On November 8, all eyes will be on Pennsylvania voters. Whether it regards the U.S Senate, the Pennsylvania Governorship, or other statewide races, all are ensured to draw attention in this year’s highly contested midterms. To help better inform voters, the Red and White has developed a Centre County voter’s guide to the 2022 Midterm elections.  

Please Note: nearly all information regarding the candidates’ positions was obtained directly from their website. If websites did not contain information about a particular issue, then interviews and social media were used.

U.S. Senate Election:

1. John Fetterman (D)
   1. Immigration: Modernize the VISA and asylum systems and create citizenship pathways for frontline workers, small business owners, and young people.
   2. LGBTQ Rights: Pass the Equality Act, end conversion therapy, and strengthen anti-harrasment policies. 
   3. Abortion: Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to guarantee safe and legal abortion and repeal the Hyde Amendment.
   4. Economic Policy: Increase grant and loan opportunities for farmers of color and invest in rural broadband internet access.
   5. Environmental: Suspend federal gas tax, use American oil and energy, transition to clean energy as quickly as possible while preserving current amount of energy.

1. Mehmet Oz (R)
   1. Immigration: Secure the southern border with a physical or technological border. 
   2. LGBTQ Rights: Agrees that same-sex marriage couples have the same freedom to get married, however he supports conversion therapy and is against trans women participating in girls’ sports. 
   3. Abortion: 100% pro-life and feels every life is precious.
   4. Economic Policy: Restore America’s economy by bringing back American jobs and make things in the U.S.
   5. Environmental: Overturn heavy regulations hurting PA natural gas and coal production to increase U.S. position in energy production.

PA Governor Election:

1. Doug Mastriano (R)
   1. LGBTQ+ Rights: Supporter of traditional marriage and believes it is “disgusting” to discourage conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth.
   2. Abortion: Pro-life activist, supports the “Heartbeat bill” which would make abortions illegal once a heartbeat is detected, and wants to defund Planned Parenthood.
   3. Economic Policy: Intends to cut over 50,000 PA regulations on industries, lower the corporate net income tax and the gas tax, and minimize reckless spending in the PA budget. 
   4. Environmental: Wants to encourage investments in natural gas and coal industries and lift unreasonable regulations, taxes, and fees on these industries. Also intends to pull out of the “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.”

1. Josh Shapiro (D)
   1. LGBTQ+ Rights: He is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and will fight for equality, claiming that he will push for legislation that bans discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in PA.
   2. Abortion: Believes abortion is healthcare and will defend access to reproductive rights. He declares that as governor, he will veto any legislation that attempts to limit reproductive rights. 
   3. Economic Policy: Wants to cut the business tax rate and make it easier for businesses to secure permits and access applications, all while cutting carbon emissions.
   4. Environmental: Will invest in clean energy promoting solar projects and increase access to renewable energy. Has the goal of having 30% of PA’s energy be from renewable resources by 2030. 

U.S. House Pennsylvania District 15 Election:

1. Glenn Thompson (R)
   1. Immigration: Voted against allowing immigrants under the DACA program to join the military, however he was in favor of expanding the high-skilled visa caps
   2. LGBTQ+ Rights: Is not opposed to gay marriage, however has voted down bills that have attempted to implement protections against discrimination. He has an unclear stance regarding other issues pertaining to the LGBTQ+ community.
   3. Abortion: Adamant pro-life supporter, who was in favor of the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. 
   4. Economic Policy: Engages significantly in agricultural efforts, supports initiatives for rural development, and desires to create safety nets for dairy farmers.
   5. Environmental: Prioritizes affordable energy by increasing the domestic production of fossil fuels, but also encourages funding regarding research for renewable energy.

1. Michael Molesevich (D)
   1. Immigration: Supports strong and effective border enforcement and is a proponent of paving away for citizenship for “dreamer” immigrants
   2. LGBTQ Rights: No information available.
   3. Abortion: Pro-choice advocate who would codify Roe v. Wade into law and is outraged by the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
   4. Economic Policy: Supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hr and wants to improve and expand the Small Business Administration which focus on supporting minority owned businesses.
   5. Environment: Advocate for investing into jobs that pertain to renewable energy, wanting to achieve a net-zero carbon emissions by 2050

Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 82 Election:

1. Justin Behrens (R)
   1. LGBTQ Rights: No information available.
   2. Abortion: No information available.
   3. Economic Policy: Plans to provide relief from tax hikes and inflation by incentivizing the youth to stay and grow families in the area. Desires to increase funding to education and trade schools. Moreover, he wants to reinvigorate our agriculture industry.
   4. Environmental: No information available.

1. Paul Takac (D)
   1. LGBTQ Rights: Strong advocate of LGBTQ+ rights, supporting any legislation that attempts to prohibit discrimination against these individuals.
   2. Abortion: Pro-choice advocate, who opposes the recent Supreme Court overruling of Roe v. Wade, and believes that this issue should stay between a woman and her doctor.
   3. Economic Policy: Supports raising the minimum wage to $15/hr and believes the government should focus on investing in PA’s infrastructure. 
   4. Environmental: Declares climate change is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed by shifting our energy to renewable resources while maintaining job stability. 

Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 171 Election:

1. Kerry Benninghoff (R)
   1. LGBTQ Rights: No information available
   2. Abortion: Believes that the public shall not fund abortion.
   3. Economic Policy: Believes taxes should be low and that government waste shall be decreased.
   4. Environmental: No information available.

1. Robert Zeigler (D)
   1. LGBTQ Rights: No information available.
   2. Abortion: Supports an individual’s right to choose healthcare options that are best for them without limiting their rights
   3. Economic Policy: He will vote to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, establish paid family leave, and enact fair housing reform to end unfair housing practices.
   4. Environmental: He believes that without immediate action, the Earth faces a future of extreme weather and political upheaval, resulting in us needing to act now in order to change that.