Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.)

District: Senior Senator from Pennsylvania
Residence: Philadelphia
Born: February 12, 1930; Wichita, Kan.
Religion: Jewish
Family: Wife, Joan Specter; two children
Education: U. of Pennsylvania, B.A. 1951 (international relations); Yale U., LL.B. 1956
Military Service: Air Force 1951-53
Political Highlights: Philadelphia district attorney, 1966-74; Republican nominee for mayor of Philadelphia, 1967; defeated for re-election as Philadelphia district attorney, 1973; sought Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, 1976; sought Republican nomination for governor, 1978; U.S. Senate, 1981-2011
Elected: Elected: 1980 (5th term)
Committee Assignments: Appropriations (Agriculture; Defense; Homeland Security; Labor-HHS-Education; State-Foreign Operations; Transportation-HUD); Environment & Public Works (Children's Health; Superfund, Toxics & Environmental Health; Transportation & Infrastructure); Judiciary (Antitrust, Competition Policy & Consumer Rights; Constitution; Crime & Drugs - Chairman; Human Rights & the Law); Veterans' Affairs; Special Aging

See Arlen Specter's full CQ Member Profile, including in-depth political biographies of all members of Congress with CQ's analysis of what makes each member tick. CQ Member Profiles also provides:

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State Information: Pennsylvania

Election History
Year	Election	Candidate	Votes	Percent
2010	general	Patrick Toomey (R)	2,028,945	51%
2010	general	Joe Sestak (D)	1,948,716	49%
2004	general	Arlen Specter (R)	2,925,080	52.6%
		Joseph Hoeffel (D)	2,334,126	42%
		James Clymer (CNSTP)	220,056	4%
		Betsy Summers (LIBERT)	79,263	1.4%
1998	general	Arlen Specter (R)	1,814,180	61.3%
		Bill Lloyd (D)	1,028,839	34.8%
		Dean Snyder (CONSTL)	68,377	2.3%
		Jack Iannantuono (LIBERT)	46,103	1.6%
1992	general	Arlen Specter (R)	2,358,125	49.1%
		Lynn Yeakel (D)	2,224,966	46.3%
		John F. Perry III (LIBERT)	219,319	4.6%
1986	general	Arlen Specter (R)	1,906,537	56.4%
1986	general	Robert Edgar (D)	1,448,219	42.9%
1980	general	Arlen Specter (R)	2,230,404	50.5%
		Peter Flaherty (D)	2,122,391	48%
		Linda Mohrbacher (SW)	27,229	0.6%
		David K. Walter (LIBERT)	18,595	0.4%
		Lee Frissell (CON)	16,089	0.4%
		Frank Kinces (COM)	3,334	0.1%

Vote For President
Year	Democrat	Republican
2008	Barack Obama: 54.65%	John McCain: 44.3%
2004	John Kerry: 51%	George W. Bush: 48%
2000	Al Gore: 51%	George W. Bush: 46%
1996	Bill Clinton: 49%	Robert Dole: 40%
1992	Bill Clinton: 45%	George H. W. Bush: 36%
1988	Michael Dukakis: 48%	George H. W. Bush: 51%
1984	Walter F. Mondale: 46%	:

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Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.)