Pat Toomey and Joe Sestak are both working to beat a path to the middle in Pennsylvania, positioning themselves as non-ideological public servants interested in jobs and the economy.

On Monday, Toomey welcomed Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a woman who was lambasted by the Club for Growth (Toomey is the group’s former president) for her support of the president’s $800 billion stimulus package.

Collins brushed aside any notion of animus from previous attacks by Toomey’s group, underscoring the need to build a big-tent party capable of checking the Obama administration in Congress.

Joe Sestak, tried to pre-empt the Toomey-Collins fundraiser by trotting out four Republicans who are voting for Sestak.

One Sestak supporter, Rob Sulek, said he would vote Democrat because Sestak is “willing to listen, to understand different points of view. And Joe’s willing to cross the aisle if it’s necessary.”

Ahem. Really?