From Gov. Tom Ridge's statement on his decision not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate in his home state of Pennsylvania:

"To those who believe that the Republican Party is facing challenges, they are right. To those who believe the Democratic Party is without its own difficulties, they are wrong. No one party has a monopoly on all of the answers. The more important view, in my mind, is that we remember, whether Republican or Democrat, we are foremost Americans. And as Americans, we have always overcome challenges when we put partisanship aside and solutions first.

"And so my desire and intention is to help my party craft solutions that both sides of the aisle can embrace. My hope is to raise the level of civility in public debate and raise the bar on outcomes that serve our citizens fully, fairly and equally. My belief is that those in my home state can best be served by the principles of limited government, less taxes, competent governance and shared responsibility. So I stand ready and excited to help my party and my country prevail as we continue to work to preserve and protect our strong, storied and much beloved nation."

That part about "limited government, less taxes, competent governance and shared responsibility" sure sounds like Ridge is endorsing Pat Toomey, doesn't it?

Statement by The Honorable Tom Ridge on His Decision Not To Seek the Senate Seat in Pennsylvania

Former Congressman Pat Toomey, the man who drove Arlen Specter into the Democratic Party, says he can beat former Gov. Tom Ridge in a Republican primary for Specter's U.S. Senate seat.

From a story by Mike Wereschagin in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

"I think he is a good and honorable and able man," Toomey, a former three-term congressman from Allentown, said in the Duquesne Club, Downtown. "I will say that I am very confident that I am very well positioned to win this primary and go on to win this general election. I am convinced that I will be the next senator from Pennsylvania."

Toomey, most recently president of The Club for Growth, is the favorite of Pennsylvania conservatives, but GOP party bosses are not sure he can appeal to moderates.

The party establishment is trying to woo Ridge into moving back to Pennsylvania to make a run for the Republican Party nomination in 2010.

Toomey believes the party leadership is the reason for the GOP's decline in Pennsylvania.

From the Tribune-Review:

Toomey attributed Republican losses to politicians' abandonment of party principle.

"After all, it was Republicans who passed bloated appropriation bills, staggering numbers of earmarks and the Republicans who ended up in jail for corruption," Toomey said. "So I understand why voters were disappointed with Republicans. When they see Republican candidates who actually believe in the principles that brought them to the Republican Party in the first place, I think they come back."

Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.