Jason Altmire

MONACA -- U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-McCandless) told PolitickerPA.com in an interview after Wednesday night's town hall meeting he thinks his voting record, which he said is about 50 percent Democratic, proves his political philosophy matches the mostly centrist 4th Congressional District, which covers an area from the northern Pittsburgh suburbs to Mercer County.

Those votes, he said, will be the biggest difference this fall when he faces a rematch against Republican Melissa Hart, who had represented the district three terms until defeated by Altmire in 2006.

During that race, people voted against Hart more than they voted for him, he said.

"I have a record to run on now," he said.

MONACA -- Wednesday night at Penn State Beaver was one of the few times to see a Republican and Democratic congressman tout the other.

U.S. reps. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) and Jason Altmire (D-McCandless) want voters to know it wasn't a one-time event.

The two congressmen Wednesday held the second of two joint town halls, this time in Beaver County, to highlight how they have worked together to help western Pennsylvania, even if that meant crossing party lines. It's an effort from both campaigns to position themselves as centrists ahead of November's election, where being viewed as ideologically extreme isn't beneficial in either district.

The second quarter is over and now we wait for the FEC numbers to be released.  But what should we expect?

In the 3rd district Phil English is facing off against challenger Kathy Dahlkemper.  In April English was showing $690k cash on had after raising $282k in the first quarter.   Dalhkemper raised $58k during the same period and had $71k on hand.  This is the make or break quarter for Dahlkemper.  She has been named as a candidate to watch on the DCCC Red-to-Blue program, but another $58k quarter will not get the job done.  For Dahlkemper to be taken seriously by the DCCC she will need to post a number that puts her with at least $250k cash on hand.

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) can run, but he can't hide from his GOP past.

That's the message from opponent Steve O'Donnell's campaign Thursday a day after Murphy announced he will hold joint town halls with U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-McCandless). The town halls will tout the representatives' shared commitment, despite party lines, to western Pennsylvania.

But Murphy started preaching bipartisanship only after his party suffered heavy losses in 2006, said Mike Dineen, O'Donnell's campaign manager. Now's he simply "pandering to the middle" in an unfavorable climate for Republicans, he said.

"The voters aren't going to buy that," Dineen told PolitickerPa.com.

U.S. Rep Tim MurphyTwo U.S. representatives on opposite sides of the aisle, Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) and Jason Altmire (D-McCandless), will hold join town halls next week to discuss overlapping efforts they've made to help western Pennsylvania.

"Congressman Murphy and I have worked together to advance western Pennsylvania's priorities, including community development, veterans, health care, and energy," Altmire said in a statement.

Both forums will allow questions from constituents.

The first will take place Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Monroeville Municipal Building in Monroeville. The second will take place the next day, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Penn State University campus in Beaver in the Student Union Building Auditorium.

Republicans might have finally found an issue they can use to pry votes from a populace beset by $4-a-gallon gas -- domestic oil drilling.

U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-McCandless) certainly learned that last week. The state's 4th Congressional District representative was criticized by two groups days apart -- the conservative advocacy group Freedom's Watch and congressional opponent Melissa Hart -- for opposing new drilling in ANWR and off American shores. Each group linked his opposition to sky-high fuel prices.

"Each week it becomes more evident that this Congress is not serious about finding practical solutions to our acute energy problems," Hart said in the statement. "It is going to going to give voters a lot to think about when they head to the polls in November."

Former Congresswomen Melissa Hart has issued a press release taking Congressman Jason Altmire to task for a recently stated on a KDKA Radio interview:

“Oil and gas companies already hold leases on 68 million acres of federal land that they are not producing on. They hold the leases, they could drill at any point, and they are choosing not to do it…”

Hart is taking the opportunity to draw contrast.

U.S. Rep. Jason AltmireThe conservative advocacy group that has launched robo-calls criticizing three Pennsylvania congressmen for opposing domestic oil exploration isn't satisfied with one of the U.S. representatives' explanations.

U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-McCandless) told PolitickerPA.com Wednesday that oil companies don't need new land to drill because they aren't using much of what they already own.

But Freedom's Watch spokesman Tim Pearson told PolitickerPA.com after reading Altmire's resposne that it only confirms "that his position on environmentally responsible energy exploration and creating new American jobs is at odds with 67 percent of the American people, all of whom are being soaked at the pump because Congressman Altmire is simply a rubberstamp for his Congress' no new energy policy."