Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising -- given the way the Democratic establishment closed ranks behind his opponent -- but things remain awkward between Joe Sestak and party leaders, reports Shira Toeplitz at Politico:

It’s been nearly a month since the May 18 primary, and key local party leaders have not been in close contact with Sestak. His unorthodox campaign organization is unnerving Democratic officials, and his public comments suggest he hasn’t forgotten the rough treatment he received from the White House and the state party establishment, both of which worked furiously to deliver the nomination to party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter.

All of it has Democrats wondering about the pace and direction of his bid against Republican nominee Pat Toomey.

“It would seem to me that he would need to have all hands on deck moving forward if he’s going to win in Pennsylvania with so many diverse parts of the state,” said fellow Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire. “There are a lot of areas in which you need people who have expertise in local issues.”

. . . “He’s not the one who hangs out in the Murtha corner,” said Altmire, referring to the seats on the House floor that the late Rep. John Murtha and his home-state allies occupied. “Of the four freshmen of 2006, he’s not the one who’s been in a social setting, a part of the group. ... Joe does do his own thing.”

We imagine the conversations at Dem HQ are going something like this: