Recent GOP Spending in Pa. 4 Shows Hart May Be At-risk

[Judi Lynn]

Recent GOP Spending in Pa. 4 Shows Hart May Be At-risk
By Greg Giroux
Published: October 18, 2006

Eastern Pennsylvania is recognized as a key battleground in this year’s campaign for House control. There are three highly competitive races in suburban Philadelphia and one in northeastern Pennsylvania. The populous, Democratic-leaning Philadelphia area is key to Democrats’ hopes of electing Edward G. Rendell to a second term as governor and state Treasurer Bob Casey to the Senate over Republican incumbent Rick Santorum.

But western Pennsylvania, or at least the Pittsburgh-area 4th District, is getting into the act as well. The contest between three-term Republican Rep. Melissa A. Hart and Democrat Jason Altmire, a former hospital association executive and congressional aide, now appears sufficiently competitive to merit a change to CQPolitics.com’s rating of the race, to Leans Republican from Republican Favored.

While the “Leans” rating means Hart still maintains an edge in the race, it also means that Altmire is waging a tougher fight than earlier expected and that an upset is a more plausible possibility. The previous “Favored” rating suggested that Altmire was a more distinct underdog.

As in many House districts in this difficult election year for the Republicans, national GOP officials unintentionally signaled the more uncertain outcome by rushing in resources and airing television advertisements in the 4th District, which takes in suburbs and exurbs of Pittsburgh — and which backed President Bush in 2004 by 54 percent to 45 percent.
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http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2006/10/18/cq_1656.html

[John1956PA]

1. Hart's pre-recorded phone messages label Altmire's statements "lies."

Hart is a very unappealing person. Her flat, snippy voice grates on one's ears. On my answering machine I have one of her pre-recorded phone messages in which she labels statements contained in Jason Altmire's ads as "lies." The truth is that Altmire's ads contain no lies, but, rather, correctly point out that Hart supports Bush's agenda on almost every vote. The national Republican money is purchasing for Hart a good many TV spots in which she is airing commercials which rank at the fairy tale level. She has no constructive accomplishments to show for her six years in the House. It would be a shame if Fourth District voters do not send this phony packing.