Local activist seeks to challenge Rep. Thompson in 2018

Marc Friedenberg, a local activist and co-founder of PA5 Truth and Action, announced on Monday his candidacy for Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District in 2018.

“We need to do a better job of helping businesses reach the many smart, hard-working people throughout our district,” Friedenberg, who plans to seek the Democratic nomination, said in a press release. “We have outstanding universities, natural resources and communities across central and western Pennsylvania, but the opportunity to succeed economically has been concentrated in just a few small areas, with many of us left behind.

“I want everybody in the 5th Congressional District to have equal opportunities to get a job, to get an education and to receive outstanding health care. We need to make sure residents are given the chance to succeed.”

He’s a lecturer in Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology.

Friedenberg graduated from Penn State with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in information sciences and technology and received a law degree from Columbia Law School, according to the release.

He’s been active in local politics, calling on incumbent U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, to hold town halls with his constituents and listen to their concerns about health care and other issues.

Friedenberg plans to kick off a listening tour throughout the district on Dec. 9 in Franklin.

Thompson has served in Congress since 2009. The 5th Congressional District is the largest in Pennsylvania — stretching from Erie to south of Huntingdon and encompassing all or part of 16 counties.

In 2014 and 2016, Thompson defeated Democratic challenger Kerith Strano Taylor.

This story was originally published September 18, 2017 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Local activist seeks to challenge Rep. Thompson in 2018."