Incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster was racing to a decisive victory Tuesday, beating Democrat John Henry in the new 9th Congressional District by a better than 2-1 margin. With more than three-quarters of the ballots counted, Shuster, 41, of Hollidaysburg, was leading with 71 percent of the vote against 29 percent for Henry, an underfunded, underpublicized political novice from Breezewood. In total votes, Shuster was leading Henry 93,722 to 37,388. With his apparent victory, Shuster, the son of retired congressman Bud Shuster, breaks a Democratic lock on House seats in Fayette, Somerset and Indiana counties. Not since 1952 had a Republican been elected to represent Fayette County in Congress. Republicans had been shut out in Somerset and Indiana counties since 1974. Shuster's new district encompasses all or part of 14 counties, mostly in central Pennsylvania. He came within a whisker of carrying Fayette County, losing to Henry 3,147 to 3,099 there. Even so, Chris Sepesy, Republican chairman in Fayette County, hailed Shuster's victory as a breakthrough that party leaders had long hoped to achieve. "Just the precedent," Sepesy said. "A great many people have been afraid to vote for a Republican. Now they'll see what a great job Shuster will do, and hopefully it will rub off on other Republican candidates." William Lloyd, former Democratic state representative from Somerset County, said the fact that Somerset County is not Shuster's home will help Democrats minimize the impact of his victory on politics in general there. Republicans hold a registration advantage in Somerset and regularly elect Republicans to other posts. The same is true for Indiana County. Fayette County, dominated by the Democratic Party since 1932, is where the impact of Shuster's victory may be felt longest and most deeply. "Maybe it's a good thing," said Fayette County Judge Steve Leskinen, a Democrat, after casting a ballot in North Union Township District 3. "It's the old saw: the Democrats don't need your vote, Republicans don't have a chance, so they don't try." Shuster's victory, restoring some measure of competitive balance, might help Democrats, too, Leskinen suggested. During the campaign, Shuster promised his support for infrastructure projects that would help southwestern Pennsylvania attract new jobs and industry. He gave his unqualified support to President Bush's war on terrorism, including a possible war against Iraq. Henry spent some $6,000 on his campaign. In interviews yesterday, many voters said they hadn't heard of either candidate.

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