Republican Senate candidate Steve Welch can boast of endorsements from two of Pennsylvania's largest newspapers in the five-way GOP primary race.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed Welch on Tuesday, a week after the Philadelphia Inquirer also endorsed the Chester County entrepreneur and venture capitalist.
The primary winner will face incumbent Democrat Bob Casey.
Welch is facing a strong challenge from former state Rep. Sam Rohrer of Berks County and a wealthy Armstrong County businessman, Tom Smith, who built his coal business into Pennsylvania's ninth-largest.
The Post-Gazette calls Welch “a smart, young, proven job creator” with orthodox GOP positions and “an appealing personal story of accomplishment.” The Inquirer calls Welch “smart and personable” with ideas that “fly like sparks off an anvil,” although it cautions he needs to flesh out his predictable party-line positions.
