Murtha’s latest opponent is from his own party

Congressman John Murtha (D-12) has yet another political opponent to face, nothing new for a man who finds himself embroiled in a lobbying scandal and consistently under fire from the right.

The twist: This time it’s a Democrat preparing to go up against the longtime incumbent.

The Post-Gazette reports that Navy veteran Ryan Bucchianeri will challenge Murtha in the primary next year. Bucchianeri, 34, is a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a former kicker on the Naval Academy’s football team. He recently switched his registration from Independent to Democrat.

“I’m running for Congress to further my lifelong commitment to public service and responsibly address the unprecedented policy challenges we face today, here and abroad,” he told The Post-Gazette.

Republican Bill Russell, who ran against Murtha last year, is already planning another campaign against him, and Washington County businessman Tim Burns has also said he’ll run for the GOP nomination.

Even with Murtha under continued scrutiny, few consider him politically vulnerable in 2010. He is deeply entrenched in the district, and Republicans in recent years have mostly avoided putting up serious challengers against him.

“The problem is he’s done personal favors for just about every man, woman and child over the years, and that makes him tough to beat,” GOP political consultant Charlie Gerow said recently.

•Earlier on pa2010.com: Even under scrutiny, few see Murtha as vulnerable

May 28, 2009 at 8:36 am

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Bill Russell, John Murtha, PA-12, Ryan Bucchianeri, Tim Burns