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."

Mr. Murtha is the ninth most senior member of the House of Representatives, a confidante of every speaker since Tip O'Neill and one of the most formidable members of its all-powerful Committee on Appropriations. As chair of the subcommittee on defense appropriations, he has steered nearly $1 billion in earmarks into his district over the past three decades -- $160 million in the most recent federal budget.

Mr. Murtha first went to Congress in a special election in February 1974 to fill a vacancy created by the death of then Rep. John P. Saylor, R-Somerset.

Mr. Murtha won that election by a scant 122 votes, becoming the first Vietnam combat veteran to serve in the House. His first speech was a call for continued support of the South Vietnamese government during the waning days of the conflict there.

Mr. Russell, who flunked out of West Point and went on to get a degree in Russian studies at Louisiana State University, has no roots in the district and was regularly dismissed by Mr. Murtha as a carpetbagger and opportunist.

The son of an Air Force career officer, he lived in 11 states and served in the Iraq war and the Gulf War before moving to Mr. Murtha's hometown last year.

Last night, as volunteers fanned out in a last-minute push amid heavy turnout, Mr. Russell suggested he might attempt a second congressional bid, although he said it was too early to tell.

"If we don't carry the day tonight, certainly it's a first step. We'll pick up and get ready to go again," Mr. Russell said. "We'll certainly stake our claim, look at it and do it again in two years."

Last night's close call for Mr. Murtha followed a two-year period in which the incumbent, a longtime Democratic hawk, noted for his support for military budgets, alienated much of his base. Long known for ignoring political challengers and always pulling no less than 58 percent of the vote in the last 17 elections, Mr. Murtha all but ignored Mr. Russell. His camp enticed a local Republican to challenge Mr. Russell's nominating petitions and effectively knocked him off the ballot in the April primary. Mr. Russell mounted a write-in campaign and signed on Marguerite "Peg" Luksik, a local activist in conservative political circles and two-time candidate for governor.

She turned to a longstanding network of religious conservatives and mounted a surprisingly wide-reaching field operation to promote Mr. Russell.

Amid some growing disenchantment and a sense by local voters that Mr. Murtha no longer identified with his blue-collar district, the incumbent made a remark during an October meeting with the Post-Gazette editorial board in which he said Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama might not do well in his district because "Western Pennsylvania is a racist area."

The resulting uproar drew national attention and a heavy advertising investment by the Republican National Congressional Committee, which purchased large blocks of advertising.

Last night, he declined to discuss the remarks that tightened the race.

"You don't think I'm gonna repeat that do you?" he replied to a reporter's question.

A few minutes later, he made glancing reference, speaking of his pleasure at, "working with the people of this congressional district who keep sending me back, regardless of what I say."