2008Final results
2008 election for Pennsylvania's 12th District
U.S. House · Pennsylvania
John Murtha (D) won with 57.9% of the vote, defeating William Russell (R) by 15.7 points.
John MurthaDemocrat · winner
57.9%155,268
William RussellRepublican
42.1%113,120
268,388 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2008
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
John MurthaWilliam Russell
$3.5M
Raised by the campaign
$3.7M
$3.7M
Spent by the campaign
$3.6M
$207K
Cash on hand
$26K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008