Senator Arlen Specter’s switch to the Democratic Party appears to be paying off with a poll on Monday showing him ahead in his 2010 re-election race in Pennsylvania. Last week Specter, 79, abandoned the Republican Party to run for re-election as a Democrat, a move denounced by fellow Republicans.

Specter said his philosophy was more in line now with Democrats than Republicans, who fired back that he was simply bending to the political winds in order to hang on to power.

A Quinnipiac University poll found Specter would defeat a conservative Republican who is in the race, Pat Toomey, if the election were held today by 53 percent to 33 percent.

You know if the GOP wanted to start rebuilding the party then why not dump Toomey in favor of Tom Ridge?   The poll found Specter leading Ridge by only a margin of 46 percent to 43 percent.

Ridge is a popular politician in the state and could help the GOP start reclaiming some of their old fire that has been lost in the last couple of years.  He is a conservative, but not liked by the far right, that is one reason he was not the choice as McxCain’s running mate in the last election.

The GOP has an opening to help redifine the party, but will they cease the opportunity or will they let is slip through their fingers?