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Murtha survives a challenge
JOHNSTOWN -- John P. Murtha, a master of the congressional earmark and icon of antiwar Democrats, last night survived a challenge from a political unknown, nearly undone by a series of gaffes in which he called his region "racist" and "redneck."
"We turned this thing around in 10 days. The folks worked so hard," Mr. Murtha told a crowd of supporters inside a converted warehouse along the route of the old Pennsylvania Railroad Canal.
Mr. Murtha defeated challenger William Russell with about 58 percent of the vote.
In addition to most of Cambria, the 12th comprises portions of Somerset, Indiana, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Washington and Fayette counties and all of Greene County in the state's southwestern corner.
Accepting thanks and promising a hard two years with the newly elected Obama administration, Mr. Murtha offered no hint that he regretted either the antiwar stance that brought him last night's challenge, nor his history of bringing home hundreds of millions of dollars in budgetary earmarks.
On the war: "There's no question in my mind that we're going to find a way to get the troops home as quickly as we can."
On earmarks: "They call 'em earmarks. The reason we have 20,000 jobs in this district and diversified and changed the district from coal and steel and 24 percent unemployment at one time is because of the earmarks and the national spending we've been able to bring in here."
JOHNSTOWN -- John P. Murtha, a master of the congressional earmark and icon of antiwar Democrats, last night survived a challenge from a political unknown, nearly undone by a series of gaffes in which he called his region "racist" and "redneck."
"We turned this thing around in 10 days. The folks worked so hard," Mr. Murtha told a crowd of supporters inside a converted warehouse along the route of the old Pennsylvania Railroad Canal.
Mr. Murtha defeated challenger William Russell with about 58 percent of the vote.
In addition to most of Cambria, the 12th comprises portions of Somerset, Indiana, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Washington and Fayette counties and all of Greene County in the state's southwestern corner.
Accepting thanks and promising a hard two years with the newly elected Obama administration, Mr. Murtha offered no hint that he regretted either the antiwar stance that brought him last night's challenge, nor his history of bringing home hundreds of millions of dollars in budgetary earmarks.
On the war: "There's no question in my mind that we're going to find a way to get the troops home as quickly as we can."
On earmarks: "They call 'em earmarks. The reason we have 20,000 jobs in this district and diversified and changed the district from coal and steel and 24 percent unemployment at one time is because of the earmarks and the national spending we've been able to bring in here."
