Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Ex GOP Sen. Hagel endorses Sestak
Former Sen. Chuck Hagel said he voted straight Republican when he cast his first vote, filling out the absentee form on the back of a tank in Vietnam.
The Nebraska Republican crossed party lines yesterday as he endorsed< fellow veteran Joe Sestak in the Pennsylvania Senate race.
Mr. Hagel joined Mr. Sestak at a Mt. Washington press conference, arguing that the Democratic nominee’s independence gives him the potential to be part of a new governing coalition of both parties in Washington.
It was the second time in a week that the Democrat had showcased a cross-party endorsement, promoting an image of independence at a time when polling suggests that both major parties are held in low esteem by voters. Mr. Sestak joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, at a similar event last week in Philadelphia, where he was to return this afternoon for a reprise of the Hagel endorsement.
