Specter is back

Maybe that Quinnipiac poll wasn't an outlier.

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) has overtaken former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) in a second-straight poll, showing a 47-41 lead in a Research 2000 poll for the liberal website Daily Kos.

Quinnipiac had Specter up 49-42 last week, but the two polls are the first since October to show the incumbent with a lead. Toomey had shown leads upwards of double digits in some polls.

It's hard to see what might have provided Specter with such a bump, but his favorability numbers have rebounded remarkably. Research 2000 has him at 48 percent favorability. Late last year, he was stuck in the 30s with high unfavorables.

Specter holds a 51-32 lead over Rep. Joe Sestak in their May 18 primary. Toomey leads Sestak 42-39 in another potential general election matchup.