A new poll released this week shows one Western Pennsylvania Congressional race a lot tighter then many were expecting. Long time incumbent Democrat John Murtha has only a narrow lead in his race for re-election in he 12th Congressional District. Now in his 18'th term, Congressmen John Murtha is used to winning re-election by comfortable margins. But this time around, it appears a strong challenge is underway.

The Democrat Murtha was first elected to Congress back in 1974. In recent years, he's been able to base his re-election campaigns on the economic benefits he has brought back to his Western Pennsylvania District. Two years ago Murtha won by more than twenty percent of the vote. And two years before that he was unopposed in general election. But this time around he facing a well funded challenger who is attracting a lot of support. William Russell moved to the district with the specific intent of taking on Murtha. Russell says Murtha has unfairly criticized members of the military fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And recent remarks from Murtha about the racist, or red- neck views of some of the voters in his District also seems to be giving Russell a boost.

 A poll of four hundred voters done for the Tribune-Review News Service this week showed a narrow lead of five percent for Murtha over his challenger. This Susquehanna Poll shows Murtha ahead, Forty Six to Forty One percent for Russell with Eight percent undecided and Five percent supporting neither candidate. The poll director says one other finding could give a boost to the challenger. While 35 percent of those questioned say Murtha deserves to be re-elected, Fifty Four percent of the voters polled say its time some one else represents that Western Pennsylvania District. Because of the relatively small sample in this poll, the difference between the candidates could actually be covered by the poll's margin of error. That comes as good news to supporters of the Republican Russell who say the race is moving in their direction. The spokesman for Murtha's Campaign called the poll results ridiculous predicting that Democratic support will carry Murtha to another term by a wider margin than predicted in the poll.