Election 2022: The race to represent the 44th Senatorial District

Oct. 17—Voters in the 44th Senatorial District will have a decision to make at the polls.

Democratic incumbent state Sen. Katie Muth and Republican challenger Jessica Florio are competing for the seat. The district includes Birdsboro and Union Township as well as parts of northern Chester County and parts of western Montgomery County.

State senators serve a four-year term and receive an annual salary of $95,432.

We asked the candidates to respond to four questions:

Democrat Katie Muth

Residence: Royersford, Montgomery County.

Age: 39.

Background: Muth was first elected to serve in 2018. Prior to being elected, Muth served as an adjunct professor of kinesiology at a local university while also practicing sports medicine. She got her start in politics as a volunteer in political campaigns before moving on to form and chair Indivisible Mid Montco.

Website: katiemuthforpasenate.com

Why should voters elect you and not your opponent?

Over the past 3.5 years in the Senate, I have taken on the status quo and fought to break up corruption, end pay-to-play politics and disrupt the influence of powerful corporate special interests. The state Senate in Pennsylvania has been controlled by a Republican majority for the past 28 years. During that time, we have seen corporations and special interests prioritized over the livelihoods of the people of the commonwealth.

Now, the same powerful special interests that I have taken on in Harrisburg are bankrolling my opponent, who has a history of aligning herself with extremist groups and ideologies that serve to maintain the same status quo that I have fought to disrupt.

State government needs more public servants like me who aren't beholden to a party or ideology, but instead are fighting for a transparent, people-centered government. I don't accept a dime of special interest, corporate PAC or lobbyist money, so you can trust that my votes in the Senate are always focused on what's in the best interest of local residents and our communities.

Assuming your victory, choose a single issue you would prioritize in the coming term — name it and describe what you want to accomplish.

It's hard to pinpoint just one issue to prioritize since there is a lot to be done to get Harrisburg back on track, but one of the issues that I have championed during my time in the Senate is the fight for clean air and water by demanding accountability for corporate polluters. Pennsylvania is home to an extraordinary amount of legacy pollution that has impacted our constitutional right to clean air and pure water. I have spoken to impacted residents of all parties and what you find is that nobody wants to drink water that isn't clean, or live in a community where they have their health impacted due to polluted air.

I have introduced legislation to repeal the 30-year-old exemption from testing hazardous waste for the gas and oil industry and update the Solid Waste Management Act to hold the oil and gas industry to the same waste regulations as other industries and would keep harmful radioactive toxins out of Pennsylvania's air, groundwater, waterways and drinking water supplies across the state. Right here in the 44th District, I have been a leading voice in the fight to hold Sunoco/Energy Transfer Partners accountable for spilling over 20,000 gallons of drilling industrial waste into Marsh Creek Lake to make sure that taxpayers do not have to front the bill for negligent operators.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade now leaves the decision about how to regulate abortions up to individual states. Describe the abortion legislation that you would like to see enacted in Pennsylvania?

The Republican majority in the state Senate has already initiated a process to amend the state constitution to ban abortion, which is just the start of their plan to strip away reproductive health care from millions of women and criminalize abortion, even in the most extreme circumstance where rape, incest or the life of the mother is at risk.

As the chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, I have hosted policy committee hearings across the commonwealth on the future of women's health care in Pennsylvania following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned the protections offered by Roe v. Wade. The hearings served as a forum to discuss that abortion care is currently still legal in Pennsylvania, as well as the future of reproductive healthcare in our commonwealth.

I am currently working on legislation to expand access by removing barriers within existing state law to ensure access and timely reproductive health care across the state. While abortion is still safe and legal in Pennsylvania, our fight is only just beginning, but I am ready to stand up for my rights and yours.

Pennsylvania, like the rest of the nation, is suffering through a period of severe inflation. What specific steps do you believe need to be taken to address this issue?

Working people and families across Pennsylvania are facing rising prices everywhere from the gas pump to the grocery store shelves. I introduced legislation along with my colleague Sen. Lindsey Williams to address the roots of the economic challenges facing our families today: protecting our small businesses and stopping price gouging.

Pennsylvanians are feeling the burn of the rigged economy that only benefits wealthy corporations and corporate special interests. We must demand that the majority party takes urgent action to pass meaningful legislation that stops powerful entities like utility companies and energy providers from price gouging; breaks up corporate monopolies to ensure a fair and open market; and ends the exploitation of workers and consumers. The bills that I have introduced offer permanent solutions to ensure economic fairness and protections for workers and consumers.

Republican Jessica Florio

Residence: Honey Brook, Chester County.

Age: 46.

Background: Florio serves as president of Honey Brook Borough Council, chairwoman of the Route 322 Transportation Committee and previously served as president of the Honey Brook Community Library Board of Trustees. She has also worked as a special education teacher for 12 years.

Website: jessicaflorio.com

Why should voters elect you and not your opponent?

Having spoken to voters across Chester, Montgomery and Berks counties during my campaign, one constant theme I have heard is how citizens are fed up and tired of far-left progressive positions that have led to the worst inflation in 40 years and a looming recession that may be the worst in history, community-crippling crime and partisanship that has prevented government from responding to their constituents. They are also tired of the constant bickering and tribalism that plague our government. That is why I have earned the support of business, labor and law enforcement.

We need a proven leader who knows how to work with a wide variety of perspectives and fix the problems that are plaguing our families and businesses.

Assuming your victory, choose a single issue you would prioritize in the coming term — name it and describe what you want to accomplish.

Education.

I am passionate about educating our children, and as your state senator I will go to work every day fighting for a quality education for all Pennsylvania children. As a teacher and mom, I have seen firsthand how a quality education can dramatically improve the lives of our children, improve our economy and create strong families.

Pennsylvania students face severe inequality among public school districts. Too many of our children are trapped in failing schools, lacking the resources for a private school education that may serve them better. While I want our public schools to be adequately funded, I also will empower families with the option to choose what is best for their children inside and outside their ZIP code-assigned district schools. I will support and will advocate for charter schools, tax credit scholarships, education savings accounts, homeschooling and other types of educational choice.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade now leaves the decision about how to regulate abortions up to individual states. Describe the abortion legislation that you would like to see enacted in Pennsylvania?

When the Supreme Court decision sent abortion back to the states, the limitations in Pennsylvania stayed at 24 weeks — far less restrictive than the 15-week limitations with exceptions seen in most of Europe.

This is an issue that has been debated across cultures and civilizations for millennia; however, one thing is absolutely clear. It is of the utmost importance that during our discussions we protect and respect the choice of women in the case of rape, incest, health and safety of the mother.

Pennsylvania, like the rest of the nation, is suffering through a period of severe inflation. What specific steps do you believe need to be taken to address this issue?

Inflation is hitting everyone in the pocketbook. Over the summer residents of the 44th District started to get their oil tanks filled for the upcoming winter and the price has doubled from last summer. One solution is energy. OPEC is currently cutting oil production and increasing worldwide oil prices.

Pennsylvania has a chance to be the leader in natural gas. We can promote and support the extraction of the abundance of natural gas that literally lies beneath the feet of Pennsylvanians. By doing so we can lower rapidly rising utility bills, create good jobs with proximity to a cheap and reliable source of energy and protect the economy with a cleaner energy source that has reduced our carbon emissions by 34%.

We also need to control the rate of spending and return tax dollars to the taxpayer. The role of your state senator will be to know how to support workers and businesses that help the community and create family sustaining jobs. Not spend your money or declare war on entire industries to keep them from community investment.