Tim Murphy

Could what is universally expected to be a horrible year for the GOP unexpectedly rear its head in the 18th Congressional District?

That's the message pushed by the campaign for Democrat Steve O'Donnell, who is taking on U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) in the western Pennsylvania district. His campaign points to a negative TV ad run by the Republican last week as evidence Murphy thinks he's in trouble.

Campaigns don't run negative ads against opponents without a chance, said Harry Gural, O'Donnell's communications director.
 
"The way I look at it is he has fears in his eyes," Gural told PolitickerPA.com. "He sees Steve has a shot at beating him."

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) continues to hold a prodigious fundraising advantage over Democratic opponent Steve O'Donnell after raising nearly $250,000 more than O'Donnell did in the second quarter.

Murphy raised $280,000 this quarter, bringing his total cash on hand to just more than $1 million. His campaign reported more than 1,200 donors have contributed.

O'Donnell, on the other hand, raised $43,000, bringing his total to little more than $113,000.

MONACA -- U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-McCandless) told PolitickerPA.com in an interview after Wednesday night's town hall meeting he thinks his voting record, which he said is about 50 percent Democratic, proves his political philosophy matches the mostly centrist 4th Congressional District, which covers an area from the northern Pittsburgh suburbs to Mercer County.

Those votes, he said, will be the biggest difference this fall when he faces a rematch against Republican Melissa Hart, who had represented the district three terms until defeated by Altmire in 2006.

During that race, people voted against Hart more than they voted for him, he said.

"I have a record to run on now," he said.

MONACA -- Wednesday night at Penn State Beaver was one of the few times to see a Republican and Democratic congressman tout the other.

U.S. reps. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) and Jason Altmire (D-McCandless) want voters to know it wasn't a one-time event.

The two congressmen Wednesday held the second of two joint town halls, this time in Beaver County, to highlight how they have worked together to help western Pennsylvania, even if that meant crossing party lines. It's an effort from both campaigns to position themselves as centrists ahead of November's election, where being viewed as ideologically extreme isn't beneficial in either district.

MONROEVILLE -- The 18th Congressional District splashes across southwest Pennsylvania to create what can best be described as a giant Rorschach test. Its array of nooks and crannies, which spread across four counties from the Ohio border to near Johnstown, covers not just a range of geographic but socioeconomic areas as well.

But Democratic congressional candidate Steve O'Donnell contends the district's odd configuration works to his advantage. The former social worker and business owner says support from a constellation of local elected officials gives him access to voters his opponent, U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair), simply doesn't have.

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) can run, but he can't hide from his GOP past.

That's the message from opponent Kevin O'Donnell's campaign Thursday a day after Murphy announced he will hold joint town halls with U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-McCandless). The town halls will tout the representatives' shared commitment, despite party lines, to western Pennsylvania.

But Murphy started preaching bipartisanship only after his party suffered heavy losses in 2006, said Mike Dineed, O'Donnell's campaign manager. Now's he simply "pandering to the middle" in an unfavorable climate for Republicans, he said.

"The voters aren't going to buy that," Dineed told PolitickerPa.com.

Two U.S. representatives on opposite sides of the aisle, Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) and Jason Altmire (D-McCandless), will hold join town halls next week to discuss overlapping efforts they've made to help western Pennsylvania.

"Congressman Murphy and I have worked together to advance western Pennsylvania's priorities, including community development, veterans, health care, and energy," Altmire said in a statement.

Both forums will allow questions from constituents.

The first will take place Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Monroeville Municipal Building in Monroeville. The second will take place the next day, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Penn State University campus in Beaver in the Student Union Building Auditorium.

One thing has been a consistent over the last few years; Congressman Tim Murphy will have a staff change soon. The latest is Garrett Murch who has been added to Murphy’s staff as a communications director. Murch replaces Mark Carpenter who left for a job on the Senate Homeland Security Committee.