Nov 10, 2002 By Paul Sunyak 4 min read

Impressed with her organizational savvy, U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) served as campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi in her apparently successful bid to succeed resigning House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt. Murtha said that while he has some philosophical disagreement with the liberal Pelosi, who represents the San Francisco area, he had no qualms about supporting the 61-year-old Californian for the House’s top Democratic spot.

Murtha, who will represent all of Greene County and parts of Fayette and Washington counties come January, said Friday that he previously supported Pelosi in her

successful bid to become party whip.

“I’m her campaign manager again,” said Murtha. “She’s well organized and she understands how the House works. She and I disagree philosophically, but she understands how the House works. She’s well versed in politics and she’s organized. And when she says something, she follows through with it.”

While admitting “she’s certainly a lot more liberal than me,” Murtha said that Pelosi would be a good House leader for Democrats – so much so that he advised her top competitor, U.S. Rep. Martin Frost of Texas, that her ascension was a foregone conclusion.

“I think you’ll find that Nancy Pelosi has the votes. I managed her campaign in the last election (for whip) and she won it quite handily,” said Murtha. “As I told Martin Frost, there’s no chance that he could beat her. I think you’ll see him dropping out of the race.”

Mirroring Murtha’s prediction, the Washington Post Web site on Friday reported that Frost had conceded defeat in his effort to become the chamber’s highest-ranking Democrat.

However, Murtha said that a “nice young man” from Tennessee – 32-year-old U.S. Rep. Harold Ford – might emerge as a new Pelosi challenger. Although Democrats were already in the minority before Tuesday’s election, when they lost five or six additional seats, Murtha said Pelosi is a “visionary” capable of rejuvenating the party.

“I think she’ll concentrate on the economy, and I have a lot of the same philosophy (in that area) that she does,” said Murtha, who added that with the Republican majority increasing slightly, “There’s not going to be a hell of a lot of change” in the House’s political landscape.

Murtha said he’s particularly interested in how Pelosi handles the “ordinary things that go on in the House,” such as doling out the party’s key committee assignments.

Gephardt, who held the minority leader post for eight years, had to bear responsibility for the Democrats’ historically unusual mid-term election losses, said Murtha, who also believes the Missourian plans to run for president in 2004.

“Whether he was (responsible) or not, you have to bear the responsibility when we don’t pick up seats. I think he saw that – and I think he’s going to run for president,” said Murtha.

With Republicans regaining the U.S. Senate majority as a result of Tuesday’s elections, Murtha said it would be easier for President Bush to get his way on filling federal judgeships and the Homeland Security Bill.

“That’ll make a difference. The judgeships will get confirmed now, the people that he recommended (will be appointed),” said Murtha, who added that with Democrats in control, it had been easy for Bush in general to blame the Senate for holding things up.

Murtha said he doesn’t agree with Bush on the Homeland Security Department because as proposed it has “too much bureaucracy and didn’t solve the problem.”

One of the first issues the new Congress must tackle is finding a way to pay for the $10 billion to $15 billion in spending that will be carried over from this year’s federal budget, said Murtha. He added that the bipartisan approach he’s employed since being elected to the House means that GOP members know he’s a man of his word.

“I’ve always been bipartisan in my relationship (with Republicans) … I work with them when I think they’re right and I work against them when I think they’re wrong,” said Murtha.