Singel endorses Critz for Murtha’s seat

Former Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel endorsed Mark Critz in the 12th Congressional District Saturday, giving the longtime aide to the late Congressman John Murtha yet another high-profile backer as he nears a showdown with Barbara Hafer.

Singel’s endorsement came just two days after he withdrew from the race, citing the need for party unity to hold the western Pennsylvania seat.

“This election is far too important for us not to be united behind…

February 28, 2010 at 11:24 am | Comments (2)

Singel drops out of 12th District race (Updated)

Less than a week after

February 25, 2010 at 6:08 pm | Comments (9)

Musings on Murtha—and the political etiquette of death

As a constituent of the long-serving Congressman John Murtha (D-12), I was both shocked and saddened by his recent death.

My colleague here at pa2010.com, Michael Livingston, was probably right when he pThat being said, and with the understanding that the arena of politics can be a cruel environment where the familiar mantra of “the show must go on” takes on a whole new meaning, I was a bit surprised, and put off, by the behavior of some of those considering or announcing a run to fill Murtha’s office./p
pBarbara Hafer a href="http://www.pa2010.com/2010/02/exclusive-hafer-running-to-succeed-murtha/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fexclusive-hafer-running-to-succeed-murtha%2F','announced+her+candidacy')" target="_blank"announced her candidacy /athe day embefore/em Murtha’s funeral. And two days later brought a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036855-100.stm" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.post-gazette.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.post-gazette.com%2Fpg%2F10049%2F1036855-100.stm','news')" target="_blank">news that Mark Singel had already scheduled a press conference to announce his. Ryan Bucchianeri responded to news of Murtha’s death with a

February 24, 2010 at 10:34 am | Comments (6)

Critz: ‘I kept my aspirations private’

The former district director for the late Congressman John Murtha officially launched a campaign to replace his old boss Monday night—and did so with a pointed jab at his opponents for making their intentions known so soon after Murtha’s death.

Mark Critz said in a statement that he resigned as district director earlier in the day, and that he was seeking the Democratic nod both in the special election to finish out Murtha’s term and…

February 23, 2010 at 10:00 am | Comments (4)

12th District notes: Joyce Murtha out, Critz and Cernic in (Updated)

A few more 12th District pieces came into focus Monday.

The Fix pMeanwhile, emCQ Politics/em a href="http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/02/top-murtha-staffer-likely-to-r.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://blogs.cqpolitics.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.cqpolitics.com%2Feyeon2010%2F2010%2F02%2Ftop-murtha-staffer-likely-to-r.html','reports')" target="_blank"reports/a that Murtha’s district director Mark Critz will soon enter the race, adding a candidate intimately familiar with the district into the mix. Former Cambria County Controller Albert Penska also might run./p
pAnd emThe Tribune-Democrat/em a href="http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_053104525.html?keyword=topstory" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.tribune-democrat.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tribune-democrat.com%2Flocal%2Flocal_story_053104525.html%3Fkeyword%3Dtopstory','reports')" target="_blank">reports that Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic Jr., who had been considering a run, is good to go, having announced his candidacy Monday morning.

With only a couple Republicans definitely running, the Democratic side of the ballot is shaping up to be to be a much more crowded affair—at least five Democrats have said they’re in the race.

UPDATE: In a statement Monday…

February 22, 2010 at 3:00 pm | Comments (9)

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 full story

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)

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 saddened…

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…

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