Tuesday’s Big Election Winner? Pat Toomey
No, Pat Toomey isn’t on Tuesday’s election ballot. But yes, he could be a big winner anyway.
Why? Because if the GOP takes the U.S. Senate — something widely expected to happen — his power and clout should grow significantly.
Toomey, a Republican, likely would gain subcommittee chairmanships on several panels, along with a greater ability to push his priorities to votes in a chamber that will be under pressure to get more accomplished.
“I think that Pennsylvania is going to have growing leverage in the next Congress,” said former U.S. Rep. Phil English, a Republican who represented western Pennsylvania for seven terms and now works as a government relations adviser at the Washington-based law firm Arendt Fox.
It’s Toomey who stands to gain the most, however.
He would be likely to gain subcommittee spots on two committees, the Banking panel and Finance Committee, which would give him a platform for holding hearings and advancing bills.
“There will be a significant number of opportunities for me and my colleagues to force votes on items that will be very helpful to Pennsylvania,” Toomey said.
