The Hill reports that Sestak’s announcement drew a small crowd and suffered serious technical problems:
His speech was only taken in by a few dozen backers, many of them service men, rather than a large crowd. His campaign website was down for most of the morning as he made his announcement, and the live stream his staff planned for reporters didn’t work.
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In addition to a paltry crowd and website problems, Sestak botched a quotation from "To Kill A Mockingbird."
Democrats around the country have been saying for some time that Sestak will lose to incumbent Pat Toomey. There’s so much distance between national Democrats and Sestak that he didn’t even tell the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee about his announcement, according to National Journal.
Joe Sestak is an unconventional Senate candidate, and his campaign is off to an unconventional start.
The former congressman and decorated former Navy admiral kicked off his Senate campaign in Philadelphia on Wednesday, but he didn’t tell anyone at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee about his plans.
Sestak’s campaign is off to a bumpy start, while Pat Toomey is on the path to re-election.
UPDATE: The missteps keep on coming for Sestak’s campaign. The Hill reports that his march through Pennsylvania is losing steam:
After a rousing speech about manufacturing and small-business jobs to an audience of 20 or so, partly drowned out by trucks rumbling by, Sestak returned to his long march. He was barging ahead when a supporter warned him he was about to run out of sidewalk.
He didn’t seem to notice that most of those who’d been following him after the speech had stopped there, leaving him with a smaller entourage.
The image of Sestak running out of sidewalk is fitting — as even Democratic operatives think he’ll lose to incumbent Pat Toomey.