Mid-Term Elections: State's candidates not afraid to sling mud

Philadelphia's political atmosphere may achieve a combustible level by the November 7 elections, but political analysts and campaign representatives say the city is just warming up. Two critical races - one for a U.S. Senate seat and one for governor - have little more than two months to go, and the campaigns are well under way.The primary candidates for the Senate and gubernatorial races are confident in their campaigns and unafraid of some competitive mud-slinging at their opponents.Gov. Ed Rendell, who has been in office since 2003, is running for re-election against Republican challenger Lynn Swann.Swann's status as a National Football League hall-of-famer isn't scaring the Rendell team, though."The governor continues to garner strong support," said Dan Fee, a spokesman for the Rendell campaign, adding that Swann is "the most inexperienced [candidate] in a generation. . His entire resume is built off of being a fantastic football player."Swann played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning four Super Bowl titles during his tenure with the team. He also had a successful career as a sports broadcaster with ABC.While his football fame gives him the advantage of recognition with voters, Fee said that Swann "is incapable of explaining what he is doing."Melissa Walters, a spokeswoman for the Swann campaign, countered, saying that Rendell's political experience "includes raising taxes and breaking his promises."Lynn Swann is not a career politician beholden to special interests, and he is certainly not the first person to come from the private sector to run for office. [He] will provide the kind of leadership that has been sorely lacking in Harrisburg for the past four years."A campaign with perhaps even higher stakes, however, is the Senate race between Republican incumbent Rick Santorum - in office since 1995 - and Democratic challenger Bob Casey.Zack Stalberg, CEO of the Committee of Seventy, a respected Philadelphia watchdog group, said the senatorial race is "probably the biggest race in the country this fall."A win from Santorum could boost his already favorable standing with conservative Republicans - he is currently No. 3 in the Senate Republican leadership - as well as increase his chances of a presidential bid in 2008, Stalberg added.According to The New York Times, Santorum has raised over $17 million for his campaign - almost $7 million more than Casey.Although Stalberg said that Casey hasn't run his campaign as effectively as Santorum has his, he did admit that Casey is popular and a win by him could help tip the Senate in the favor of the Democrats.