Apparently Pennsylvania law bars candidates who ran in and lost a primary from then running as an independent. So Specter has three choices: Try to win the GOP primary (his chances are dismal), run as an independent from the get-go, or run as a Democrat. It looks like he’s going to go for the first one but with a twist.

In recent days, Specter has quietly lobbied Republicans who control the state Senate to support a proposal that would allow independents to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. He has called individual senators and spoke before the entire caucus – on that and other subjects – earlier this week.

One senator who attended the caucus said it was tough sell.

“It was apparent that he wanted the support” of the caucus, said Sen. John H. Eichelberger, R-Blair, who supports Toomey. “I could tell from the looks in the room and the comments that were made that there wasn’t much support for it.”

So he wants an open primary, hoping that Democrats and Independents will win him the GOP nomination. From what that state senator says, it doesn’t sound like it’s going to happen.

Will he run as a Democrat? I doubt it. Like Allahpundit says, he’d enjoy DNC money but face backlash as someone who can’t be trusted. So he’ll either take the chance and risk losing his Senate seat right from the Republican primary, or he’ll run as an Independent and hope he can cobble together a coalition of Dems, Indies, and GOPers who don’t despise him.