Critz confident ahead of 12th District rematch

PITTSBURGH—Against a backdrop of monstrous cranes, dump trucks myriad other construction vehicles, Congressman Mark Critz (D-12) took time to tour an expanding Veterans Affairs hospital here Wednesday, and sounded a confident note less than 70 days before his rematch against Republican Tim Burns.

Critz, who was visiting VA facilities in Pittsburgh and Washington, Pa., came to town with Congressman Bob Filner (D-Calif.), who chairs the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

“I’m happy the chairman is willing to meet with my constituents so they can express their opinions and frustrations,” Critz told pa2010.com. “If you look at the last three years, we managed to provide a budget increase of $23 billion, that’s over 60 percent. What were seeing is that they’re finally able to react to the vets coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.”

After topping Burns in the May special election to succeed John Murtha in the western Pennsylvania district, Critz said he was feeling good ahead of their rematch, with a full, two-year term at stake.

“I’ve been working my tail off with the congressional end of things, out in the field and talking to people,” Critz said. “No one is going to outwork me, or listen closer to the voice of Pennsylvanians, thinking and voting the way they want.”

Burns made every effort to tie Critz to his party’s policies before the special election, messaging that his continued in the months since, albeit without the high-profile that a special election afford. Critz emphasized his independence as a conservative-leaning Democrat during the race, and on Wednesday, he noted his votes against the recently enacted financial reform legislation and against the so-called Disclose campaign finance legislation.

“The feedback we were getting from within the district on those two votes were clear,” Critz said. “My constituents didn’t agree with the legislation, so I went against it despite pressure from within the party. When you have banks and credit unions and everyday citizens agreeing on issues like this, you have to listen.”

With Burns taking the same messaging tack he did before, Critz said he’s “not too worried.” Their rematch is currently No. 8 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

“I’m going to operate the way I have planned and said I would operate,” Critz said. “I’m going to be that independent voice. I’m not here to win votes, I’m here to do a good job.”