Democrat Holds on to Murtha's Seat

It was a nail-biter, but democratic candidate Mark Critz held onto the seat formerly occupied by democratic powerhouse John Murtha. The 12th Congressional District went to Critz with 52.2% of the vote, compared to republican Tim Burns' 47.8%. Critz, former district director for Representative Murtha won a special election in May following Murtha's death in February. The 12th District consists of all of Greene County and parts of Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland Counties. Burns, a businessman, also ran for and lost the special election to fill Murtha's seat. Asked how he managed to pull out a win with the rest of the country trending to the right, Critz credited the amount of time he spent in the district and the relationships he has built with officials and constituents both working for Murtha and in the few months he has already spent in Congress. He says he plans to work across the aisle in the newly Republican controlled House and says he'll be focused on remedying the economy and bringing jobs back to his district.