Butler County Democratic Committee introduces three prospective candidates
The Butler County Democratic Committee hosted an event Saturday afternoon, Jan. 31, to introduce three candidates for office. It intends to support all three in bids for state and national office in this year’s upcoming midterm elections.
The candidates are Jason Wagner, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 16th District; Brandon Dukes, a Cranberry Township man running for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 12th District; and Rick Telesz, of Volant, Lawrence County, who is running for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 8th District.
Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, a member of the county Democratic committee, spoke at the candidate forum urging attendees to raise funds and campaign for the candidates.
He said interest in Democratic candidates has been growing in recent years and cited controversial actions taken by the federal government over the past year
“You’ve seen more Democratic signs in Butler County than I’ve seen in 10 years of being in office,” Boozel said. “Today, you’re going to see it, it’s going to be the turnover.”
Dukes spoke first at the forum. Last year, he ran for a seat on the Cranberry Township Board of Supervisors, which he lost by 1.2% of the vote. He said that narrow margin bodes well for future runs at office, however.
“Cranberry Township, being the population anchor of not just the district, but maybe the county, we can do a lot of good here,” Dukes said. “I would like to bring a lot of change to Harrisburg, we need it. More transparency needed, we need more affordability in Harrisburg, for the district as well.”
Pennsylvania Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-12th, currently holds the seat he is vying for.
Telesz spoke second. He is making a run at the Pennsylvania House after running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 for the 16th District and losing in the Democratic primary. Telesz, a retired dairy farmer, said his campaign in 2022 left him with a lot of contacts and even more awareness of what those people were going through at the time.
“No matter where I went, it was the same issues, the same problems, the same concerns,” Telesz said. “I look at my kids and my grandkids and the future scares me. They have no idea what they’ve got to lose, what they could lose. And once you lose it, we’re never going to get it back.”
Pennsylvania Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-8th, currently holds the seat he is seeking.
Wagner, an Army veteran from Greenville, spoke last, and said he is running for the office to hold the powerful accountable, adding, “we’re in a country where lies have become the new normal.”
“Lies about immigrants, claiming they’re more likely to commit crimes than American citizens,” he said. “Lies about a great and booming economy. Well, anyone who has been in the grocery store lately can see the truth with their own wallet. Lies about tax cuts and billionaires lifting working families up when all we see is a more expensive, harder life.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, currently holds the seat.
Boozel and Democratic Committeeman Phil Heasley said the committee is planning petition events to help gather required signatures so the candidates can appear on the ballot for the offices they’re seeking.
Heasley said these are the main races the committee expects to run candidates for in the midterm elections this year.
