Tim Burns withdraws from U.S. Senate race
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Bowing to Gov. Tom Corbett and his party's hierarchy, Washington County businessman Tim Burns announced yesterday that he had withdrawn from the Republican competition to challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
Mr. Burns, a former congressional candidate, left the still-crowded race after the decision by the GOP's state committee last weekend to endorse Chester County businessman Steve Welch. Mr. Welch, with the support of Mr. Corbett, scored a comfortable win among the GOP officials. He was followed by Tim Smith, of Armstrong County, while Mr. Burns came in third.
The Burns departure may benefit Mr. Smith as they shared the same geographic base in the state's southwest. Geography was a big part of the calculation of the governor and the party officials who followed his lead. With Mr. Welch they had a candidate from the state's southeast to complement candidates from the southwest, Rep. John Maher, their choice for auditor general, and from the center of the state, Dave Freed, the Cumberland County prosecutor and attorney general candidate, on a regionally balanced slate.
Mr. Welch and Mr. Smith are wealthy businessmen perceived to have the ability to substantially fund their own races. Also still seeking the GOP nomination are Harrisburg attorney Marc Scaringi; former state representative and gubernatorial candidate Sam Rohrer; John Kensinger, a Bedford County pharmacist, and David Christian, an Army veteran from Bucks County.
Before his Senate bid, Mr. Burns was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in the 12th District, where he lost twice to Democrat Mark Critz, first in a 2010 special election after the death of Rep. John P. Murtha, and then in a regularly scheduled general election contest.
Mr. Burns' statement acknowledged but did not explicitly join in the party endorsement. PoliticsPa reported last week that some GOP figures had tried to interest him in another run in the newly configured 12th District. His campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on his plans.
First Published February 3, 2012 12:00 am
