Google Ads


Site Stats

PA-08: Fitzpatrick to Seek Rematch Against Murphy

by: James L.

Sat Jan 09, 2010 at 5:43 PM EST


From the Allentown Morning Call:

Former Bucks County Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick plans to announce before the end of the month his intention to reclaim the 8th district seat that he narrowly lost in 2006 to Democrat Patrick Murphy, a source close to the local Republican party confirmed.

Fitzpatrick, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in June 2008, has reportedly been consulting with doctors about running for re-election this year.

"His health is good and his passion is high and he's ready to reclaim his seat," the source said Friday.

Murphy had managed to escape a serious challenge so far -- one of the rare Democrats in a competitive district to do so -- but Fitzpatrick is probably about as strong a candidate as Republicans can hope to run here. Despite the district's small Democratic lean (Obama won this district by nine points, up from John Kerry's 3% win in 2004), this will be a non-trivial race.

RaceTracker Wiki: PA-08
James L. :: PA-08: Fitzpatrick to Seek Rematch Against Murphy
Tags: , , , (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email

PA-08: Fitzpatrick to Seek Rematch Against Murphy | 25 comments
Was Murphy considered a rising Dem star?
If so, Republicans probably see this as a good chance to take a sledgehammer to his career.  
He was touted as a possible Senate candidate
before Specter switched. So yeah, Republicans figure they may as well roll the dice and try to knock him out this year.
[ Parent ]
"Was"?
Still is, to me.
[ Parent ]
Having worked for Patrick Murphy
I can say that he most certainly isn't one of our many "lame incumbents".  He is a hardworking, incredibly personable man with a loyal base of support. It'll be a tight race, no doubt, but if any one of our sitting members can survive a tough year in a marginal district, its him. I would rank this as the third most competitive Philly-area race following PA-07 and PA-06.  I also think he'll benefit from having either Arlen Specter or Joe Sestak upticket.

Male, 23, DC-At Large
Patrick Murphy is my favorite Rep of the class of 2006
I may be in Texas, but because this is the first year I have actual, regular income I've been making a decision to donate to some candidates* this year. I had figured P. Murphy was safe, but if he has the slightest big of competition, I WILL donate to him. I love this guy.

*I have already decided to put my cash to Chet Edwards, Harry Teague, and Tom Periello. I will be volunteering for Bill White.

26, Male, Democrat, TX-26

[ Parent ]
Fitzpatrick
I know he's a former congressman, but his election in 04 was kind of a fluke due to Greenwood dropping out after the primary too late for the Democrats to get a decent candidate in the race.  Fitzpatrick is too conservative for this district and Murphy is fairly popular.  Murphy's a hardworking campaigner and I'd expect a win somewhere in the 7-10 range for him.
[ Parent ]
can't wait
Holy fucking shit scott brown leading 48/47 ppp

Huh?
Seriously?
[ Parent ]
here it is
http://www.publicpolicypolling...

Scott's favorables are 57-25. Coakley's are 50-42. And likely voters oppose Obama's healthcare plan 41-47.

Heh.

[ Parent ]
This shocks me deeply, but it's still one poll...
PPP notes that this sample assumes a conservative and disaffected turn-out. If Coakley can turn out the Democrats, she will win. She's ahead +9 in the last Rasmussen. One of the Boston paper's found her ahead by 15 points. I think the tremors of fear have shocked the Democratic establishment into action and they're going to start ramping up the turnout operation in MA. Thank God we're seeing these troubling polls more than a week before the election rather than next weekend.

If we lose this race, I will truly go all Chicken Little in short order. I don't think anybody can understate what a shock that would be.

[ Parent ]
This is worse than Republicans in 1974
And Obama didnt even commit any crimes.  
[ Parent ]
I can't believe Martha Coakley has risked her political career like this
Running a non-campaign for a low-turnout special election in a dangerous climate for Democrats is an idiotic thing to do, regardless of how Democratic the state is. If she loses this thing, it's not just that a Republican wins, it's that a Republican wins in Massachusetts and it breaks the Democrats' 60 vote majority, which dooms any chance of the Democrats doing anything substantive for the rest of the year (and then for the rest of Obama's term). Her career would be over instantly and honestly she should be run out on a rail.
[ Parent ]
Wrong freaking place
to talk MA-Sen.
[ Parent ]
OI!
Wrong thread for MA-SEN - take it elsewhere.

2010 Race Tracker Wiki
[ Parent ]
too early
I am a Republican but I think this peak is happening a week too early for Brown.  

Libertarian secular Republican, MO-7
wrong website

[ Parent ]
Not so
Republicans making substantive comments are welcome here.

"I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat!"
--  Will Rogers  
[ Parent ]
Holy ****!
DSCC and Coakley should go on negative ad saturation until the 19th. Coakley brought this on herself also thinking she could simply coast to an easy general election victory. Sadly now that the sharks at the NRSC and teabagger hq smell blood, Coakley is going to be bombarded with negative ads. I wouldn't be surprised if they start saying Coakley is soft on crime and try to pull of a Willie Horton.

19, Male, Independent, CA-12
Murphy
Anyone else wonder if not having Lois Murphy against Jim Gerlach might actually help Patrick Murphy in his race.  They aren't related but the same last name (duh) and I always wondered how much people really paid attention to the Philly-area congressional ads having 2 Murphy's and whether people attributed negatives from one to the other.

The ads in the Gerlach-Murphy (Lois) races in 2006/2008 were so awful I wonder if the last name Murphy drove down his favorables in his race.  And Gerlach/Murphy spent so much on so many frigging ads I wonder if maybe that might have hurt him in the past and not having to deal with that this time might help a little bit.

If you live in Philly you know what I'm talking about, those ads were like nothing I've seen before, and they aired every 4 minutes.

I remember one of those ads
I lived in south Jersey.
The ad went something like
"Lois Murphy will (slow scary voice) raise your taxes!"

26, male, Dem, NJ-12
[ Parent ]
Wait, was this the DADT dude?
Yeah.....this was the guy that was supposedly tasked with overturning Don't Ask Don't Tell. How's that goin' there for ya, Patrick?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo...

Honestly, he seems like a nice guy, but it seems as if he's failed miserably thus far on this count. And it's too bad: his campaign coffers would've been flooded with pink cash if he'd actually managed to find enough co-sponsors for a bill supported by like 70%+ of the American population, including a MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS!!

...Sorry.  Apparently, being a second-class citizen is starting to get to me.

Kansan by birth, Californian by choice, and Gay by the grace of God.

Yeah, well
Just goes to show you how many Democrats are too scared of their own shadow to support stuff like this.
[ Parent ]
That's hardly fair
It hasn't even been a year and the legislative calendar has been eaten up by other high-profile, polarizing issues - most of which have made otherwise amenable Dems  skittish at the idea of sticking their necks out for a bill like this when their own re-election prospects are at risk. For you to personally accuse Murphy of "failing miserably" in getting DADT repealed totally discounts the crap-tastic political environment in which he has tried to get this through.

Male, 23, DC-At Large
[ Parent ]
Wasn't Obama hinting at overturning DADT also?
C'mon, how was a fairly new rep "tasked" with this?

It didn't get done, but you can't cherry-pick blame.  The whole Democratic party has played a role in it.

[ Parent ]
Ellen Tauscher was heading it up
when she left Congress, the task was given to Murphy.
[ Parent ]
PA-08: Fitzpatrick to Seek Rematch Against Murphy | 25 comments

Copyright 2003-2010 Swing State Project LLC

Primary Sponsor

You're not running for second place. Is your website? See why Campaign Engine is ranked #1 in software and support among Progressive-only Internet firms. http://www.mediamezcla.com/

Menu

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forget your username or password?

About the Site

Publisher: DavidNYC

Senior Editor: James L.

Senior Editor: Crisitunity

Contributing Editor: Jeffmd

Search the SSP archives:

Sign up to receive a daily e-mail whenever the SSP is updated:

SSP Resources

Presidential Vote by CD

SSP Document Collection

Race Tracker Wiki

Dave's Redistricting App

Blogroll

Daily Kos Elections
DemConWatch
Five Thirty Eight
Governing
Hotline On Call
Political Wire
Pollster.com
Prop*50
Public Policy Polling
The Thicket
Powered by: SoapBlox