Posted on 11/04/2006 5:58:07 AM PST by smoothsailing
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2006
Irey heads into campaign home stretch
By DAN DiPAOLO
Daily American
RICHLAND TOWNSHIP - District 12 congressional challenger Diana Irey picked absently at a small mustard stain on the sleeve of a smart blue blouse. Around her, red-white and blue balloons, campaign music and the general bustle of the campaign carried on.
She is in her final week of a long campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. John Murtha and her vigorous candidacy has brought national attention to the race, as both Republicans and Democrats have called it a microcosm of the larger struggle for political control in the country.
Her support of the Iraq war, pro-life and family values platform mirrors the Republican effort to restore a fundamentally conservative aspect to the party perception before the Nov. 7 election.
As she allowed herself to relax into a seat after addressing more than 300 people crowded into the Richland Township Fire Department's social hall, she seemed to shrink a bit. Already a small woman, she seems larger when addressing crowds, as her animated gestures and strong demeanor convey a larger sense of presence.
“I didn't know when I entered the race that so many people from all over the country would get involved,” she said.
Unheralded outside of Washington County, where she has served as a county commissioner for the last 10 years, her campaign gained momentum as her attacks on Murtha coincided with the incumbent's increasingly vocal stance against the war in Iraq.
Although she is still behind in the majority of the public polls, she is reminded of her first campaign.
In 1995, she came up against another powerful incumbent Democrat in Commissioner Metro Petrosky Jr.
“I can see a lot of that in this race,” she said. At the time, Petrosky was battling public accusations that claimed he was charging taxpayers for thousands of dollars in personal telephone calls, according to previously published news articles.
In 1994, after an eight-month legal battle, newspapers obtained his itemized bills and detailed thousands of dollars of personal calls he had made, at taxpayer expense, on his office phone and county-owned cellular phone.
It is reminiscent of the charges her campaign has made against John Murtha's role in the 1980 ABSCAM investigation, in which five members of the House of Representatives were convicted of bribery and conspiracy.
But those ABSCAM charges, despite recent Irey television and radio ads replaying video footage of the sting, “happened 25 years ago. The voters have known about them long enough to re-elect him how many times?” asked Ed Mitchell, a Murtha press spokesman.
Still, the Irey campaign is looking for any wedge to slip a vote out from under an almost two-to-one registration advantage Democrats in the district hold over Republicans.
Armed with more than 900 volunteers, she said, she still believes she can win the race against an incumbent and time as the deadline closes.
It will continue to be a struggle, as some estimates show that she could swing more than 50,000 votes from the Democratic side of the district and still lose.
Additionally, the Republican has struggled with financing, showing only $194,000 in campaign contribution records as of last week, although she said that number has sky-rocketed thanks to an Internet fundraiser.
“We've raised more than $90,000,” she said of the push to beat $100,000 in the last week.
Murtha's own records show that he has more than more than $964,000 on hand, despite not turning to television for this campaign.
As the conversation continued and she reflected on the hard run and the many good memories, she began to refer more often to her faith and her family.
She said that ultimately all she could do is continue to work hard, get the message out and leave the rest to a higher power.
If the campaign would turn away from attacking Murtha and focus on her for a moment, she would like people to see her “as the candidate with heart.”
Still with a bit of mustard on her sleeve, the price of too many campaign events serving hot dogs, cookies and stand up meals in these final days, she said it has been a great experience.
“I have made some many wonderful friendships and I have enjoyed it all. If there's one thing this race has shown me, it's how many good people there are in this area,” she said.
(Dan DiPaolo can be contacted at dand@dailyamerican.com.)
Any idea how far behind? Is she within striking distance?
too bas murtha is such a puke and won't debate her.....
she is a class act that calls a spade a spade....
murtha can spend money from now until the cows come home...the money is all from bribse from abscam...yet the lib/dem msm won't even mention it....because they are so fair & balanced ...oh.. and impartial!!!!
"Any idea how far behind? Is she within striking distance?"
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I've been wondering the same thing. I cannot find poll results on this at all. I would bet that if she was within striking distance the donations to her cause would come pouring in.
As a Christian, I know Satan doesn't bother his own, but especially troubles they whom desire to serve God and are doing something for Him ... I see a parallel here.
I can't help but feel Diana's in and Murtha's out.
I feel the same way about our keeping the House and the Senate ... and .. though I see no viable candidate yet .. we're keeping the White House as well.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14
IMO .. abortion is the one national sin holding back God's hand of blessing.
they don't even show that she is in a race on most polls that i've seen
A local conservative talk radio host in the Seattle area interview her on his show yesterday a.m. He donated and encouraged others to do so as well. They both did really well!
More info starting at Post 39 on this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1731320/posts
Diana Irey has momentum.
The newspapers are finally giving her some halfway decent coverage.
Her volunteers are working hard for her with good feedback.
Diana will beat Goliath.
Good morning Smooth. I've missed conversing with you and others but know just how busy you are and also know you're probably not getting much rest.
They'll be plenty of time for gabbing after Diana has been elected. :-)
Irey has a chance to win. Let's pray she retires the traitor.
Bump
Boot that commie traitor Murtha to the curb!!
If Republicans pull this out, the MSM is dead, once and for all. If there is a God watching over the US, please, please make it so. I literally got down on my hands and knees yesterday, something I rarely do, but am not embarrassed to talk about. I'm asking everyone here to do the same. We believe in the power of prayer here. This is a monumental battle for the soul of America on Tuesday.
Finally a favorable print article about a Republican candidate not in the so called "target zone" I can use in my website. The Republican hierarchy in its infernal wisdom failed to help those congressional candidates running against key democratic radicals, giving them a pass. This is an election the conservative cause could have won. Realizing this I worked up campaign pieces based on what the conservatives in the house accomplished which they could pick up directly from my website. Many of those Republican candidates just up and silently quit. As a consequence you have congressional candidates without websites, websites that don't mapout the district, don't respond to their opponents statement (particularly if they supported Kerry) When the radicals win all that work forget about immigration reform, forget about tax cuts, forget about spending reforms, all that work is going down the tubes.http://www.theusmat.com/
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