PA 10th candidates square off

Posted 8/21/12

PENNSYLVANIA 10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT — There are three candidates in the race for the 10th Congressional district in Pennsylvania this year. The candidate running as an independent was forced …

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PA 10th candidates square off

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PENNSYLVANIA 10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT — There are three candidates in the race for the 10th Congressional district in Pennsylvania this year. The candidate running as an independent was forced to collect three times as many signatures to get on the ballot as the candidates running for the two major political parties. In a wide-ranging interview, independent candidate Nick Troiano addressed that fact, campaign contributions and redistricting.

“If you ask yourself why is our Congress so polarized and partisan today, and so gridlocked, it’s because most members now come from safe districts on one side or the other, and the only challenge they fear is someone running to their ideological extreme. And so that dis-incentivizes any kind of cooperation and compromise between the parties. Our district is a key example. It’s 51% Republican, 36% Democrat.

“Tom Marino doesn’t worry about a Democrat in the race; he’s only worried about someone who is more conservative than him, and that’s how he votes and represents—or doesn’t represent—us.

“So it’s a state issue, and I think there ought to be reforms in place so that an independent commission—such as the one in California and some other states—has control over drawing district lines every decade, rather than the partisan state legislature.

“On top of that I think we need to open our primaries, so that people can vote for whomever they like, and I think we need to fix our ballot access laws. It took me three-and-a-half times more signatures to get on the ballot than either of my opponents because both parties try to stifle competition that way.

“If you’re a major party candidate 1,000 signatures are needed; I needed 2% of the last highest vote getter, which turned out to be 3,600. But if you only turn in 3,600 you’re going to get challenged and thrown off the ballot, so you have to collect roughly two times that. So we collected 7,053, which took us four months.

“I think our politicians today care much more about what their party thinks or their campaign contributors think than their constituents. So, I think the people need a voice in government again, and the contrast couldn’t be more clear.

“[Marino], since he was first elected, collected more than $900,000 in political action committee money. These are mostly corporate groups outside of our district. Over half of this money can be tied directly to industry groups that benefit from the legislation he’s introduced.

“A piece of legislation that I’m looking to support, called the American Anti-Corruption Act, would inhibit legislators from accepting contributions from industries they regulate. [Marino] sits on the subcommittee for intellectual property in the house. He’s accepted contributions from 34 companies that lobby on intellectual property issues.”

Response from Tom Marino

Tom Marino, a Republican, is running for another term. Ryan Barton, Marino’s campaign manager, issued this response.

“Tom has fought every day for the people of his district. He has consistently fought to keep taxes low, protect Social Security and Medicare, create jobs, and make sure veterans have access to services closer to home. The Washington gridlock starts and ends with Barack Obama and Harry Reid and his do-nothing Senate. There are 387 job-creating bills sitting on his desk today, one of which is his RAPID Act legislation, which could create thousands of jobs instantly.

“Tom is also proud of the hundreds of donors in the district who have volunteered for and contributed to his campaign. What Nick doesn’t tell you is that most of his campaign money comes from outside Pennsylvania; from millionaire liberals in New York and Washington DC, like Democrat special interest lobbyist Vic Fazio, who is working to make sure companies can avoid taxes. They are upset that Tom is standing up to their friends in the political royal-class like Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, whom Nick was so proud to vote for.

“Unlike Nick, the people of our district saw through the promise of ‘hope and change’ in 2008. They are not fooled by similar liberal promises from Nick in 2014.”

Response from Scott Brion

Scott Brion is running for the seat in the Democratic ticket. Chip Facka, the communications director for the campaign, provided this response.

“What we need in rural PA is a hard working, committed representative who knows and cares about rural Pennsylvania. Scott Brion is a small businessman that understands the role of U.S. Representative and its obligation to fight for the district and to the people who live here. Mr. Marino claims to fight for his district, but his record suggests he either does not understand the impact of legislation he supports or he is more interested in partisan ideology than the people in his own district. The facts are he has opposed tax cuts for working families while fighting tooth and nail to make tax cuts for himself and the wealthiest 1% of the 10th district permanent.

He has stated that he favors cutting Social Security benefits, and voted multiple times to end Medicare as we know it. His claim to be supporting job creation is not supported by his action to instigate the government shutdown and support sequester cuts resulting in the loss of jobs in his district. He has also harmed economic growth by refusing to support temporary increased infrastructure spending and supporting cuts to research and development funding. Mr. Marino is so focused on the partisan battle in Washington that it is clear he has forgotten what is truly important to his constituents.

While he applauds Mr. Troiano’s efforts to espouse reform in Pennsylvania electoral and federal campaign finance law, Brion believes the people of the 10th Congressional district deserve a representative that puts the interests of the district first. Replacing Mr. Marino’s partisan ideology with Mr. Troiano’s ideology on political science won’t improve lives in rural Pennsylvania. What we need is pragmatic leadership focused on the issues that impact our rural communities—jobs, education, veterans services and seniors programs. Scott Brion grew up on his family’s farm, part of the sixth generation to do so, and is 100% focused on solutions to the issues most important to the People of the 10th district.”

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