Finishing up a two-day swing through the Pittsburgh area, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak picked up endorsements from five local Democrats yesterday in his race against Sen. Arlen Specter.

City Controller Michael Lamb, state Sen. Jim Ferlo, of Highland Park, City Council members Doug Shields and Bruce Kraus, and state delegate and 14th Ward leader Barbara Daly-Danko pledged their support for the second-term congressman from Delaware County on the steps of the City-County Building, Downtown.

Mr. Sestak, 58, is facing an uphill battle against a lack of name recognition outside of the southeast corner of the state and a Democratic establishment that has pledged its support of Mr. Specter, who switched from the Republican Party last year to become the Democrats' 60th vote in the Senate.

The local leaders compared their backing of Mr. Sestak to supporting Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential primary when most of the state's top Democrats supported Hillary Rodham Clinton. Ironically, Mr. Obama is now Mr. Specter's highest-ranking backer.

Mr. Ferlo said he was swayed by Mr. Sestak's stances on issues such as his support for a tax on high earners rather than expensive health plans as part of the health care reform bill. But also, Mr. Ferlo said, he thinks Mr. Sestak has a better shot in the general election, likely against former congressman Pat Toomey, of Allentown.

"I really have a suspicion that our good octogenarian senator will not retain the seat, and I'm really concerned about that," Mr. Ferlo said.

Mr. Specter, 79, leads in fundraising and in the polls, with about four months until the primary. In response to the Sestak event, Mr. Specter's campaign yesterday sent out a list of 23 Allegheny County Democrats backing the incumbent, including County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty and former Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff.

But Mr. Lamb said he hasn't seen the same push from the state Democratic apparatus that accompanied Mrs. Clinton's presidential candidacy, and though Mr. Specter has represented the state for 30 years, he still has work to do getting to know Democrats since his party switch. Mr. Lamb maintained that the race in this area remains up for grabs.

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