Former Pennsylvania Congressman Pat Toomey blasted Republican Senator Arlen Specter at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference over the weekend.

Toomey, a Republican who lost a close primary to Specter in 2004 by 17,000 votes, said: “I think it’s time for a change, and that is why it is very, very likely that very soon, I will be a candidate for the United States Senate.” Toomey received a standing ovation from the group, the Pennsylvania version of the national Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), according to a reporter for the Harrisburg Patriot-News. He spoke on Saturday.

Said Toomey: “When Republicans were in the majority, I believe that Arlen Specter helped to squander…the obligation of Republicans to common-sense conservatives. Now, he is actively helping the most liberal elected government in American history to advance an extremely liberal agenda.”

Specter was not invited to the conference, but responded earlier in the week to the increasing threat from Toomey while on a stop in Harrisburg. The Senator charged that Toomey’s votes while a member of the U.S. House representing Allentown helped create the current economic situation, specifically citing votes for deregulation of the financial services industry. Said Specter of Toomey: “He’s like the AIG employees. He creates the problem; now he wants the bonus. He wants to be promoted to the Senate. He’s going to have more votes to explain than I do. Stay tuned.”