It is no accident that Republican congressional candidate Diana Irey has opened a campaign office in U.S. Rep. John Murtha’s backyard. But rather than an attempt to gain a foothold in the powerful Democrat’s hometown, Irey says she simply needed a headquarters for a local campaign movement that has a full head of steam. “We’re signing up more and more volunteers every day,” the Washington County commissioner said Tuesday.Irey opened an office in a complex off Eisenhower Boulevard, Richland Township. It is her only other office aside from her campaign headquarters in Monongahela, Washington County. And Irey said she intends to have her Richland location, which will serve mainly Cambria and Somerset counties, staffed daily. Supporters packed the small office Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Hopefully, it will be full of people tomorrow and every day after that,” said Bill Weigle, Cambria County Republican Committee executive director.
Irey’s move is not causing much concern in the Murtha camp, said Ed Mitchell, the congressman’s campaign spokesman. “(Murtha) always won this area very significantly, and we feel he’ll do that again,” Mitchell said.
Irey – flanked by Republican lieutenant governor candidate Jim Matthews – used a short speech Tuesday to attack Murtha’s record. Echoing what has become a major theme in this campaign, she criticized Murtha’s calls for a troop withdrawal from Iraq. “We don’t need to redeploy our troops,” Irey said. “We need to redeploy John Murtha.”