Bill Russell

JOHNSTOWN -- Republican GOP candidate Bill Russell said at a press conference Monday that U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) has used lies and fear to try and hold onto voters in the 12th Congressional District.

"In the past week, I have watched my opponent employ a strategy that combined lying about me and my family with spreading the fear that this district cannot survive without the constant infusion of new earmarks," Russell said.

The suddenly high-profile GOP congressional candidate held a press conference immediately after Murtha's rally with former President Bill Clinton to criticize the 34-year incumbent and lay out his plans for economic growth, which center on coal-plant development.

Although once an afterthought in even Republicans' minds, Russell and his campaign are on the precipice of pulling the shock of the election season against a congressman many thought invulnerable to Election Day challenges.

JOHNSTOWN -- Bill Clinton told the crowd gathered Monday afternoon at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown how lucky he thinks they are to have had U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) representing them the last 34 years in the 12th Congressional District.

"I'm telling you, this man cares," Clinton said, "and he cares about you."

Giving the longtime lawmaker two more years in office should be a no-brainer, the former president said.

"You've got one of the finest people to serve in Congress in my lifetime, and I hope you re-elect him," Clinton said.

It was an impassioned plea from the former president, who called Murtha one of his best friends in Washington. Still, the most important aspect of Clinton's speech wasn't any one phrase or idea.

It was the fact that, one day before Nov. 4, the former president had to campaign for Murtha at all.

NEW STANTON -- Republican congressional candidate Bill Russell's rally on Sunday featured several Iraq war veterans vehemently criticizing U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown), who they say betrayed them when he said troops in Iraq killed innocent civilians in Haditha "in cold blood."

Those remarks sparked Russell to run against Murtha and have been a theme of his campaign ever since.

During the rally, Shawn Bryan, a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps., said Murtha visited his unit in Iraq in 2005. At the time, Murtha told the troops "what a great job we did," Bryan said, only to see him tell his district back home he no longer supported the effort.

Bryan said he didn't put his life on the line for his country "just so some fat little bastard can come back and run his mouth."

It was the second time during his speech that Bryan, who flew in from Albuquerque, New Mexico, had called Murtha a "fat little bastard" during his speech. His remarks were not publicly repudiated at the rally.

Campaign Photo

Bill Russell

NEW STANTON -- Republican Congressional candidate Bill Russell knows predicting victory will likely jinx his chances.

But because he said he already predicted victory to a supporter a few days ago, he figured it wouldn't hurt if he did so again to PolitickerPA.com.

"We're going to win by 4 points," Russell said, shortly after his mid-day rally next to a Days Inn. "If that's a jinxing move, it's already happened."

Predicting victory against 34-year incumbent U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) would have been met with laughs and eye-rolls two months ago, even from dedicated Republicans. Russell's own campaign, although dedicated, knew toppling the western Pennsylvania institution would take a political miracle.

But perception of this race has changed dramatically the past month. A poll commissioned in late October by The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review showed the congressman leading by fewer than 5 points. A week earlier Murtha made his now in-famous remarks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's editorial board, calling his western Pennsylvania district a "racist area." He later called them "rednecks" during a botched apology.

NEW STANTON -- When you're close to toppling a 34-year incumbent Democratic congressman, Republican big-wigs begin to take notice.

On Sunday, it was former congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey who formally endorsed Republican Bill Russell and attended his mid-day campaign event here. His endorsement comes a week after former Arkansas Governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee threw his support behind Russell.

Toomey didn't speak at the rally but talked privately with Russell afterward, urging him to do what many thought was impossible a month ago.

Russell is challenging U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) in the 12th Congressional District. His campaign became a ray of hope for Republicans in an otherwise bleak climate nationwide after poll number showed him within 5 points of Murtha.

Toomey told PolitickerPA.com he, like even most in Russell's own campaign, didn't think the first-time politician had a chance against Murtha, a western Pennsylvanian institution. He was still doubtful four months ago and still had reservations as recently as September.

"But today it looks like he's going to win," Toomey said.

Suddenly embattled U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) is calling high-profile Democrats across the country for money and support as he tries to fend off Republican challenger Bill Russell.

On Monday, he'll receive help from one of the Democrats' biggest guns: Bill Clinton.

The former president will attend a get-out-the-vote rally for the 17-term incumbent Monday afternoon at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

It will the first of two stops Monday by Clinton for embattled Pennsylvania congressman. He will campaign later in the day for U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke), who, like Murtha, faces a stiff test this year after cruising to victory in 2006.

Facing his toughest election in decades in just four days, U.S. Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Johnstown) will appear on MSNBC's "Hardball" Friday night, his campaign reports.

Republican Bill Russell has already shocked many observers by closing within 5 points of the 34-year incumbent, according to one poll. His well-funded campaign has vaulted the 12th Congressional District race into the national spotlight.

"Hardball" airs at 5 p.m. eastern standard time.

With U.S. Rep. John Murtha's (D-Johnstown) race for reelection tightening, Gov. Ed Rendell stuck up for the embattled incumbent today, The Associated Press reports.

While saying Murtha was wrong to call his western Pennsylvania district "racist," Rendell blamed the misstep on campaign fatigue in remarks in Uniontown.

Bill Russell is challening Murtha in the 12th Congressional District.

HARRISBURG -- Barack Obama's support in Pennsylvania, despite a double-digit lead in most polls, is relatively soft in western Pennsylvania.

AFL-CIO President Bill George is trying to change that.

In a press conference at the Capitol, the powerful union head said he thinks 71 percent of union members will strongly support the Democratic presidential nominee on Election Day -- higher than the percentage U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) received in 2004 and 2 points lower than the support former vice president Al Gore received in 2000.

If his Monday press conference was any indication, he will focus on two issues to persuade union members -- tax cuts and social security.

"You can see the influence of John McCain is still about Wall Street," George said.

An independent poll showing U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) leading by only 4 points over William Russell has the Republican challenger's campaign saying he has a legitimate chance at pulling off the shock of the election reason.

"I think the door is open," said Jeff Coleman, a Harrisburg-based GOP strategist and media consultant for Russell's campaign. "There's a path that has plenty of brambles between now and election day, but it's a path to beating Jack Murtha."

The independent poll, conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research and commissioned by The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, has a margin of error of 4.9 points.

Murtha, who has served the 12th Congressional District for 34 years and beat his last opponent by 20 points, is still the favorite. But unlike most incumbents, he faces a financial deficit to his challenger, who's campaign has been spurred by national conservative commentators like Michelle Malkin and Sean Hannity.