The Republican candidates campaigning for the position of representative of Pennsylvania’s 13th U.S. Congressional District, the seat currently held by Democrat Allyson Schwartz, said in interviews this week they believe Washington, D.C., is operating in a way that does no favors for the people.
“We have a government that’s bloated and out of control,” Josh Quinter of Harleysville said. “The people in this district and Americans in general are looking for accountability. They don’t have it and they want it and that’s what I’m prepared to go down there and give them.”
“I’m running because I just see Washington heading in the wrong direction,” said Dee Adcock, citing “out of control spending,” increased taxes and entitlement spending as hurting the economy. “I was at a point in my life where I could step up and do something about it and I’ve chosen to follow through on that,” said the Abington resident and owner of a regional pool company, Adcock Pool Supplies.
Adcock is endorsed by the Montgomery County Republican Committee.
Brian Haughton, a Philadelphia firefighter and pub owner born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia, said common sense has left the Capitol. “I’m running because I think Washington is just completely broken.
“They have no attachment to the people they represent.”
Haughton has been endorsed by the Philadelphia Republican City Committee.
Schwartz “doesn’t have much of a relationship with her constituents,” Haughton added. “I know this because I have been one of her constituents since she’s been in Congress.”
If elected, the self-proclaimed aggressive candidate and father of two said he would work on behalf of small business owners “crushed” by taxes, repealing the national health care reform bill and securing the country’s borders, such as in Arizona, he said.
Haughton owns the SmokeEaters pub in Northeast Philadelphia, which he bought in 2006. In recent years, his real estate taxes doubled, he said.
“When you’re taking thousands and thousands a year it starts to beat down the small business owner,” he said.
Washington is spending irresponsibly, he said, citing the closing of seven fire houses in the city despite the passing of the stimulus package.
“It broke down to incredible overspending from a city, state and federal standpoint,” he said.
Although he’s a Philadelphia native, Haughton said he’s frequently with family in Montgomery County, particularly Plymouth Meeting, Jenkintown, Abington and Lafayette Hill.
Adcock, the father of three children in their 20s, grew up in Huntingdon Valley and is a graduate of Lower Moreland High School. He emphasizes fixing the economy with consideration of small business and job creation.
“I know what it takes to be successful as a small businessman,” he said. “Small business is where we need to revive the economy. They produce the vast majority of jobs.”
As the owner of a pool company with seven locations, he is coming off a year when he experienced difficulty making ends meet.
The health care reform bill, which he opposes, presents uncertainties in cost to the small businessman, he said.
“Naturally, I’m not inclined to hire new people right now,” he said.
Adcock supports dredging the Delaware River between 5 to 10 feet, which would allow larger ships to pass through and increase commerce in the state, he said. He is also a strong advocate for producing natural gas from the Marcellus shale and investing in the infrastructure to make the clean fuel more available.
“It’s a clean technology that can work right now. It’s about 90 to 95 percent domestically produced,” he said.
Quinter, a partner at law firm Kaplin, Stewart, Meloff, Reiter & Stein in Blue Bell, said he feels most passionately about issues regarding health care, the economy and national security, the big three that have been expressed to him the most by people in the district.
“I want to get down there, roll my sleeves up and get some things done,” he said. “I have very serious concerns about the way our country is going and the leadership in this district.”
If elected, Quinter, the father of two young children, pledges to repeal the health care reform bill.
“I will do anything in my power when I get there to do that,” he said.
National security is a priority because if the country isn’t safe, health care and the economy won’t matter, he said.
Keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran must be the country’s top priority, he said, due its obligation to protect Israel and to prevent Iran from becoming a “nuclear umbrella” of terrorism proliferation.
He said he is the one Republican candidate who can beat Schwartz in the fall because he’s younger — 35 years old — has more energy and is a more articulate speaker, he said.
“I have the abilities to articulate the issues that the other candidates in this race do not,” he said. “You have to get to know the people and take the measure of the man. I encourage people to get out and meet all three and make an informed decision.”
The candidates will square off in a debate May 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Village Caterers, 969 Bethlehem Pike, Montgomeryville.
The winner of the primary election May 18 will run against Schwartz in the fall. Schwartz, a three-term congresswoman, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
