Republican Diana Irey had not intended to run for the 12th Congressional District seat until motivated by U.S. Rep. John Murtha's call for withdrawal from the Iraq war.

She knew she faced an uphill battle against the 32-year incumbent from Johnstown, acknowledging that less than 20 percent of the district lies in Washington County, where she is a commissioner.

	Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette Diana Irey laughs with her father, Cleo Clark, outside the American Legion Post in Carroll after casting her vote Tuesday. Click photo for larger image.

During the campaign, however, she was buoyed by veterans and the soldiers who inspired her in the first place. On the other hand, she was incensed when Mr. Murtha charged last year that Marines had "killed innocent civilians in cold blood," a reference to an incident in Haditha in which 15 Iraqis were slain.

She recalled one of her best campaign memories was the day she spent visiting injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Anyone who questions whether progress is being made in Iraq or whether the war can be won, she said, should visit them.

"That has been my motivation to keep going every day," Ms. Irey, 43, told the 200-plus crowd on election night at the Willow Room in Rostraver before it became clear she had lost the race.

In the end, the Iraq war served as both inspiration for and the undoing of her eight-month campaign. By any measure, the race was a Herculean effort but one Ms. Irey does not rule out attempting again. It's possible, she said, when asked whether she would run again.

Her soft-spoken demeanor and the chord she struck with supporters impressed by her honesty, willingness to follow through when asked to do something and commitment to Christian and family values were no match for Mr. Murtha's stature and longevity.

But two political observers gave her high marks for trying.

"She did about all she could do in a tough, uphill contest. It was a horrible year for people who supported the war," said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College.

She got 42 percent of the vote to Mr. Murtha's 57 percent, not bad for a novice running against a "stable fixture of the district who is not likely to lose barring a complete meltdown," Mr. Madonna said.

He pointed out that Mr. Murth, 74, was unopposed in 2004 and won by 73 percent in 2002, terming this year's contest a race Ms. Irey could not win.

Joseph DiSarro, chairman of the Department of Political Science at Washington and Jefferson College, said anyone going up against Mr. Murtha needs a great deal of money, organization and volunteers in a district spanning several media markets from here to Cambria County.

Clearly, she was not as well-financed, he said. The victorious campaigns of this election had a good deal of money backing them.

Mr. Murtha "has gotten such media attention, given his opposition to the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. She was going up against a juggernaut," Mr. DiSarro said.

The election proves the public was distraught and angry about the war, meaning she faced a significant obstacle, he said.

"I never thought it would be possible to unseat him in one attempt. Perhaps if someone ran two or three times against him," he said.

Asked about how seriously Mr. Murtha took Ms. Irey's campaign, Ed Mitchell, the congressman's campaign spokesman, said, "The congressman takes every campaign seriously and worked very hard and ran a robust campaign, and he's very pleased with the outcome that the voters of the 12th District once again placed their confidence in him."

Gracious in defeat, Ms. Irey urged her supporters to pray for others whether you like them or not. In spite of the loss, she has no regrets, saying she made a lot of friendships during the campaign.

"You've shown me people do care, although it hasn't turned out as I hoped," she told supporters.