Election 2022: The race to represent the 6th Congressional District

Oct. 3—Voters in the 6th Congressional District have a choice at the polls.

Democratic incumbent Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and Republican challenger Guy Ciarrocchi are competing for the U.S. House seat. The district includes all of Chester County and parts of Berks County, including Reading.

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 Chrissy Houlahan

Residence: Easttown Township, Chester County.

Age: 55.

Background: Houlahan was first elected to serve in Congress in 2018. She previously served as an Air Force officer, was a businesswoman and engineer, had taught chemistry with Teach For America and served as an executive for a nonprofit literacy organization.

Website: chrissyhoulahanforcongress.com

Why should voters elect you and not your opponent?

Families in Berks and Chester counties deserve leaders who uphold our values, bring us together and prioritize service above all. I strive to be that for you.

Throughout my life, I have sought to serve, gaining experiences that allow me to work with Republicans and Democrats to make things better for our community. I'm a third-generation veteran who served in the Air Force; a businesswoman who helped build a multinational company based in southeastern Pennsylvania; an engineer trained in supply-chain management; a teacher; and a proud mom.

Now in Congress, I've worked to improve public schools, expand paid parental leave and lower costs. I've fought to keep communities safe, passing gun-safety legislation and delivering funding to local police departments. I'm the only recent congressperson to maintain a full-time office in Reading. I've been recognized for accessibility and the best constituent services by the nonpartisan Congressional Management Foundation, for bipartisanship by the nonpartisan Lugar Center and for partnership with groups like the Farm Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce.

I ask for your vote, because I'll continue to listen to and deliver for you. You can trust me to continue to combat inflation, ensure world-class education and secure our safety and freedoms, all while being present and responsive to your needs.

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

There are many priorities I will continue to fight for, all rooted in serving our community. Among them are protecting the right to choose, preventing gun violence, helping small businesses thrive and improving education. While making progress on these, I will also prioritize one key challenge impacting us all: inflation.

As a businessperson who studied supply chains, I've been a leader in Congress fighting to lower prices. I helped write the plan Forbes Magazine calls "the best inflation fighting blueprint to come of Congress, yet." It lays out specific steps to fix supply chains, strengthen our workforce and accelerate energy production, all to lower costs felt by families.

We've already made progress. First, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass the CHIPS Act to bring home the manufacturing of computer chips, which will lower costs, create jobs and decrease dependence on China. Then, I helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which will reduce the price of many household items like prescription drugs and utilities, without increasing the deficit.

Still, there's much work to do. I'm eager to further improve our workforce, address supply chain issues, and lower energy costs — all so that it is easier and cheaper to live here in southeastern Pennsylvania.

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?

The overturning of Roe marked a devastating turning point for our country. Tens of millions of American women became less free, and their health care became less secure. It breaks my heart that, now, my daughters have fewer rights than I had at their age.

Traveling throughout our community, I hear from constituents — women and men; Democrats, Republicans and independents — who fear what it would mean for Pennsylvania women to lose the ability to make their own reproductive health care decisions. They worry about Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for governor, who wants to ban abortion without exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. They hear about my opponent, who's expressed his desire to make it so that 'abortion is no longer an option' in Pennsylvania, and who wants to allow politicians like Mastriano to ban abortion.

Determining under what circumstances to carry a pregnancy to term is deeply personal. The choice should be made by a woman, her family, her faith and her doctor, not by politicians in Harrisburg or Washington. I will continue to fight to pass a law that makes Roe v. Wade the law of the nation.

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?

As a third-generation veteran and daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I cherish our democracy. I have served to protect it. Like so many, I am troubled by its current fragile state and am working to strengthen it.

To start, we must acknowledge the truth: The 2020 election was free, fair and secure. The results were repeatedly verified by dozens of courts — by a mix of nonpartisan, Republican, Democratic, state and federal judges. They are broadly reaffirmed by election and legal experts of both parties, including Republicans like Bill Barr, Karl Rove and Pat Toomey.

To restore confidence, we must elect leaders who unequivocally state the truth about the 2020 election. Those unwilling to do so will continue to divide us and put our democracy at risk.

We should also make casting a ballot easier for eligible voters and streamline reporting. Access has improved with mail-in voting, drop boxes and more polling places, gains we must protect. We should also improve transparency by having counties count mail-in ballots sooner, allowing for speedier reporting and removing any misperception that votes were 'hidden.'

More broadly, we must make government more responsive to the people, so in Congress, I have led efforts to end gerrymandering and minimize the power of money in politics.

Republican Guy Ciarrocchi

Residence: Tredyffrin, Chester County.

Age: 58.

Background: Ciarrocchi previously served as president and CEO of the Chester County Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as a top official in former Gov. Tom Corbett's administration, as the director of public affairs for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and as a township supervisor.

Website: OurGuyForCongress.com

Why should voters elect you and not your opponent?

Everything is spinning out of control. Inflation is robbing our paychecks — and, getting worse. Violent crime is rising. Our students' test scores are falling and they're being used as pawns to advance ideologies rather than their math, science and reading skills.

Congresswoman Houlahan has been a 100% rubber stamp for every spending bill and mandate; slowing-down our energy supply; and 'defunding the police.' She sided with the teachers union over our students, and our children are paying the price.

Houlahan's consultant-driven 'image' do not match up with her voting record. She picked party loyalty over our priorities. We needed her to be loyal to our needs, not Biden and Pelosi's agenda.

As a chamber president, prosecutor and education-reform advocate, I've been focused on getting results. My approach of conservative common sense is what's needed — less spending; energy independence; no more mandates; aggressively fighting crime; and supporting parents' rights in education.

This election is a referendum on our kids, crime and the economy. If you feel things are good as is, vote for her. However, if you know that things are bad, but, believe that they can be fixed by using commonsense, I'm the Guy for the job.

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

America must become energy independent. We can be, for centuries. Pennsylvania has more BTUs in natural gas than Saudi Arabia does in oil. We can improve our quality of life, beat back inflation and increase our national security.

Rising energy costs have drastically driven up inflation. Lower energy costs will reduce the cost of food — and our family budgets. Low-cost energy would boost American manufacturing — creating jobs and lessening our dependence on enemies for supplies.

Natural gas warms our homes and powers electric plants (electricity doesn't come from the wall) and makes fertilizer for our farmers and helps build solar panels and windmills for 'greener' energy.

The politicians have created a false choice: 'clean' versus 'dirty' energy. The reality is that our oil is refined cleaner than in Venezuela, Russia or Saudi Arabia. And, our natural gas has improved the air quality in Pennsylvania.

If we can safely and smartly become energy independent, we will beat back inflation, grow our economy and improve our national security — as we will not need to be dependent on our enemies and dictators for our nation's energy.

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?

The most important issues facing our community are: inflation that is stealing from our paychecks and savings; rising violent crime; and our children's sinking test scores. The next Congress must acknowledge that these are the issues we talk about at our kitchen tables — and then, focus on fixing them.

When it comes to the contentious issue of abortion, the Dobbs decision allows each state to debate, discuss and pass legislation that reflects the consensus in its community. Here in Pennsylvania, we should not be governed on cultural issues by Congress, California or Mississippi.

There were 31,000 abortions in Pennsylvania. I would hope that people of good will would work with state legislators on policies and support networks that would reduce that number. Sadly, I believe if Congresswoman Houlahan had her way, the number of abortions would go higher, not lower.

As a citizen in Pennsylvania, I look forward to finding common ground in our state to reduce the number of abortions, as very few think there should be late-term abortions when a baby is viable.

As our member of Congress, I'll be focused on our kids, crime and the economy — what we all talk about at our kitchen tables.

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?

Our elections must operate on three principles: easy to vote; impossible to cheat; results we can trust. Some have so focused on point one that they have damaged the other important principles.

Americans comply with laws — in part — because we respect the lawful authority of government, even when we disagree with a specific law. If that trust is undermined, our very foundation becomes unstable.

The good news is that there are ways to instill trust. States must enact — and counties and courts should follow — laws that include: instituting voter ID (supported by over 70% of voters); clarifying the rules on absentee/mail-in voting; ensuring that all ballot collection and counting is done transparently; and not changing the rules after voting begins (as was done in Pennsylvania in 2020).

What we do not need is a federal law to manage our local elections. Congresswoman Houlahan voted for legislation that would nationalize elections that would impact school board and township races. We do not need Washington managing these elections.

I will be an active citizen-voice urging fair, transparent rules in Pennsylvania — and Berks and Chester counties, advocating three principles: easy to vote, impossible to cheat and results we can trust.