrat Bill Lloyd, a little-known state legislator from Southwestern Pennsylvania -- was never really in doubt, as pre-election polls showed Specter leading by as many as 46 percentage points. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Specter had 61 percent of the vote compared to 35 for Lloyd. "I'm very grateful for the strong showing," Specter, 68, said in his acceptance speech. "It is especially gratifying? to find that so many people -- Republicans, independents and Democrats -- have voted for us in this election." Specter's road to re-election this year was a far cry from six years ago, when he barely edged out Democrat Lynn Yeakel following his controversial grilling of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings in 1991. About 500 friends and supporters of the moderate Republican showed up at the senator's glitzy victory party at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Center City. Many of them attributed Specter's wide margin of victory to his integrity and independence. "When he takes a stand, he won't back down from it," said College freshman Keith Zeuner, who interned in Specter's Washington office last summer. "People have seen he's an independent thinker who makes independent decisions," added fellow intern Chris Almand, a senior at the University of California at Los Angeles. And Paul Catinella, 43, a Philadelphia native, said the senator has "established himself as a Republican who votes for what's right for Pennsylvania." Specter, a University alumnus who briefly ran for president in 1996, enjoyed widespread support even from many Democrats, who appeared with him at various public events to thank him for his work for the state, though they mostly avoided officially endorsing him. He stressed his experience and seniority throughout the campaign, which he said would enable him to bring projects home to the state. Last night, he emphasized a theme of nonpartisanship in helping to achieve what the American people want. "Party ideology has to lead to practicality when we look for what is in the public interest," he said. "Crossing party lines and party ideologies is really the key to what the people are looking for." He also spoke of the need for bipartisanship in the ongoing investigation into the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which he called a "a virtually unprecedented occurrence." "I believe the American people are looking to the Congress to handle that matter in a nonpartisan way, in a judicious way," he said. The celebration was marred for many supporters, though, by the unexpectedly poor showing of Republicans across the country. Lloyd, 51, an 18-year state legislature veteran, spent most of the campaign driving across the state trying to introduce himself to as many potential voters as possible. But he was never able to drum up much excitement among voters or convince them that a change was necessary. "I knew that it was going to be an uphill struggle, especially when I realized that I was not going to have any money for a media campaign," Lloyd said in his concession speech. He also hinted that he may run again for statewide office in the future. The Associated Press contributed to this article.