Pennsylvania Voters Bounce Two Blue Dog Dems

By Tony Romeo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – While much has been made about Governor Corbett's choice for the Republican nomination for US Senate getting trounced, one prominent political analyst thinks there's a bigger story from this past week's primary.

Franklin and Marshall College pollster and political analyst Terry Madonna believes the defeat of the party-backed candidate in the Republican Senate primary won't diminish the governor's clout in a major way.

More significant, he believes, is the defeat of two of Pennsylvania's more conservative Democratic Congressmen, including the states longest serving member, Schuylkill County's Tim Holden, who found themselves in less conservative districts when maps were redrawn.

Madonna says those seats will likely remain Democratic in the fall.

"The loss of two Blue Dogs means that the Pennsylvania delegation will become more polarized…less likely to compromise."

While that may make life more difficult for Republicans, Madonna says it was probably unavoidable if the GOP wanted to protect its incumbents in the redistricting process which they controlled this time around.