Singel: ‘Bring it on’ (Updated)

Former Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel formally kicked off his campaign to replace the late Congressman John Murtha on Friday, adding another high-profile name to the list of contenders in the 12th Congressional District.

Singel made his announcement in his native Johnstown, where Murtha was a political icon. He was seen as a potential candidate from the moment that Murtha passed away last week, and now joins former state treasurer and auditor general Barbara Hafer as …

February 19, 2010 at 4:00 pm | Comments (12)

12th District notes: A Singel annoucement, Cernic interested, Bucchianeri still in

Two more Democrats appear to be leaning toward a run in the 12th Congressional District.

The Post-Gazette pMeanwhile emThe Tribune-Democrat/em a href="http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_048231528.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.tribune-democrat.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tribune-democrat.com%2Flocal%2Flocal_story_048231528.html','reports')" target="_blank">reports that Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic Jr. is also considering a run.

“I’m doing my due diligence right now,” Cernic said.

And Ryan Bucchianeri, the Democrat who was running before Murtha’s death, reaffirmed his intention to stay in the race.

“I remain committed to this race and to the people of western Pennsylvania,” he said in a …

February 18, 2010 at 2:12 pm | Comments (6)

Wozniak won’t seek Murtha’s seat

State Senator John Wozniak said Wednesday that he will not run for the congressional seat left open by Congressman John Murtha’s death, taking one of the Democrats’ top-tier candidates off the list of possible contenders.

Wozniak said his decision came after “thoughtful consideration and extended discussions” with family and supporters.

“I am very appreciative of all who approached me about my candidacy to fill the vacancy and run for the seat,” he said in a …

February 17, 2010 at 5:21 pm | Comments (18)

12th District notes: Hanna, Irey not interested

Strike two names from the list of potential candidates in the 12th Congressional District.

Democrat Jack Hanna and Republican Diana Irey, both of whom had been floated as possible candidates to succeed the late Congressman John Murtha, told pa2010.com on Monday that they won’t be running.

Hanna, who chairs the state Democratic Party’s southwest caucus, said in an e-mail that “I’m not a candidate, but will be helping coordinate the State Committee’s selection process.”

Irey, …

February 16, 2010 at 1:00 pm | Comments (5)

Memory lane: Hafer’s 2003 party-switch

In reading up for …

February 16, 2010 at 12:55 pm | Comments (7)

EXCLUSIVE: Hafer running to succeed Murtha

Former state treasurer and auditor general Barbara Hafer said Monday that she will seek the House seat long held by the late Congressman John Murtha, making her the first Democrat to declare her candidacy in the wake of Murtha’s death last week.

In an exclusive interview with pa2010.com, Hafer said that “I will never be able to fill Murtha’s shoes, but I would be honored to follow him.”

“Of course everyone is shocked and …

February 15, 2010 at 4:30 pm | Comments (28)

12th District notes: Potential candidates galore

CORRECTION APPENDED (See bottom)

Barely a week after the passing of longtime Congressman John Murtha, there are so many names for potential replacements swirling in the political ether that  keeping track of them all is dizzying. Our friends at CQ Politics have pHere’s the latest on what we’re hearing, both about candidates already in the race and about those who may or may not run. Log-on to empa2010.com/em all week for to track who’s in, who’s out and who’s still on the fence.strong /strong/p
pstrongJoyce Murtha (D)/strong: emThe Inquirer/em a href="http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20100214_Murtha_s_death_creates_a_heated_race.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.philly.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20100214_Murtha_s_death_creates_a_heated_race.html','reports')" target="_blank"reports/a that there’s a growing sentiment for Murtha’s widow to campaign for the seat her husband held for decades. There’s no indication yet if she harbors any interest at all in this./p
pstrongTim Burns (R)/strong: Burns was already in the race before Murtha died, and while he hadn’t raised much money, he’s personally wealthy from selling his pharmacy technology company in 2003. We’re hearing that the prospect of a self-funder for the race has some Republicans drooling.strong /strong/p
pstrongBarbara Hafer (D)/strong: Along with former Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel and state Senator John Wozniak, both of whom we a href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/02/sizing-up-special-election-contenders-in-the-12th/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fsizing-up-special-election-contenders-in-the-12th%2F','wrote+about+earlier')">wrote about earlier, we’re told that the former state treasurer is one of the candidates being courted by Democratic leaders.

Bill Russell (R): After running against Murtha in 2008, the former …

February 14, 2010 at 9:01 pm | Comments (8)