Sen. Arlen Specter (D) will get a boost later this month from media mogul and CNN founder Ted Turner. Specter said in a phone interview that Turner will host a fundraiser for him in Atlanta on March 21 in the late afternoon.

While the outspoken Turner does not shy away from politics or his liberal leanings, it’s rare that he outright hosts a fundraiser for a politician. Specter, who switched parties to run for re-election as a Democrat in April 2009, said this was the first time that Turner had hosted a fundraiser for him.

Specter is facing Rep. Joe Sestak in the May 18 primary.

Public polls show the Senator with a substantial lead over Sestak, but polling has varied widely on whether Specter can win against the expected Republican nominee, former Rep. Pat Toomey (R).

A Susquehanna Polling and Research survey released Monday showed Toomey leading with 42 percent to Specter’s 36 percent.

That’s consistent with a Franklin and Marshall College poll that found Toomey ahead 44 percent to 34 percent, but two other recent polls showed Specter faring much better.

A poll conducted for the Web site Daily Kos found Specter the leader with 47 percent to Toomey’s 41 percent, and a Quinnipiac University poll found Specter ahead 49 percent to 42 percent.

The Susquehanna poll had a 3.7-point margin of error; Franklin and Marshall, a 3.2 percent margin; the Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll had a 4.5-point margin of error; and Quinnipiac’s had a 2.6-point margin of error.