Apr 10, 2002 By Amy Karpinsky 5 min read

Just in case there was any doubt in anyone’s mind, U.S. Rep. Frank Mascara, D-Charleroi officially announced Tuesday that he is seeking re-election. In making the announcement during a stop outside the Fayette County Courthouse, Mascara also made it clear that he is ready to compare track records with his opponent, U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Johnstown. While hailing his own accomplishments in announcing his candidacy, Mascara also went on the offensive against Murtha.

However, whether or not the two will ultimately face each other remains to be seen.

Mascara’s announcement came on the heels of a order by a federal three-judge panel that ruled Monday that the redrawn map to change the state’s congressional boundaries was unconstitutional and gave the state legislature three weeks to come up with a new plan.

The 20th District that Mascara currently represents was dissolved and he was placed in the 18th District. However, he opted to run against Murtha, the 12th District representative, to seek the Democratic nomination for that seat. Under the redrawn plan that the court ruled against, the district was comprised of all of Greene County and parts of Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Mascara, who planned to announce his candidacy before the ruling, said the Republican drawn map was “convoluted, egregious and the worst power grab in the last three decades.” He also said that Murtha was promoting the map that split more than 70 precincts to get him out of the race.

Mascara said he still intends to return to Congress and work for southwestern Pennsylvania. He said since he can’t place his campaign on hold, it should move forward. He said he will move “full steam ahead like there is a race in the 12th (District).”

Murtha echoed Mascara’s comments.

“We’ll continue to campaign and work for the people of the 12th District while the state legislature decides how to proceed. It’s business as usual here until we know what the real impact will be,’ said Murtha.

Mascara said a top priority is to protect Social Security. He said the government made a promise in the 1930s that the money would be there for senior citizens. He said Social Security needs fixed and he wants to fix it. Mascara said he voted to put the surpluses from Social Security in a “lock box” to ensure the checks will be there.

“Jack Murtha voted against it. It was a vote against the elderly and seniors,” Mascara said.

Murtha said when the “so called lock box” passed Congress, Congressional Quarterly wrote that the legislation’s proponents had exaggerated its effectiveness.

“I did vote for the lock box last year because I felt it was more realistic and I of course always fully supported the need to protect Social Security for all Americans,” Murtha said.

Mascara said he created more than 11,000 jobs in Washington County and southwestern Pennsylvania during his tenure as a county commissioner. “My jobs aren’t bogus,” he said.

Mascara also said he voted against every vote to give China most favored nation status, unlike Murtha.

“Jack Murtha voted seven times to send jobs to China. I’m really the working man’s guy. He’s an elitist, he runs with the big dogs on the farm,” Mascara said.

Murtha countered that “most of the time he voted against normal trade relations with China” and when they shot down our plane, he introduced legislation to rescind their trade status.

Mascara said he’s been in favor of the Mon-Fayette Expressway since 1972 when its planning began. He said if he is re-elected, he will be the ranking member from Pennsylvania on the Transportation Committee. He said getting money for the Uniontown to Brownsville link is a priority.

Murtha also expressed support for the Mon-Fayette Expressway.

Mascara also took Murtha to task for voting 28 times for a pay raise over the years. He said he doesn’t support it and didn’t vote for it. Mascara said many people in southwestern Pennsylvania have had their pay cut or lost their jobs.

Murtha responded by saying that pay raises now occur automatically under a Cost Of Living Adjustment. He said several years ago, under the first President George Bush, a campaign was launched to get a pay raise through Congress. Murtha said it was because congressional salaries were linked to salaries of cabinet secretaries and Bush couldn’t convince some people to leave their jobs and take on all the responsibilities of a cabinet post at a pay cut.

Murtha said that vote established the COLA system and was one of the biggest ethical reforms in the history of Congress because it banned Congress members from accepting honoraria for speeches.

“So a vote for that pay raise was a vote for one of the most important ethics reforms,” Murtha said.

Mascara said he supported doing away with the marriage penalty tax because he felt everyone should be taxed equally. He also pointed out that Murtha voted to keep the tax. Murtha said he voted against all the tax cuts because he “knew they’d give us the large deficits we have now- and because of these deficits, we can’t afford prescription drug coverage under Medicare.”

Mascara also spoke about the need for term limits. He said he wrote a bill that didn’t get out of committee that would have meant term limits of 12 years for both members of the House and Senate.

Murtha responded by questioning how long Mascara plans to stay in office. “If Mr. Mascara is serious about term limits, to how many terms does he plan to limit himself? He’s about on his last term, isn’t he?”

Mascara was first elected to Congress in 1994 and Murtha has served since 1972.