Pennsylvania Congressional Races

The SHARP Network was just updated with all the candidates for Congress in Pennsylvania. Nice work everyone. Particular attention was paid to the hot races in PA with some notable updates…

Melissa Hart (PA-4)
4^th District rep from 2000-2006, was unseated by Jason Altmire, in a major upset.

Energy
Representative Hart supports domestic drilling for oil off the coastline, as well as in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She also supports developing other sources such as wind and coal.

Healthcare
Hart’s campaign website says that “a one size-fits-all health care system run by the government is not the answer” and that she “has supported innovative and practical solutions such as health savings accounts, opening the market for health insurance companies to provide more varied policy options for consumers, and limiting punitive damages in medial malpractice so good doctors are not driven out of practice.”

Katherine Dahlkemper (PA-3)
Energy
Dahlkemper says that the US needs to “develop technologies to insure domestic sources of ample, affordable, and clean energy.”

In the speech announcing her candidacy, Dahlkemper says that “Climate change is real, and its effects are now being seen and felt across the entire globe.” She continues, saying that she will work for legislation that “reduces our dependence on non-renewable resources, and leads to sustainability.” Dahlkemper believes that the US must fight climate change, and that “living a ‘green’ life can co-exist with business…” She says that she is running a carbon-neutral campaign.

Chris Hackett (PA-10)
Healthcare
Hackett supports a market-based approach to healthcare. He supports “allowing seniors purchase prescriptions from Canada or other Western countries with high safety standards where they sell the exact same drugs at half the price.”

Sam Bennett (PA-15)
Energy
Bennett says that she would enact a program for alternative energy development and commercialization. She wants to provide more tax incentives for hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles and require higher efficiency standards for all vehicles. She says that American petroleum use should be reduced by 20% by 2020.

Healthcare
Bennett supports universal health care. She says that current health care system is “too expensive, too bureaucratic, and leaves too many people uncovered.” She says that more resources should be spent on preventive and chronic care.

Steve O’Donnell (PA-18)
Energy
O’Donnell says that “America must attain energy independence from foreign oil as a matter of national security.” He also says that protecting the environment and addressing global warming is another reason to reduce reliance on foreign and domestic oil. He supports research and development incentives for alternative and renewable energies, including nuclear. He also supports increasing Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.