Rep. John Murtha has died as a result of complications from gallbladder surgery. Although a decorated Marine veteran, Murtha accused Marines of deliberately killing Iraqi civilians in cold blood — accusations that have yet to be substantiated nearly four years later.

Scandal has followed much of Murtha’s career:

• The FBI named Murtha an “unindicted co-conspirator” in its ABSCAM sting operation in the late 1970s and early ‘80s.
• Nicknamed “The King of Pork,” Murtha also faced scrutiny for earmarking federal dollars for projects in his district.
• The Congressman also faced scrutiny for campaign contributions he and other appropriators received from the now defunct PMA lobbying firm.

Last week, questions arose as to the future of Murtha’s seat should he retire. Those questions have ceased being academic. No one believed the King of Pork could be unseated. But with the race wide open, Republicans have a better than even chance of picking up the seat.

HT to Politico’s Twitter feed.

Update: The Fix has details on the special election to replace Murtha, reasoning that it will be combined with the federal primaries on May 18.

With Murtha gone, however, the special election will be seriously contested. Murtha’s district is the only one in the country won by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004 and by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008, according to Republican sources, and that trend line coupled with the volatile national environment for Democrats ensures Republicans will heavily target the contest.

Hopefully, the Club for Growth will find a suitable candidate to back. If so, I’ll be sending that person a few dollars.

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