Jack Murtha Gets A Primary Challenger

From the WSJ’s Washington Wire: “Veteran congressional Democrat John Murtha will face a primary challenge next year from former naval officer Ryan Bucchianeri, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. A political unknown, Bucchianeri made headlines in 1993 when he missed an 18-yard field-goal attempt on the Navy football team. He is a Monongahela, Pa., native and a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. While two Republicans have announced challenges to Murtha, Bucchianeri is the lone Democrat to emerge in the April 2010 primary. Murtha, now in his 19th term, has increasingly been the target of national attention and public scrutiny for earmarks he has directed back to his district as well as his ties to defense industry lobbyists. …”