Congressional race heats up in Pennsylvania's 8th district
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
The fight is on, again, in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. A new poll out today shows an incumbent Congressman Patrick Murphy of Bucks County far behind a well-known foe.
The latest Franklin and Marshall College poll shows Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress, trailing Republican opponent Mike Fitzpatrick – the man Murphy ousted in a tight election four years ago.
Pollster Terry Madonna says Fitzpatrick has a significant lead.
"He leads by 14 points among likely voters and if you broaden the study to include all registered voters in the District, he would have a lead by ten points. The problem I think that Representative Murphy has is that he's a 100% Obama Democrat, voted for healthcare, voted for spending, and the President's job performance has dropped precipitously in the district."
Madonna says as a former congressman, Fitzpatrick has good name recognition and a solid base of supporters in the district.