Interest intensifying in Hart-Altmire race for Congress
Nationally prominent Democrats from Al Franken to Sen. John F. Kerry have flown in to help Mr. Altmire; the National Republican Congressional Committee has bought television ads to support Ms. Hart; and polling seems to support -- in Democrats' minds -- the possibility that the anti-incumbent, anti-Republican sentiment arising in much of the country could undo even a female political powerhouse untouched by scandal. That prospect seemed unthinkable a half-year ago.

On Friday, former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, who lost his legs from Vietnam War battle wounds, attracted 100 cheering veterans to a rally at Ambridge VFW Post 165 after a fund-raiser beforehand that garnered $12,000. The Kerry fund-raiser Wednesday will be a private, $500-a-head event at a Fox Chapel home. A private fund-raiser in the Strip District featuring comedian Franken raised $24,000, according to the campaign.

So now Mr. Altmire is counting on reaching an eventual campaign goal of $1 million, only half of what Ms. Hart expects to raise but enough to run TV ads through the rest of the campaign. That's aside from whatever commercials the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee may air separately on his behalf. The national committee is not allowed to coordinate its plans with the candidate, but Mr. Altmire believes commercials from it are imminent.

In fact, he and his supporters say their optimism has been buoyed more than anything by the National Republican Congressional Committee's spending of at least $160,000 starting last week on commercials that name Mr. Altmire and attack his stance to let national tax cuts expire. If the GOP did not have its own information that Ms. Hart was in jeopardy, they reason, the national committee would spend its money in races it deemed more at risk.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/06295/732044...

Recent GOP Spending in Pa. 4 Shows Hart May Be At-risk

Eastern Pennsylvania is recognized as a key battleground in this year’s campaign for House control. There are three highly competitive races in suburban Philadelphia and one in northeastern Pennsylvania. The populous, Democratic-leaning Philadelphia area is key to Democrats’ hopes of electing Edward G. Rendell to a second term as governor and state Treasurer Bob Casey to the Senate over Republican incumbent Rick Santorum.

But western Pennsylvania, or at least the Pittsburgh-area 4th District, is getting into the act as well. The contest between three-term Republican Rep. Melissa A. Hart and Democrat Jason Altmire, a former hospital association executive and congressional aide, now appears sufficiently competitive to merit a change to CQPolitics.com’s rating of the race, to Leans Republican from Republican Favored.

While the “Leans” rating means Hart still maintains an edge in the race, it also means that Altmire is waging a tougher fight than earlier expected and that an upset is a more plausible possibility. The previous “Favored” rating suggested that Altmire was a more distinct underdog.

As in many House districts in this difficult election year for the Republicans, national GOP officials unintentionally signaled the more uncertain outcome by rushing in resources and airing television advertisements in the 4th District, which takes in suburbs and exurbs of Pittsburgh — and which backed President Bush in 2004 by 54 percent to 45 percent.

http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2006/10/18/cq_16...

Hart-Altmire race draws national attention

Republican U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart has made a career out of crushing Democrats in their backyards.
Now Hart, 44, of Bradford Woods, is fighting for her political survival as she faces her first formidable challenger in years in a district that favors Democrats and at a time when a series of Republican scandals and the war in Iraq threaten to depress GOP turnout in congressional races nationwide.

"The cumulative weight of these problems is turning races that were never thought to be competitive into tight and possibly losing contests for Republicans," said Mike Young, a former Penn State political science professor.

Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia, said "clear signs of a Democratic wave" are developing.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburgh...