Hart to Try and Reclaim PA-4
Written by Sam on July 14th, 2007
Republican Melissa Hart is planning a comeback bid to regain the congressional seat she lost to upstart Democrat Jason Altmire, according to sources with whom the former congresswoman has spoken.
While I have met Melissa Hart several times and think she is a very pleasant individual, this is not the news I wanted to hear. Her Congressional record on fiscal discipline is abominable. She was apart of the status quo Republicans that kept on voting to spend, spend, and spend some more. When Jeff Flake introduced his 19 pork stripping amendments last July, Hart voted against every single one of them. I think I even wrote a post on here blasting her and Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) for their votes as I was living in Pittsburgh at the time.
I don’t know what her chances are. PA-4 is about an even R/D district, but leans slightly to the right. Hart only lost re-election by 4%. She could reclaim. Several Congressmen in the past have done it so it’s not unheard of. I just think maybe they could have found someone a little more reliable.
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This is great Melissa was a great congresswoman and would be a much better cannidate than lynn swan.
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PM
She would have won reelection if it was not for the fact she refused to attack her opponent. If she runs an aggressive campaign, she can win.
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PM
You have to wonder what this experience has done to her. Will she be more humble? Will she be more aggressive? More friendly to Labor?
In 2006, she lost the Beaver County portion of her district — where I was told she had closed one of her local offices. Perhaps this will be an issue — all politics being local after all.