Hillarysworld

The worst kept secret in local politics is out: Former U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan is officially running for Congress, and two-term U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, may face a tough re-election bid this year.

The Fox Chapel Republican has been working on a campaign behind the scenes for months, but her Federal Election Commission candidacy statement went online Wednesday. Now she can focus on raising money and getting her name onto the May 18 primary ballot.

Two other Republicans -- Edgeworth lawyer and former Department of Homeland Security official Keith Rothfus, and salesman John Vinsick of Hopewell -- also are running. Small businessman Bob Klein of Gibsonia decided to end his bid and support Ms. Buchanan, he said.

In a statement, Ms. Buchanan said she has "devoted my entire professional life to public service" and has "always understood that I was accountable to our citizens to keep our communities safe and our taxpayers to protect their hard-earned money.

"I am running for Congress because Washington needs a new direction."

Ms. Buchanan's entrance into the race is just another big storyline in an already volatile mid-term election year in Pennsylvania. Besides statewide governor and U.S. Senate races, there are at least 10 competitive races in the 19 state congressional districts, which is more than in any other state in the nation, according to the Cook Political Report.

The 4th District -- which goes from northern Allegheny County into Lawrence and parts of Beaver, Butler, Mercer and Westmoreland counties -- is a tempting one for the GOP since it voted for Republican John McCain in 2008, even while putting Mr. Altmire back into office.

"She could be a formidable opponent, though [Mr. Altmire] is a proven vote-getter in this district," said Gerald Shuster, professor of political communication at Pitt.

After eight years in charge of the Western District of Pennsylvania -- she was appointed by George W. Bush in September 2001 and resigned in November -- Ms. Buchanan has great name recognition and the baggage that comes with it. As U.S. attorney, she gained a good reputation for task forces targeting guns and child exploitation, and national headlines for getting convictions in obscenity cases and a drug case involving comedian Tommy Chong for selling bongs.

She is probably best known for her 2006 indictment of former Allegheny Coroner Cyril H. Wecht on corruption charges, a case she dropped after a hung jury and other legal setbacks two years later.

Lately, she was a key organizer on behalf of the 54 Haitian orphans flown to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC in January, though her efforts were largely upstaged by Gov. Ed Rendell and Mr. Altmire, a former UPMC lobbyist.

Expect Democrats to keep reminding voters of her ties to President Bush and the Wecht case.

[snip]

The challenge for all the GOP candidates will be money. Mr. Altmire, who has no primary opposition, had almost $1 million on hand at the end of the year, while Mr. Rothfus had $37,000. Ms. Buchanan had none (since she was not a declared candidate) but Mr. Klein said she has commitments lined up from supporters.