All this means is that winning in PA in a GOP wave by two points doesn't mean you're finished in your re-election bid. And Toomey has advantages that Santorum didn't have even when he wasn't considered super controversial.
Well, I agree that a) Toomey's close win in a Republican year doesn't necessarily mean he'd lose with a more D electorate after six years have passed, and that b) Toomey lacks the kind of problems that pulled down Santorum in 2006. I do think that senate votes are much more nationalized than they were in 2000 (although the trend was certainly there then) and I expect it will pull down Toomey if the election unfolds as I expect. But that is not inevitable and I wouldn't be surprised if he's still a senator in 2017 with a President Clinton.
Poll
