"Although it's more Democratic, the Democratic registration outnumbers the Republican, it's actually a conservative area. In fact, McCain beat Obama in this district, so this is a good conservative district, and in the Pennsylvania 12th (above) we — just like Obama said — we cling to our guns and our bibles," Republican contender for the Murtha people's seat Tim Burns quipped in a CPAC interview with Moe Lane last February.
"Something significant is going on. Who would have thought that a Republican candidate supported by the Tea Party could win the Kennedy people's seat in blue-state Massachusetts?" Ron Paul is asking Megan Kelly on Fox as they discuss a new Rasmussen poll that shows the libertarian-leaning Republican Rep. from Texas and Barack Obama within one point of each other among likely voters. Similarly, who would have thought that a Republican candidate supported by the Tea Party could be pulling ahead of the Democratic heir apparent to the late John Murtha in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District? Jim Geraghty has the latest in a "chat" today with Tim Burns, the Jonestown businessman chosen at a convention March 11 as the Republican candidate to face Murtha's former district director, Mark Critz in the May 18 special election. Excerpts from Geraghty's Burns interview:
"Before Murtha passed away, I had Republicans and Democrats tell me, 'I like what you’re saying, but I can’t come out against him. I can’t publicly support you or donate to you.' Since his unfortunate death, I’ve had Republicans, Democrats, and business leaders get on board. There is a Democratic registration edge here, but these are conservative Democrats — pro-life, pro-gun, pro-common sense. McCain carried this district, and [state Attorney General] Tom Corbett won this district handily. These Democrats are not afraid to vote for the candidate, not the party.
The tortured shape of parts of Barney Frank's Massacusetts 4th District calls to mind the gerrymandered look that is such a hallmark of Pennsylvania's 12th. As we blogged in our previous post, "Boston Tea Party Fallout: Retire Barney Frank, we've chosen our next political battle, skipping over our own far less powerful MA 8th District Rep. Michael Capuano to go straight for the jugular of the man who did so much to precipitate the nation's current economic woes. He has three Republican challengers, including businessman and US Marine Sean Bielat, who was at yesterday's Boston Tea Party on the Common.
Burns describes himself as being in a similar situation to Scott Brown – a little-known conservative, seeking to win a seat held by a legendary Democrat who had been in Washington for decades – but notes that as a small businessman and political rookie, he’s an unlikely crusader. “I’ve never been in politics before, and have no background whatsoever in politics. I’m concerned about what I see in this country and how its changing. I’m worried my two kids won’t be growing up in a better world than I grew up in, and I wouldn’t be able to look the kids in the eye if I had to tell them that I did nothing. We have a responsibility to do what we can to turn this around. This isn’t my dream job, not what I’ve always wanted to do, but it’s what I have been called to do.”
Geraghty concludes:Just for fun, a graphical representation of our own MA 8th District is kind of beautiful in the abstract. Just don't get too close if you don't want to watch the sausage being made.
The special election falls on the day of the primaries, and there are contested primaries for Democrats in both the gubernatorial and Senate races. In special elections, a big key is turnout, and Critz would appear to have a bit of wind at his back.
“It’s a reality we’ve got to deal with,” Burns says, but adds, “The real excitement is in this special election. From what I’ve seen, people aren’t terribly excited about Democratic primaries. This race is going to drive turnout - both locally and nationally, we’ve been getting a great deal of attention, and my opponent will be bringing in Joe Biden. I’ve gotten the endorsements of Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich. The NRCC and RNC are playing heavily in this race.”
Joe Biden? Them's fighting words. We've contributed to Tim Burns's campaign before and are about to do so again for the final push. If you're so inclined, please join us in contributing during a week-long MONEYBOMB that starts just after midnight tonight and will run through midnight on the eve of Biden's visit.
Crossposted at Liberty Pundits.
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