Pennsylvania Voters Play Key Role in Future of Congress

• 11th District (Northeast — Scranton, Wilkes-Barre). Though his northeastern Pennsylvania district has a Democratic lean, 12-term Democratic Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski continues to be among the most politically endangered incumbents in either party. This is in part because of missteps by the congressman and in part because Republican nominee Lou Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton, has a national profile that is linked to his efforts to curb illegal immigration in his community.

Their biggest difference on issues is on the $700 billion financial rescue law that detractors called a taxpayer-financed “bailout.” Barletta opposed the measure, saying that Congress should have “looked at a private sector solution rather than using the taxpayers’ money.” And in a reference to Kanjorski’s tenure as chairman of the subcommittee that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Barletta said at a debate Oct. 29 that “we have a problem when members of Congress who sit on committees that are to oversee and regulate these institutions are taking hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign contributions from the same industries that they are to regulate.”

Kanjorski said that “we had to act very precipitously and very quickly” on the advice of Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Federal Reserve chairman Ben S. Bernanke . He said at the Oct. 29 debate that he wanted to return to Congress to work with an Obama administration to make needed changes to education, health care and economic policy.

• 10th District (Northeast — Central Susquehanna Valley). Democratic Rep. Christopher Carney represents a vast, conservative-leaning swath of northeastern and central Pennsylvania, and he expected a vigorous challenge for the district he claimed two years ago from scandal-plagued Republican Rep. Don Sherwood.

But Carney merits the edge against Republican businessman Chris Hackett. Carney has touted his accessibility to constituents, saying he’s held 28 town hall meetings in 21 months, and his work to secure federal funding for smaller communities in his district. At a debate Thursday, Carney said that he has worked in a bipartisan fashion and secured Republican cosponsors to every piece of legislation he’s authored. “It’s working across the aisle that really makes a lot of sense,” Carney said.

Hackett, a certified public accountant, has emphasized fiscally conservative themes and takes an especially hard line against the appropriations projects known as “earmarks.” He’s accused Carney of not doing enough to curb fiscal profligacy in Congress. “Congressman Carney is an advocate for the pork-barrel spending system. I think it’s a corrupt system, and it’s bad for local taxpayers,” Hackett said at the debate.

• [@url12th District@http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=district-PA-12@] (Southwest — Johnstown). Democratic Rep. John P. Murtha , who’s seeking an 18th full term in the House, is pulling out all of the stops in the waning days of a re-election campaign that should have been a cakewalk but instead is a major struggle for the sixth most-senior House Democrat.

CQ Politics updated the race rating twice in the past week, moving the race from the uncompetitive “Safe Democratic” category to the mildly competitive “Democrat Favored” category and then to the highly competitive “Leans Democratic” category. The changes were made in light of an unexpectedly strong challenge from Republican nominee William Russell, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who only recently settled in Johnstown but has raised more than $2.8 million — much of it from small donors who responded to his direct-mail appeals.

Murtha in the past several years has increased his national profile — and irked conservative activists — as a vitriolic critic of the Bush administration’s policies in Iraq. Murtha also ran for House Majority Leader two year ago — after the Democrats won control of the House and with the support of incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi — but lost decisively to Maryland Rep. Steny H. Hoyer .

But Murtha’s political standing at home suffered in the aftermath of his comments two and a half weeks ago that western Pennsylvania is “a racist area.” A few days later, he explained his comments by saying that the region years ago was “really redneck.” By the congressman’s own admission, he appeared to take his re-election for granted until only recently.

“I was blindsided this time. It was my own fault. I take full responsibility and I’m worried that I waited too long to get people activated,” Murtha told campaign volunteers Saturday, according to an Associated Press story.

Murtha, a legendary member of the House Appropriations Committee and one of Congress’ most potent fundraisers, has raked in campaign cash in recent days and urged liberal organizations like MoveOn.org to assist him. Murtha plans to appear at a campaign event Monday afternoon in Johnstown with former President Bill Clinton. The DCCC has gotten involved in the race and spent nearly $600,000 in the district as of Saturday. Some of that money went to air an ad that accuses Russell of supporting a “privatization” of Social Security.

Sensing a potential upset, the National Republican Congressional Committee is airing an ad in the district that cites Murtha’s recent controversial comments as more evidence that he “has lost touch” after 34 years in office.

Pennsylvania Voters Play Key Role in Future of Congress

• 4th District (West — Pittsburgh suburbs). This rematch campaign between Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire and Republican former Rep. Melissa Hart, whom Altmire defeated in 2006, might have been close had the national political environment not been anti-Republican for the second consecutive election. But it is, and Altmire this time also has the benefits of incumbency that he lacked two years ago.

In their campaign two years ago, Hart spent $2.2 million and Altmire spent $1.1 million. Now it is Altmire with the 2-1 fundraising edge, with $2.7 million in receipts as of Oct. 15 compared to $1.3 million for Hart.

Hart can’t rely on help from the NRCC. And the DCCC hasn’t invested any money because it thinks Altmire is fairly secure in his bid for a second term.

• 8th District (Northern Philadelphia suburbs — Bucks County). Democratic Rep. Patrick J. Murphy is seeking a second term two years after narrowly unseating Republican Rep. Michael G. in district that is dominated by Bucks County north of Philadelphia and also includes small parts of northeastern Philadelphia and suburban Montgomery County.

This race is notable in part for the major candidates’ military backgrounds and personal ties to the ongoing Iraq War. Murphy, a former Army paratrooper, served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. Manion is a retired Marine Corps colonel whose son was killed in Iraq last year while serving in that conflict.

At a debate Oct. 15, Murphy touted his support for creating “green collar” energy jobs in the district and noted that he voted against a Democratic-crafted budget bill on the grounds that it didn’t do enough to rein in spending. Manion criticized a “do-nothing Congress” and said Murphy sides too frequently with Democratic leaders and has exaggerated his fiscally conservative credentials.

But Murphy has the strong advantage, given the good political environment for Democrats and a strong fundraising effort that netted Murphy $3.7 million in receipts through Oct. 15, compared to $1 million for Manion. Neither party committee has spent independent expenditure funds in this district, which falls within the pricey Philadelphia media market.