Toomey blames DSCC for killing his lead

Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey (Pa.) blamed attack-ad spending by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) for a decline in his lead against his Democratic opponent.

“The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has spent more money attacking me than any other candidate in the country,” Toomey said in a “Fox News Sunday” interview. “That may very well explain part of this tightening.”

Toomey was 8.5 points ahead of Democratic opponent Joe Sestak on Labor Day, according to RealClearPolitics. His lead has shrunk to 2 points.

Toomey downplayed the significance of that decline during the interview, saying he “expected this would be close.”

“I don’t think we ever had a big lead, but we do have a lead now…Pennsylvania is a big swing state,” he said.

Toomey said Sestak is “extreme” and “outside the mainstream of Pennsylvania.”

“The fact is Joe Sestak is to left of Nancy Pelosi. That’s no exaggeration. He’s voted for every single item on this big government agenda that we’ve been living through for these last two years, and his only criticism has been that it doesn’t go far enough,” he said.

Toomey said he disagrees with some views of GOP Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell. Sestak’s comments have linked Toomey to O’Donnell.

“I think there was some reference to repealing one of the amendments and a question about the First Amendment. You know, this is — this is nothing that I’ve ever spoken about or agreed with,” Toomey said.

He sidestepped a question about whether O’Donnell has hurt him in the race.

“I don’t think people fall for that. I mean, you know, this is pretty silly,” he said.