Free Republic

U.S. Senate hopeful Tim Burns of North Strabane Township exited the U.S. Senate race on Thursday. “Those leaders spoke on Saturday,” Burns said of the GOP endorsement, where committee members confirmed Gov. Tom Corbett’s choice. “ And while it may not have been the outcome I hoped for, I have always known it would be difficult to carry on without their support.”

Smith Internal Poll: Smith Leads Senate Primary By Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor Tom Smith of Armstrong County is leading the field of Republicans hoping to take on Senator Bob Casey, according to an polling memo released by Smith’s campaign Tuesday. The former coal company owner and former Tea Party leader boasts a 22 percent plurality in the crowded primary. “Smith’s early lead is indicative of his strong biography and message that is resonating with Republican voters. The campaign’s ability to get that message out through paid media has been important to the lead,” Republican strategist and pollster John McLaughlin said...

Exclusive: Burns Likely to Run for U.S. Senate By Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor Only an hour in to Republican State Committee, and already the battle for establishment support has begun among 2012 Senate hopefuls. Tim Burns, the businessman who ran for Congress against Mark Critz in a 2010 special election and again in the general election, confirmed that he is seriously considering a bid for U.S. Senate. “Well, I’m here. So obviously I’m pretty serious about it. I’ve gotten a lot of folks who have encouraged me to take a look at it so I have,” Burns told PoliticsPA. “I...

Barack Obama, before a sympathetic San Francisco audience in April 2008, argued that people in small towns — notably in industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania — were bitter and “cling to guns or religion.” But one takeaway from Tuesday’s special election in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District is that Rust Belt rural voters might “cling” to voting for Democrats. Republicans had high hopes that Tim Burns could win the late John Murtha’s seat. Yet Mark Critz, a former top Murtha aide, ended up winning 53%-44%.

Republicans who were already planning their Nancy Pelosi retirement galas for November may want to cancel the caterer. The GOP lost the most important election that was held on Tuesday, and if it fails to learn from the experience the party will lose in the autumn too. The GOP lost the one race in which a seat in Congress was up for grabs, the contest to replace the late Jack Murtha in the 12th House district in southwestern Pennsylvania. John McCain had carried the seat with 49% of the vote in 2008, President Obama's approval rating was well below 40%,...

The old media has been furiously spinning last night's loss by Tim Burns in PA-12 as proof that the Democrat Party is really in great shape going into the fall mid-terms and that ObamaCare is actually going to help the Democrats. However, a sober analysis of Tim Burn's loss should give the Democrat Party no such solace. Burns loss can be chalked up primarily to Ed Rendell's shrewd move to schedule the special election on the same day as the primary. I had been worrying about this since Rendell made that announcement and as I watched the election returns online...

You really need to keep checking our 44 blog for reports on the special election in Pennsylvania's 12th District from Sandya Somashekhar, who's been on the ground with the candidates. (I'm in Washington, monitoring everything in the big four primary states today.) Democrats can really afford only so many anecdotes like this one, of Democrat Mark Critz working the trail. "I don't want to interrupt you, I just wanted to say, 'Hi, I'm running for Congress,' " he told two men in trucker hats and work shirts, who took his hand politely. Both Democrats, one acknowledged later he'd be voting...

PA-12 close at the finish Raleigh, N.C. – The special election to replace John Murtha looks to be headed for a photo finish, with Republican Tim Burns leading Democrat Mark Critz 48-47 in PPP's final poll of the race. PA-12 provides a clear example of how dimly voters are viewing politicians and parties across the board right now. Hurting Critz's chances is that 55% of voters in the district disapprove of Barack Obama and 63% have an unfavorable opinion of Nancy Pelosi. But national Republicans don't do much better in the district with 60% of voters expressing a negative opinion...

I haven't posted here in ages. This is an opinion piece I wrote today.

Mark Critz, a former aide to the late John Murtha and the Democratic nominee to replace him, has pulled out to a 6-point lead in the special election for Pennsylvania's 12th district, according to a new Susquehanna poll. Critz leads Republican Tim Burns 44%-38% with less than a week to go. The Johnstown-based district in southwestern Pennsylvania has swing potential, despite the overwhelming Democratic registration advantage and Murtha's dominance in the district for the last 36 years. It's the only district that voted for both John Kerry and John McCain. Critz is running as a continuation of Murtha -- a...

ANTI-TROOP ACTIVISTS TRY TO RAISE MONEY ON JOHN MURTHA’S ANTI-WAR LEGACY Move America Forward   The liberals bankrolling Mark Critz’s campaign to succeed John Murtha in Pennsylvania’s 12th district are shamelessly using John Murtha’s liberal anti-war, anti-military legacy to desperately raise last-minute cash. In a fundraising email sent out last night, also posted on the Nancy Pelosi controlled DCCC website, Joyce Murtha pleads for donations and recall’s her husband’s shameful l conduct. In 2005, my husband, Congressman Jack Murtha, courageously spoke out against the war in Iraq and you stood with him when he was outrageously accused of cutting...

Kos poll: Burns by six By: Josh Kraushaar April 30, 2010 12:59 PM EDT Weighed down in his district by low presidential favorability ratings and a health care law that's unpopular there, Pennsylvania Democrat Mark Critz now trails by six points in next month's special election for the seat of the late Rep. John Murtha, according to a Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll released Friday. Critz, who served on Murtha's staff before the congressman's death, takes 40 percent of the vote in the poll compared with 46 percent for Republican businessman Tim Burns. The poll shows President Barack Obama's favorability number...

The new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll of the PA-12 special election gives Republican businessman Tim Burns the edge in the race for the House seat formerly held by the late Democratic Rep. John Murtha. The numbers: Burns 46%, with Democratic candidate and former Murtha aide Mark Critz at 40%. The sample of likely voters has a ±4% margin of error. The Democrats have held this seat since 1974, when Murtha picked it up from the Republicans in a special election held in the midst of the Watergate scandals. The special election will be held on May 18. The TPM Poll...

While some try to rehabilitate the corruption laden reputation of the late Congressman John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) by naming a Navy ship in his honor, voters in his district are poised to rehabilitate their representation in Washington. The latest poll shows Republican businessman Tim Burns leading his Democratic challenger in the May 18 special election former Murtha aide Mark Critz 46% to 40%. And in typical 'Desperate Democrat' fashion, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has responded with one of the most misleading political ads you'll ever see.

Many of the defense contractors that benefited from the late Rep. John Murtha's power to dole out Pentagon contracts are lining up to help elect his top aide to the seat. Defense contractors, local business officers and lobbyists that relied on earmarked federal contracts from Murtha (D-Pa.) recently chipped in $142,400 to elect Mark Critz, an analysis by The Washington Post shows. Those donations made up more than 52 percent of the individual contributions that Critz raised in the first-quarter of 2010 as he seeks to replace his late boss, new campaign records reveal. Critz is a friendly face to...

In a year when Americans are desperate for job growth and frustrated with the reckless spending in Washington, the candidates running in the special election in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District epitomize the problem and the solution. It’s a race between a career Washington bureaucrat and a small business entrepreneur. Born and raised in Pennsylvania’s beautiful 12th district, Tim Burns’ story is like that of millions of successful small business owners across the country. He started a pharmaceutical technology company out of the basement of his house and grew it to over 400 employees. He worked hard and gave back generously...

The democrats are pulling all the stops to win the PA12 special election on May 18th. PA12 background, this district is very interesting. Even though there are more democrat voters than republicans,however there are more conservatives and moderates than a very few liberals. The people here are older and just used to voting democrat. With this said, Pelosi and Obama have low approval rating, even among democrats. Plus, the health care bill is very unpopular here. If interested you can see more poll results here Moving on, Critz who is in a very tight spot as a democrat this year,...

Russell Accuses State Republican Party Chairman of Collusion March 24, 2010 by David CroyleHarrisburg is talking about last night’s cable show in Kittanning where the Republican candidate for the 12th Congressional District accused the state Republican Party chairman of collusion.Bill Russell ran two years ago against John Murtha in his last election in 2008, raising $3.6 million and earning an impressive 42 percent of the vote. Following his loss, Russell announced he would run against him again.Since Murtha’s unexpected death on February 8, a special election will now be held simultaneously with the Primary on May 18. However, while Russell...

After Republicans nominated businessman Tim Burns as their special election candidate in the 12th Congressional District, state party chairman said he hoped that military veteran Bill Russell would get behind the GOP’s candidate. But Russell, ever the anti-establishment candidate, is sticking to his guns. He’s continued to criticize the process by which Burns was nominated. He’s preparing to go up against Burns in the May primary to be held the same day as the special election. And he says—only half-jokingly—that he won’t even vote for Burns over Democrat Mark Critz in the special election, opting instead to write himself in....

LATROBE — Tim Burns will represent the Republican Party for the special election to pick John Murtha’s successor after a group of GOP conferees Thursday night voted for him over his chief rival, former Army officer Bill Russell. The vote total was 85 votes for Burns, 46 for Russell. Burns will now face Murtha’s former district director, Mark Critz, in the May 18 special election... ...Although some Republicans thought Russell had an outside chance to win Thursday’s nomination, Burns was the solid favorite for the nod. Although Burns defeated Russell Thursday night, he will face him again on the May...