The Beautiful Swann Passes the Edly Duckling

Might this Rasmussen poll not ultimately qualify as the political answer to the Immaculate Reception?

Our latest poll of the race for Pennsylvania governor shows Republican Lynn Swann, the former receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, narrowly leading Democratic Governor Ed Rendell 45% to 43%.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters view Swann favorably; 47% view Rendell favorably.

Swann formally declared his candidacy just two weeks ago, on January 4. But he has enjoyed early success in securing endorsements from two of six regional caucuses in his quest for the party nomination. The Republican state Committee will endorse a candidate on February 11....

Although Swann has just announced his candidacy in a formal sense, he has been visibly preparing for a run for close to a year. If elected, he would be the first black to serve as Pennsylvania's governor.

Governor Rendell has often been regarded as a potential candidate for president. Many believe his popularity helped John Kerry win the state in 2004.

Many believe in error. It was Rendell's Philadelphia fixers who diddled George Bush out of the Keystone state's 21 Electoral Votes. That came on the heels of Rendell doing everything he could to get out-of-state military voters disenfranchised. The idea of that rumpled, mafiosoesque crook running for president is bad comedy. He doesn't hide those traits nearly well enough. No wonder Lynn Swann makes for such an unfavorable side-by-side comparison.

And how. Swann would have Western Pennsylvania nailed flat just on his "Super Steelers" legend. He's young, articulate, optimistic, intelligent, telegenic. Worst of all from the Dems' perspective is that he's all these things and African-American as well, just like GOP senate candidate Michael Steele in neighboring Maryland. It's a trend that they can ill-afford and are, frankly, helpless to withstand indefinitely. Let those two men break through, and the metaphorical dam will burst on "black America's" mindless, monolothic, self-defeating allegience to the Democrat Party.

And the whipped cream atop the sundae? As Cap'n Ed points out, a Swann victory in November could tow embattled Senator Rick Santorum to a comeback win as well.

Just two months ago hypothetical polling matchups showed Rendell leading Swann by double-digits. At this rate - and the rate that Steele is also rising (he now leads both Qwese Mfumi and Ben Cardin by mid-single-digits) - the Donks' perpetual, chimerical dream of retaking Congress is inexorably morphing into yet another nightmare.

[PS: Go Steelers! Unlike the Broncos, they'd make a worthy SuperBowl opponent for your Seattle Seahawks.]