On Nov. 5, Somerset County voters will choose who will represent them for the next four years in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 13th and 14th Districts of Pennsylvania.
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In the 13th Congressional District, incumbent U.S. Rep. John Joyce, a Republican from Altoona, is being challenged by Adams County resident Beth Farnham, a Democrat. The 13th Congressional District includes Conemaugh Township No. 2 in Somerset County, all of Cambria, Blair, Bedford, Huntingdon, Fulton, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Franklin and Adams counties and part of Cumberland County.
The remainder of Somerset County is part of the 14th Congressional District, represented by incumbent U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, a Republican from the Pittsburgh area. He is running for a fourth term in Congress against Indiana County native Chris Dziados, a Democrat. According to Ballotpedia, Westmoreland County resident Adam Halfhill, an independent, has withdrawn from the 14th District race and will not be listed on the general election ballot.
The Daily American asked each of the four candidates to respond to this question: What do you believe is the best way to improve the economic health of Somerset County and the 13th or 14th Congressional District of Pennsylvania?
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13th District candidates
Rep. John Joyce did not respond, despite several requests for comment by our deadline. Joyce, 67, has held the 13th District seat since 2019; he is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and serves as vice chairman of the House GOP Doctors Caucus. He and his wife, Alice Plummer Joyce, are licensed dermatologists and have practiced in the central Pennsylvania area for over 25 years.
According to his Congressional website, his priorities are legislation for affordable healthcare in rural communities, lowering energy costs and expanding access to high-speed internet.
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Beth Farnham replied to our question with this comment:
'The keys to stimulating an enduring economic recovery for not only Somerset County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but also the United States of America for which I will be voting as a Representative in U.S. Congress, are fighting high prices from greedy corporations and granting tax cuts to the middle class, not the ultra-wealthy.
"Despite inflation’s decline since its high in 2022, many corporations have substantially increased their prices for the goods and services they offer. This unethical practice is known as “greedflation” and it impacts most negatively working families and retirees on fixed incomes. Our government must encourage corporations to correct their pricing through legislation like the Price Gouging Prevention Act. I would support this bill,https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3803/text,that would authorize the Federal Trade Commission to enforce a ban against excessive price increases from major corporations, yet defend small businesses that raise prices in good faith to earn a profit.
"While small businesses in Somerset County and other parts of Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional district that earn less than $100 million would be protected from litigation for raising prices legitimately, large corporations earning over $100 million that have exploited the pandemic to increase profits would be targeted and thus correct their pricing.
"I would also extend tax cuts for the middle class like the Child Tax Credit from the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (Rep. John Joyce voted against this act) that allowed filers to claim$3,000 per child,and I would extend the 2017 tax cuts for individual Americans making less than $400,000 a year."
14th District candidates
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler sent this response through campaign staff member Jordan Cox:
"Lowering costs for everyday Pennsylvanians and supporting the 130,000 union workers in our state’s oil and gas industry would pull our communities out of despair and put them back on the right track. But under the current administration, Vice President Harris happily endorsed an agenda which raised prices by 20 percent and destroyed American energy. Now, she wants our families to forget about her shared destruction and sign on for another four years of incompetence. Our commonwealth deserves a commander-in-chief who will put Pennsylvania first. President Trump has done it before – and he’ll do it again."
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Chris Dziados did not respond to our request for comment. He is 44 and a United High School graduate. He attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania on a ROTC scholarship and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's in political science.
Dziados served two tours of duty in Iraq as an Army officer, then worked at the Pentagon on military space systems. He also co-led the creation of the U.S. Space Command, which consolidated all of the military's space operations into one agency. Dziados retired as a major in the U.S. Army.
His campaign website lists his congressional priorities to be healthcare, national security, jobs, veterans, education and training, seniors, technology and innovation.