All eyes nationally on Pa. elections

Pennsylvania stands squarely in the national spotlight as voters go to the polls Tuesday to elect a governor and U.S. senator, along with 19 U.S. House members.

With sunny skies predicted from Philadelphia to Erie, from Pittsburgh to Scranton, 7,858 polling places will be open for the state's 8.5 million registered voters between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

In one of the country's most closely watched Senate races, Republican former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey of Allentown and Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak of Edgmont are battling to succeed Democrat Arlen Specter.

National Democrats, led by President Obama and former President Bill Clinton, have held rally after rally in hopes of pushing Sestak ahead of Toomey, who has led narrowly in polls. Monday evening, Michelle Obama appeared at the Perelman Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania, saying, "This election is about all we have left to do. We need you to get fired up."

Another Democrat hoping to benefit is gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato.

With no ceiling on campaign contributions for state offices, Onorato and Republican Tom Corbett, both from the Pittsburgh area, have spent a combined $50 million in their race to succeed Gov. Rendell. After two terms in office, Rendell cannot run again.

Corbett, the state attorney general, held a polling lead over Onorato, the Allegheny County executive. But Democratic leaders continued to show their belief that Onorato could pull it out by sending Obama and Clinton to campaign for him. A visit to McKeesport on Monday by Clinton marked his sixth appearance for Onorato.

The eyes of America are also on the state's top House races.

With control of Congress up for grabs, seven of the state's 19 House races have been targeted for TV ads, mailers, and phone calls by national partisans on each side.

These races include three in the Philadelphia suburbs.

In the Eighth District, Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy faces a familiar foe: former U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, whom Murphy narrowly ousted in 2006. The district includes all of Bucks County, a sliver of Montgomery County, and two wards in Northeast Philadelphia.

A bitter fight has taken hold in the Seventh Congressional District, a seat left vacant after Sestak decided to run for the Senate. Democratic State Rep. Bryan Lentz of Swarthmore faces Republican Patrick Meehan, a former U.S. attorney from Drexel Hill. The district includes most of Delaware County and parts of Montgomery and Chester Counties.