Election 2022: The race to represent the 4th Congressional District

Oct. 10—Voters in the 4th Congressional District have a choice at the polls.

Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean and Republican challenger Christian Nascimento are competing for the seat. The district includes parts of Montgomery County and all of the central, eastern and northeastern parts of Berks County.

U.S. representatives serve a two-year term and receive an annual salary of $174,000.

We asked the candidates to respond to four questions:

Democrat Madeleine Dean

Residence: Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County.

Age: 63.

Background: Dean was first elected to the post in 2018. She previously served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and was an Abington Township commissioner and practiced law at a small firm.

Website: mad4pa.com

Why should voters elect you and not your opponent?

I've been darn lucky to serve Montgomery and Berks counties since 2019 — and in those four years my team and I have been deeply focused on helping others while fighting for the priorities of the people of both Montgomery and Berks counties in Washington, D.C.

During these last two years, we've worked to tackle the challenges of the pandemic, lifted up American families, our main streets and the hard-working residents of Montgomery and Berks counties while passing the largest investment in our roads, bridges and public transportation since the 1950s combined with the largest investment in our climate in American history.

In addition, my staff and I work tirelessly to bring dollars to our region. To date we've brought $20 million in funds for Montgomery and Berks counties' projects and $242 million to businesses and families in the region. Service is deeply personal to me, and I'd like to build on the many things we've done for Montgomery and Berks counties. It has been a challenging couple of years for all of us — yet we've come out with a renewed dedication to community. I'd like to continue helping this region reach its incredible potential.

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

All this work is about our future — about our children. So, the singular issue for me is our children. How we educate, nurture and love our children dictates not just their futures, but our own. So, my upcoming term, like previous terms, will be about them — how we educate them, how we care for them and the planet we leave behind.

We do that by making universal pre-K a reality. It would be a big relief to the 70% of parents in this district that work full time. And make paid family leave a reality as well so parents have the time to care for their child before they start child care or pre-K.

Lastly, we are sure we leave behind a habitable planet that will nourish them. If I ever have to choose a singular issue — it is our children.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade now leaves the decision about how to regulate abortions up to individual states, which creates a patchwork of rules across the nation. Do you believe there should be a national abortion law? If no, why not. If yes, explain what that law would do?

Yes, there should be a national abortion law. Access to abortion and the right to control one's body and life is a fundamental human right, and we need a national abortion law to codify this right.

It is a sad reality that we must have this fight again — choice and privacy and fullness of rights for women and girls is at stake. But let us not be fooled, this is not about pro-life or pro-choice, this is about control. I think of my three daughters-in-law and my three granddaughters — how is it possible that they have been relegated to second-class citizen status following the Dobbs decision.

To protect equitable health access for women, I have twice voted for the Women's Health Protection Act, which would establish a statutory right for health care providers to provide, and patients to receive, abortion services as well as prohibit states from imposing restrictions on abortion care.

This must be a national law. Women have a right to control their bodies — and that is a right that must not be bound by state lines.

A recent Franklin & Marshall College poll found a significant portion of Pennsylvania voters lack confidence that voters were counted correctly in the state in the 2020 presidential election. What would you do to restore voter confidence in the system?

First and foremost, we must stop perpetuating the big lie that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Countless investigations have failed to uncover meaningful attempts at fraud and have instead shown that our rigorous election process is safe and secure.

What we should focus on is protecting our voting rights. That includes passing the voter protection laws like:

—H.R. 1 — The For the People Act, which would establish national standards for vote by mail, guarantee same day voter registration, expand transparency requirements for super PACs to get "dark money" out of politics.

—H.R. 4 — The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would reinstate provisions on the Voting Rights Act, requires public notice for any changes made to voting laws and provides oversight by the Department of Justice for voting right reforms.

Voting is our nation's most precious right and responsibility. We must ensure that it is fair, equitable and accessible — that is a founding principle of our nation and must be the lens through which we look to protect our elections.

Republican Christian Nascimento

Residence: Norristown, Montgomery County.

Age: 47.

Background: Nascimento is vice president of product management and strategy for Comcast. He received a degree in accounting from Widener University and a master's degree in business from Villanova University. He has also served on the boards of nonprofit organizations and private businesses, was elected to the Methacton School District and has spoken frequently about cybersecurity at various industry events.

Website: cn4pa.com

Why should voters elect you and not your opponent?

Massive government spending and overreach, which my opponent has fully supported, is not working. We need new leadership and fresh ideas in Washington, and we especially need a Congress that will hold the Biden administration accountable. Our system of government needs checks and balances, and when our member of Congress votes 100% of the time with Biden's policies, she is not representing her district, she is acting as a rubber stamp for woke ideology.

My experience as a businessman, a school board president and a community leader has given me the tools and perspectives that are required to build consensus and address the important issues that are facing our nation today.

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

The economy and inflation should be the top issue on the mind of any elected official because it is the issue that is affecting everyone — especially those that can least afford it. As a member of Congress, I will push for fiscal responsibility in each and every bill that is considered. We ought to make sure that the market is addressing the needs of the country before the federal government steps in. We can achieve this via a pro-growth agenda, including passing legislation that increases the research and development tax credits, reduces the regulatory burden on small businesses and increases domestic energy production while investing in alternative fuels.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade now leaves the decision about how to regulate abortions up to individual states, which creates a patchwork of rules across the nation. Do you believe there should be a national abortion law? If no, why not. If yes, explain what that law would do?

I believe that this is an issue best left to the states because when we are dealing with issues as complicated and controversial as this it is better to have more voices involved versus federal government mandates from on high. This is an issue best left to the voters in the individual states.

A recent Franklin & Marshall College poll found a significant portion of Pennsylvania voters lack confidence that voters were counted correctly in the state in the 2020 presidential election. What would you do to restore voter confidence in the system?

The lack of confidence in our elections is a problem, and one that has been exacerbated by the way that Pennsylvania has handled mail-in voting. Elections are a state issue, and I don't believe in the federalization of elections.

I would support commonsense reforms, including a federal voter ID law that mandates showing a form of identification in order to vote. We have proven that we can make forms of ID available easily, so this can be done without disenfranchising any group. If we require an ID to board an airplane or enter a federal government building, we ought to require one for something as important to the country as casting a ballot.