Date Set for 12th Dist. Election

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has set May 18th as the day voters in the state’s 12th district will choose a replacement for congressman John Murtha. That is the same day as the Pennsylvania primary. That means voters will be asked to cast two ballots for the seat. One would be to choose a person to fulfill the unexpired term and the other would be to choose party representatives for the general election in November. The democratic and Republican parities will choose the candidates in the race for the unexpired term. State Law gave the governor 10 days from Murtha’s death to pick a date that was no less than 60 days in the future. Murtha died Feb. 8 following complications from gallbladder surgery. He was 77 years old.