Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district special election, 2010
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The 2010 special election for the 12th congressional district of Pennsylvania was held on May 18, 2010 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Democratic U.S. Representative John Murtha. Democratic nominee Mark Critz, Murtha's former district director, defeated Republican nominee Tim Burns. Both candidates were nominated at their respective primary election concurrent with the special election and faced off in the general election November 2010, with Critz again defeating Burns.
Though the late Representative, Murtha, the longest serving congressman in the history of Pennsylvania, was consistently re-elected to his seat by large margins, the special election was expected to be competitive.
The 12th district is predominantly rural, and represents the coal and manufacturing industries, which have suffered in recent decades. It was the only congressional district in the United States which gave a majority of its vote to Republican nominee John McCain in 2008 after voting for Democratic nominee John Kerry in 2004. However, at the time of the election Democrats outnumbered Republicans by a 2-to-1 ratio in the 12th district. A poll conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP) in May 2010 found President Obama with an approval rating of 35 per cent, with 55 per cent disapproving. A PPP poll conducted in April found Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (all Democrats) to be "exceptionally unpopular", though 55 per cent of the district identify as members of the Democratic Party.
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