-
Oct 25, 2006 5:35 pm US/Eastern
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
New Poll Shows Hart-Altmire Race Is A Dead-Heat
by Jon Delano
NORTH HILLS (KDKA) ―
One local congressional race appears to be a dead-heat between three-term incumbent Melissa Hart and her challenger Jason Altmire.
That's what one independent poll reports today.
Congresswoman Melissa Hart was not supposed to have a tough race this year but don't tell Democrat Jason Altmire that.
With polls showing the race getting close, the national political parties in Washington -- Republican and Democrat -- are now pumping tens of thousands of dollars into this region.
Now, the candidates themselves are using tough words against each other.
"I have an opponent who basically has taken my record, twisted it and lied about it," Hart told KDKA Political Editor Jon Delano.
Altmire responded, "She's been a rubber stamp for this administration for six years. She's spent 16 years tying herself to Senator Santorum."
The race between Republican Hart and Democrat Altmire is heating up with one independent poll showing Hart, the incumbent, just barely ahead of her challenger.
The Susquehanna Poll has hart at 46 percent, just four points ahead of Altmire at 42 percent.
Hart's campaign issued its own poll in rebuttal showing hart with a 12-point lead, 50 percent to 38 percent.
But whatever the polls, the candidates clearly differ on the war in Iraq.
"We need to make sure that we don't cut and run," said Hart. "That word, that terminology, is used for a reason. That means that we would not accomplish that stability mission before we leave."
"I think it's time for us to say to the Iraqi government 'It's time for you to manage your own affairs, and we're going to take our troops and go fight terrorism'," said Altmire. "That's what this is supposed to be about. We're going to go capture and kill the people responsible for 9/11 because that's not what's happening in Iraq."
As for why she should be elected, Hart focuses on her local service.
"I work harder than any congressman they've ever had, in every community," said Hart. "I'm listening in every community, finding issues that we can deal with, and help them with on the federal level, from rural water and sewer to helping redevelop Brownfields."
For Altmire, this election is all about sending a message to Washington.
"If you like the direction of the country, if you think we're heading the right way, then vote for Melissa Hart to get more of the same," said Altmire. "But if you want change, and you want to go in a different direction, vote for Jason Altmire because we can't change Congress until we change the people we send there."
Altmire says, to send a message of unhappiness with the way things are going in Washington, you have to defeat the incumbent.
While Hart says voters should remember all the things she has done, locally, to help this region.
Voters in the six counties of this district will decide on November 7th.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)