Murtha special election set

The special election to fill out the remaining months of Rep. John Murtha’s congressional term will be held on the same day as Pennsylvania’s primary, Gov. Ed Rendell announced Wednesday.

In addition to saving county governments the cost of holding a separate special election, Rendell’s move to place the contest on the May 18 ballot next to competitive primaries for U.S. Senate and governor will also likely boost turnout in the southwestern House district, where Democrats have a 130,000-vote registration advantage.

The decision comes one day after Murtha, who had served for 36 years in the House before his death, was laid to rest.