Murtha seat looks like outpost resisting impending GOP onslaught

[babylonsister]

Murtha seat looks like outpost resisting impending GOP onslaught
By Russell Berman - 10/25/10 06:00 AM ET


JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — In the hard-fought rematch for the late Rep. John Murtha’s (D) House seat, the candidates are the same, but the dynamics have changed considerably.

This working-class western Pennsylvania district was once considered a must-win for Republicans looking to win back the House. Now, however, the Democratic seat may become the rare centrist district that resists an even broader GOP sweep, the exception rather than the bellwether.

Rep. Mark Critz (D) is defending the seat he won by a surprising eight points in a May special election following the death of Murtha, his former boss. He again faces Tim Burns, a self-made millionaire who has run a largely boilerplate GOP campaign, hammering the Democratic agenda in Washington and tying Critz to unpopular Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

An underdog five months ago, Critz, 48, now has an edge, according to political analysts. The reason, in his view, is simple.

“I’ve gone to Congress and done exactly what I said I was going to do,” he said during an interview in his bustling Johnstown campaign office.

more...

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/125603-same-candidates-different-dynamic-in-race-for-murtha-seat

[blue neen]

1. This is our district. Ol' 23% National Sales Tax Tim Burns has been sending

out a lot of mailers. They are not the least bit effective.

Go Critz!

:dem: