Toomey’s retirement: Pros and cons for Pa. and the Lehigh Valley
Pat Toomey’s retirement from politics when his term ends in two years is going to be a loss for the Lehigh Valley. That’s because the region will lose the clout that comes with having a local voice in the U.S. Senate.
But the Zionsville resident’s departure also creates some opportunities.
The pros
1. The 2022 Pennsylvania governor’s race nowis wide open.
It would have limited the field on the GOP side if Toomey, a fiscal conservative, had announced he was seeking the Republican nomination. Some candidates would have hesitated to enter a race against someone with Toomey’s resume and name recognition.
The more candidates, the better.
With Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf unable to run again because of the two-term limit, the contest just got more interesting.
2. Toomey clears the way for someone new to represent Pennsylvania.
A new senator hopefully will have new ideas. Lifetime politicians aren’t good for America.
It was heartening to hear Toomey say Monday during a news conference that he strongly believes in term limits, and that that belief played a role in his decision. The Senate will never impose limits on itself, nor will the House of Representatives, because most members are too selfish.
I’d love to see other senators and representatives follow Toomey’s lead and step aside instead of clinging to their seats as if their life depended on it.
It’s rare for a Senate race not to have an incumbent. And just as with the governor’s race, the Senate race of 2022 becomes more riveting.
3. Toomey nowhas the freedom to show an independent streak. He no longer has to worry about alienating conservative voters or infuriating the GOP gods and President Donald Trump if he doesn’t follow the party line.
I hope he uses that freedom to work in a more bipartisan manner during his final two years in office. He has done so at times, breaking ranks with Republicans on one of the party’s golden rules — no new gun control laws.
Toomey favors expanding background checks for firearms purchases, and after the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut, co-authored legislation with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. It was rejected, but Toomey hasn’t given up. He repeated his call after 11 people were slain in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
Toomey also is free to speak his mind about Trump if Trump wins reelection. Toomey has challenged the president at times, such as saying it was a “mistake” for the president to commute Roger Stone’s sentence. Critics say Toomey hasn’t stood up to the president often enough.
Toomey isn’t a lapdog like Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but I wish he’d be more vocal at times. He didn’t rush to endorse Trump during the 2016 campaign, publicly backing him only late on Election Day, when he was facing a tough race himself.
I’ve always sensed that he’s lukewarm, at best, about the president, as they don’t appear together often.
The cons
1. The Lehigh Valley was lucky to have a hometown senator. Toomey knows the region, had a personal stake in improving it and fought hard for it.
His vacating the office means there’s a good chance the region will be represented by someone who doesn’t have that knowledge or stake.
2. Republicans are losing the lone foothold they have in statewide politics. Except for judges, Toomey is the only Republican in a statewide elected office.
Pennsylvania needs representation from both sides of the aisle. It’s not good for one party to have so much control. 3. Toomey nowis a lame duck. While his announcement frees him to vote his conscience and speak his mind in his final few years, voters also cannot hold him accountable for his actions, or inactions, when he would have been up for reelection.