SENATOR FRANCO HARRIS?

Don't laugh - it could happen, says the Trib's Eric Heyl, who reports that Franco Harris could go after Arlen Specter's seat in the U.S. Senate next year:

True, the last time a Steelers great ran for statewide office, he fumbled the ball. Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann was trounced when he sought to unseat Gov. Ed Rendell in 2006, winning less than 40 percent of the vote.

But Swann was a Republican going against a deep-pocketed Democratic incumbent who faced no primary opposition — in a state where Democrats held a commanding 600,000 voter registration edge over the GOP.

What Heyl's saying makes a lot of sense. With the likely backing of President Obama, which presumably would go hand-in-hand with the support of one Dan Rooney, Harris could be on to something. And as Heyl points out, Harris' status as a Democrat would be a big asset for a Pennsylvania campaign. Now all we need is someone to coin a clever campaign phrase featuring the word 'immaculate' and this story could really get some legs.

Franco's unlikely to drop a Pa. election [Trib]

Send your news, tips, and links to Mondesishouse@gmail.com.