Roll Call: Little GOP excitement vs Casey

Roll Call advances Friday's 1st quarter FEC fundraising deadline with a look at 2012 Senate races, putting Bob Casey's seat in the Lean Democratic category.

Despite Pat Toomey's win last year, the GOP is showing "some recruitment holes" in the state, they say. (But remember Toomey was a very seasoned candidate -- a former congressman who nearly beat Specter in the 2004 primary. Hard to duplicate that).

Here's their PA bit:

Given GOP Sen. Pat Toomey’s success in 2010, Republicans should have an opportunity to knock off first-term Sen. Bob Casey (D) in 2012.

But Republican leaders concede Pennsylvania is one of the states where they have some recruitment holes. That could be because Democrats enjoy a substantial voter-registration edge, which will likely be a far greater factor with President Barack Obama atop the ballot in 2012 than it was in the 2010 midterms.

The outlook for Republicans has become a joke in the state, prompting a local political blog, PoliticsPa.com, to run an April Fools’ Day story titled “GOP Recruits Potted Plant to Challenge Casey in 2012.”

That said, there are at least two who have announced bids: Marc Scaringi, a former aide to Sen. Rick Santorum (R), and Scranton Tea Party leader Laureen Cummings.

Neither has generated substantial excitement among local Republicans, however. Look for the field to develop in the coming months.

Longtime Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Edward Stack is mentioned as a possible candidate, as are state Sens. Kim Ward and Jake Corman. Reps. Charlie Dent and Jim Gerlach have been part of the conversation but aren’t expected to run.