Health care, pandemic among top priorities for candidates running to represent Centre County in Congress
Centre County’s congressional incumbents are looking to keep their seats for another term, but two challengers are looking for change.
Democrats Lee Griffin and Robert Williams are seeking to represent the 12th and 15th Congressional Districts. On Nov. 3, voters will choose between them and Republican incumbents Fred Keller and Glenn Thompson to represent their interests in Washington.
Here’s a look at who’s running for Congress:
12th Congressional District
Democrat Lee Griffin, a 37-year-old from Susquehanna County, will face incumbent Republican Fred Keller, who is seeking his first full term in Congress after winning a special election in May 2019.
The 12th District includes portions of Bradford, Centre, Clinton, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union and Wyoming counties.
Though the pandemic has made campaigning difficult, Griffin said he has visited every county in the district.
“I plan to be available and accessible to everyone,” Griffin said during a campaign stop earlier this month.
A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Griffin has a degree in philosophy. He also spent time abroad, teaching English in Taiwan, which is where he met his wife Gulshan, a Muslim immigrant. She is a major reason why Griffin decided to run for office.
“Over the last four years especially, we’ve seen a rationing of really disturbing, bigoted and anti-immigrant rhetoric coming out of the White House and now, Washington,” Griffin said. “As we think about raising our family and our future kids, I want this country to be a place where Gulshan feels welcome and our kids feel welcome, and they’re able to be treated with the same dignity and respect as everyone else.”
If elected, Griffin plans to address climate change, which has impacted the state’s economy, the agriculture industry and residents’ daily lives. He also wants to make health care more affordable, address issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, improve the criminal justice system and enhance education.
Keller has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, voting against impeachment and supporting airstrikes in Iraq. He serves on the House Oversight and Reform committee and the House Education and Labor committee. Prior to Congress, Keller served five terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and has a background in business management.
Keller, a 54-year-old from Snyder County, said he is running for reelection to ensure others have the same opportunities that he did.
“While I grew up poor, I refused to let others define me or label me,” he said. “Through hard work and education, I rose from working in a factory to running a $50 million-a-year manufacturing business.”
His experiences, he said, taught him the importance of hard work, education and business.
“Working in a factory, understanding what it means to sign the front of a check in my own small business, those are the values, I think, people want in government,” Keller said during a recent C-NET candidate interview. “And we want to make sure that we define our government and our government doesn’t define us.”
15th Congressional District
In seeking his seventh term in the House of Representatives, Republican Glenn “G.T.” Thompson has opposition from Democrat Robert Williams.
The 15th District includes Armstrong, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, McKean, Venango and Warren counties.
A minister, educator and emergency medical technician, Williams, 54, said he’s running for Congress so those living in the district “have someone to stand up for them,” he wrote in a statement. His top priorities include health care, infrastructure and supporting veterans.
He believes that health care is a human right and that everyone should have access to care while being able to make decisions about their own bodies. If elected, Williams said he will work to support veterans by raising the minimum pay of enlisted military members, vote against unnecessary military actions, improve transition programs and housing programs and work to ensure veterans have access to medical and wellness resources.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams suspended campaigning efforts and has not held public events.
“As a EMT, I will be out in the field, doing what I can to help contain and control this virus, and as a Christian, we must come together and pray for one another as we never have before,” he wrote on his website.
Thompson, 61, is a lifelong Centre County resident and has been the No. 1 speaker on the House floor for the past four years.
“As someone who came from humble roots, I have shared experience with many who find themselves struggling to make ends meet each and every day,” Thompson said.
During a candidate interview with C-NET, Thompson said he is running for reelection so he can continue to demonstrate leadership and serve constituents. An Eagle Scout, former school board member, volunteer firefighter and EMT, Thompson said his professional background and volunteer experience have made him acutely aware of the challenges people face in the 15th District.
“In serving the citizens of Centre County and 13 other counties within this congressional district, I’ve actually been very effective with my leadership — to a point where I’m also having a positive impact on the nation,” Thompson said.
He has also served as vice chairman of the Agriculture Committee and as chairman of the Subcommittee on Nutrition.
If reelected, Thompson said he will continue to advocate for the agriculture industry. His No. 1 priority is the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing the challenges caused by the coronavirus, he said.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 9:44 AM.
