Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette The day after his victory of incumbent U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart, Jason Altmire talks with John Manni, owner of the Top-It Restaurant and Lounge in Springdale. Click photo for larger image.

Looking like a well-scrubbed Eagle Scout in a crisp dark suit, a local television camera filming his movements, Western Pennsylvania's newest congressman seemed fresh and ready for his first day at the Capitol.

Looks can be deceiving though. Jason Altmire was going on two hours of sleep, and his hoarse voice, sniffly nose, cough and red eyes gave away the strain of a tough campaign to topple a formidable incumbent, three-term U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart.

Mr. Altmire won't be entering Congress for two months, and foremost in his thoughts is a five-day vacation beginning Friday with his wife and two young daughters.

"Over the last week or so, my body was starting to break down. I started to get sick. Over the weekend I completely lost my voice," he said in his Springdale campaign headquarters between making thank-you phone calls yesterday. "It catches up on you. You get to the end, and you're just working so hard, and you're not sleeping, and you're not eating right, and you're wound up and you're stressed.

"So I'm pretty sure in the next day or two here, I'm going to hit a wall."

But for now, Mr. Altmire is one high-flying fellow. He achieved what few thought possible when he quit a $130,000-a-year executive position with UPMC 16 months ago to run for office, out of dissatisfaction with the 2004 election results. By a 52-48 margin, the first-time candidate on Tuesday defeated a well-known, hard-working Republican who had always won the district with at least 59 percent of the vote.

Mr. Altmire is returning to corridors he walked in his first job, as a fresh Florida State University graduate working for U.S. Rep. Pete Peterson of Florida from 1991-96. His step should be more confident now, though he's still a youthful-looking 38, resembling the actor Brendan Fraser, who is also 6-foot-3. Mr. Altmire has since added nine years' experience as a lobbyist in the health care field, an area he plans to focus on while representing the 4th Congressional District.

A top concern of his is the availability and affordability of health care for Americans, especially the 46 million who are uninsured. He wants Congress to move toward letting younger people buy their way into Medicare coverage, and giving the Medicare program the right to negotiate group drug discounts. He opposes the government as a universal provider of health care coverage, however, fitting with generally moderate views favoring initiatives that are "evolutionary rather than revolutionary."

The Lower Burrell native's prior Washington, D.C., experience gives him a head start understanding what's ahead, in terms of jockeying for prestigious committee assignments and office space. He also is fortunate, he believes, to be part of the largest reshaping of Congress in 12 years, with Democrats regaining control of the House and possibly the Senate.

"It's a national change, a sea change ... and to be part of that historic change is real exhilarating for me and presents opportunities," Mr. Altmire said. "Now committees all switch, and there are going to be seats available that would not have been there if we were in the minority."

So he will seek one of the coveted positions on the Ways and Means or Appropriations or Energy and Commerce committees, as will many peers in the large Democratic freshman class. He could have an advantage if one of his mentors, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johns-town, is successful in a bid to become House majority leader. Mr. Murtha will compete with Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland for the top Democratic position behind Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, who will become House speaker.

"Mr. Murtha is my campaign chairman and has been extremely helpful, and I wouldn't be here today if not for him," Mr. Altmire said. "He's clearly my guy. ... He's a conservative Democrat, and politically, I think he would be a nice balance for Mrs. Pelosi."

Mrs. Pelosi, who symbolizes the liberal wing of the Democratic leadership, called the successful candidate at 1 a.m. yesterday to congratulate him. He congratulated her as well, even though he's a pro-life, pro-gun, socially conservative Democrat more in keeping with the values of the 4th district's constituents.

His suburban home in McCandless seems a far distance in various ways from the old mill towns of Beaver and Lawrence counties, but voters in those counties went for him by overwhelming margins.

He said he has no grandiose personal ambitions in going to Washington. His public stance is that he's there to be the district's servant, not to use it as a platform.

"I plan to visit every corner of the district multiple times and get to know as many people as possible, and work on the issues important to them," Mr. Altmire said. "I don't care about advancing up the ladder or ingratiating myself with the party. I want to represent the district -- that's what I said in my campaign, and that's what I mean today."

Members of Congress, he observed from his prior years in Washington, are a mixed bag, "just like any other profession."

"You have ones that are at the top and ones that are at the bottom and ones that are in-between, and that's probably where I'd put myself," he said. "So there's folks that are skilled legislators, and there's people there to do the right things politically and legislatively, and I'll just try to fit in as best as I can."

His most recent personal experiences will bring about pursuit of one piece of legislation, he vows. Some type of public financing of campaigns is needed, he said, after raising $900,000 for the primary and general elections. The process is grueling for candidates, but worse, can expose them to potential influence by the individuals and groups they're dependent on for money.

"Trying to figure out a way to get the money out of campaigns and politics, that's definitely difficult to do ... but I know that the system can be improved," Mr. Altmire said. "I'm not saying I'm going to go in and change the world on that, but it's something I'm going to look into, and figure out who is with me on it, and try to build a coalition to work with folks and put something together."

First, though, comes that family vacation.