I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but it would take a miracle a whole lot bigger then Thune besting Dashle for us to have a realistic shot at this one.
The district is too D, Murtha is too entrenched.
Hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see us actually winning this one.
You're probably right. But Murtha is aging and won't be in Congress forever. A strong showing could set Irey up for another run or for winning another office in a future election.
That aside, it's important that Murtha's reelection margin be reduced.
Based on what? Forget about Murtha's previous large margins. The district went for Kerry only marginally (51-49 IIRC). That means Murtha used to be drawing pro-life, pro-gun conservatives - the same bloc most likely to be ticked off by his outrageous statements. Ms. Irey may be an underdog here, but not by much.
And Thune beating Daschle was anything but a miracle.