Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- A skit on NBC's ``Saturday Night Live'' was big news in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where folks aren't used to the national spotlight.

One longtime resident, 17-term U.S. Representative John Murtha, would have done without the attention.

``SNL Opening Skit Skewers Johnstown Democrat,'' read the front page of the Tribune-Democrat, Murtha's hometown newspaper. The late-night comedy program on Oct. 25 depicted the 76-year-old ex-Marine as a bumbling politician who can't help insulting his constituents.

Two weeks ago, Murtha called his western Pennsylvania district a ``racist area'' while handicapping the chances of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the first black major-party nominee. After apologizing, he caused himself more trouble by saying the district was, until recently, ``really redneck.''

Murtha's miscues have made him a rare breed this election year: A prominent congressional Democrat facing a tough re- election challenge.

The sixth-longest-serving Democrat in the House of Representatives, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who heads the defense appropriations subcommittee, and a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Murtha is scrambling for support after almost 35 years in Congress.

`Very Tight'

``It looks very tight,'' Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a Democrat, said after a rally for Murtha yesterday at a Teamsters' hall in Uniontown. ``Everybody who cares about Jack Murtha better get out there and remember to pull his lever.''

With rising unemployment, falling home values, and a global stock-market slide under Republican President George W. Bush, Democrats expect to pick up more than 20 House seats, adding to their 235-199 majority.

Until Oct. 15, Murtha was counted a safe bet for re- election. He won 61 percent of the vote two years ago and was unopposed in 2004. Republican challenger Bill Russell, 46, an Iraq War veteran, had attracted little attention.

That changed two weeks ago, when editorial writers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper asked Murtha about Obama's chances on Nov. 4.

Murtha said Obama will likely win Pennsylvania, but with fewer votes than he'd get if he were white. ``There's no question western Pennsylvania is a racist area,'' Murtha said.

`Really Redneck'

The lawmaker apologized, only to compound the bad publicity when he tried to explain his comment to a Pittsburgh television reporter on Oct. 20. Murtha said he only meant that it's difficult for some people to change attitudes in an area that was, until recently, ``really redneck.''

A survey last week for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review showed Murtha with a slim 4 percentage point lead over Russell. More than half the likely voters questioned by Susquehanna Polling and Research said it's time to elect someone new.

Murtha's comments stirred controversy reminiscent of the flap that followed comments by Obama last April. Talking about visits to ``some of these small towns in Pennsylvania'' where ``the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them,'' Obama said ``it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion.''

`Slap in the Face'

Now, as then, Republicans pounced.

``It's a slap in the face of so many people here,'' said Russell, maintaining that ``there are no more racists here than anywhere else'' in the country. ``Why exactly he would insult the people here, I don't quite know.''

Russell moved from Virginia to run for Congress because of Murtha's criticisms of the Iraq conflict. He's getting last- minute help from Republicans eager to dislodge Murtha from the seat he's held since a February 1974 special election.

The National Republican Congressional Committee bought a television ad quoting the remarks. Former Tennessee senator and Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson accused Murtha in a radio spot of ``insulting his own constituents'' and ``apparently forgetting who he works for.''

Russell said Murtha's comments helped his campaign take in more than $250,000 in the past week. As of Oct. 15, Russell had raised almost $2.9 million, more than Murtha's $2.2 million, according to FEC filings.

Democrats are jumping to the incumbent's defense. Former President Bill Clinton and Rendell campaigned with Murtha yesterday and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ran an ad linking Russell to Bush. A Murtha radio ad attacks Russell as a carpetbagger who ``pretends to be one of us.''

Stressing Issues

Asked about his comments yesterday, Murtha said: ``Don't write that story -- you just write what I'm telling you.

``What are the issues? Jobs. The issue is the privatization of Social Security, the issue is health care,'' he said. ``I don't want to be distracted.'' Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in September, up from 4.4 percent at the end of 2004.

Murtha's seniority on Capitol Hill and his influence over federal defense spending have provided tangible benefits to the area. Yard signs for the Democrat say ``He Delivers for Us.''

The John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, among other projects, testifies to his skill at getting federal tax money for western Pennsylvania. Murtha's subcommittee determines Pentagon spending, which also gives him power over one of the biggest sources of funding for so-called earmarks.

District Benefits

Rendell said Murtha's accomplishments outweigh a couple of ill-advised remarks.

``Did Jack make a mistake? Sure he did,'' Rendell said. ``It's pretty hard to get through a career of any length of time without making a mistake.

``Judge Jack Murtha by what he's done, not by what he's said,'' Rendell said. ``What he's done for this district, for every part of this district, has been nothing short of phenomenal.''

Darlene Keslar, a retired medical secretary from Johnstown, said she'll give Murtha the benefit of the doubt because he's brought jobs and industry to the area.

``I think some of the comments were unnecessary -- they make him look bad,'' she said. ``Everything he's tried to do, I feel, has definitely outweighed those comments he's made. I still like him.''

Other voters aren't so sure Murtha deserves a break.

``I am offended,'' said James Burke, 61, a retired railroad worker from Johnstown. Murtha, he said, ``put us all in a bad light.

``Most of the people that I know aren't racist,'' he said. ``And we're not rednecks either.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Faler in Washington at bfaler@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 30, 2008 00:01 EDT