Murtha's Hold Slips Following 'Racist,' Redneck' Remarks

POSTED: 7:18 pm EDT October 23, 2008
UPDATED: 8:20 pm EDT October 23, 2008

He's a senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives, with 17 terms in all. But the results of a new poll could spell trouble for John Murtha.

The Susquehanna poll commissioned by our news exchange partners at the Pittsburgh Tribune Review finds Murtha's lead is slipping one week after his comments where he called western Pennsylvania "racist."

Comments about racism, and more recent ones where he calls part of the state "redneck," have the Murtha campaign on the defense. Especially when faced with the poll results showing Murtha may be losing ground.

The gives Murtha a slightly more than 4 percentage point lead over challenger William Russell. Factoring in the margin of error puts the race at a virtual tie.

A spokesman said the campaign not only disagrees with the new poll but finds the results "ridiculous."

Congressman Mike Doyle is a longtime Murtha ally.

"Jack Murtha has been good for western Pennsylvania," Doyle said.

"I think in the end, when people go to the voting booth, it's gonna be about pocketbook issues. This is gonna be about the economy," Doyle said.

But Doyle stopped short of agreeing or disagreeing with Murtha's comments about voters.

"It's a distraction, it's not something that I want to focus on or talk about," Doyle said.

But voters are talking. The Susquehanna poll finds nearly 54 percent of voters said it's time for someone else to represent them in congress. About 35 percent said Murtha deserves to be re-elected.

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