Pat Toomey

Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey (b. 1961) is a conservative activist who was a successful owner of restaurants in Pennsylvania in the 1990s, and then served as a Republican Congressman from that state from 1999 through 2004, when he complied with his term-limit pledge and retired from Congress.

Toomey then attempted to unseat entrenched liberal Arlen Specter from his Senate seat in the Republican primary. Despite being outspent by Specter, who as a liberal also received newspaper endorsements, and despite being opposed by President George W. Bush and conservative Republican Senator Rick Santorum, who campaigned hard for the liberal Specter, Toomey shocked observers by coming within 2% of defeating Specter. He is currently a candidate for the Republican nomination for United States Senate in 2010.

Toomey then became President of the Club for Growth in January 2005.

Politically, Toomey is pro-life and conservative on economic issues also.