Salena Zito has the story on deceased Rep. Jack Murtha’s Pennsylvania Congressional District. His successor probably won’t have a district for too long.
The person who serves the unexpired term of the late Rep. Jack Murtha could be the last to hold the 12th Congressional District seat, political experts say.
The seat is likely to become a victim of redistricting, due to the area’s slow population growth. In the event that Republicans regain the state House and the governor’s mansion — a very realistic possibility — they will control the redistricting process.
Meanwhile, party-switcher Barb Hafer, who became a Democrat in 2003, is talking about running in the event that Murtha’s widow, Joyce, chooses not to. Although it has not been set yet, the election will probably be held simultaneously with the state’s party primaries, on May 18.
