For Murtha seat: Democrat Critz beats Republican challenger
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Democrat Mark Critz greets supporters in Johnstown after defeating GOP opponent Tim Burns in the 12th Congressional District race last night. -
Tim Burns, center, with supporters after conceding in the 12th Congressional District last night.
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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- Democrat Mark Critz, a political neophyte and policy wonk, won a special election Tuesday night to succeed his dead boss, John P. Murtha, the one-man economy whose largesse with earmarks sustained the struggling 12th District.
Handed the mantle of a legendary political insider, Mr. Critz overcame a roiling anti-Washington mood among the voters and defeated Republican newcomer Tim Burns. Mr. Burns, a self-made millionaire, mounted an impressive bid to fill Mr. Murtha's seat, drawing a large contingent of socially conservative Democrats in a failed effort to overcome a 2-to-1 Democratic registration edge.
"We did it, didn't we?" Mr. Critz told a cheering throng at the Holiday Inn here shortly before 11 p.m.
"Tonight the voters of this district rejected the false attacks and partisan divisions," he said. "We kept our focus on Western Pennsylvania and bringing jobs to the people of this district."
He spoke of "the extraordinary honor" of following Mr. Murtha.
Prior to his speech, Mr. Critz said he received a telephone call from Mr. Burns.
"It was very cordial and we said we looked forward to seeing each other the rest of this year and in November," Mr. Critz said.
With millions spent and both national parties likely to turn their attention to other races nationwide in the fall, the question arose whether Mr. Critz now had an incumbent's edge that made him more likely to carry the general election against Mr. Burns.
"I don't know if it's going to be easier or harder, but I'm just going to run like I always have," he said.
The men will face off in November. Mr. Critz handily won his party's primary for the rights to seek a full congressional term in the November election. Mr. Burns won a tighter contest with retired Army officer William Russell, who raised millions for a second try at the seat. Trends last night suggested Mr. Burns would ultimately capture the Republican nomination.
It was an unusual political moment inside the Grand Ballroom of the George Washington Hotel in Washington, Pa., when Mr. Burns, a candidate who had just won his party's nomination for the fall election, stood beneath a net of balloons that never dropped, speaking to supporters, some of them weeping.
First Published May 19, 2010 1:07 am
