The Eight District congressional seat currently occupied by Mike Fitzpatrick (R-8), who is not running for the spot again, has a confirmed contender for the 2016 campaign: Democratic State Representative Steve Santarsiero.
Santarsiero, a Lower Makefield resident, filled out his statement of candidacy this week, according to a press release.
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Already a prominent lawmaker in the state house, Santarsiero hopes again to demonstrate his “strong ability” to take seats that were previously held by Republicans, said a press release.
Santarsiero’s journey towards this candidacy began in 2001, when he witnessed the World Trade Center terror attacks from his office window. After the attack, Santarsiero became a school teacher in Bensalem and then became an advocate to his high school students for being active within their community.
Santarsiero ran for Lower Makefield Township Supervisor in 2003 and in winning, knocked out a long time incumbent and became the first democrat to serve on the Lower Makefield board in 18 years, said the release. Santarsiero later became the chairman of board.
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Santarsiero was not finished moving up in terms of government and in 2008, claimed a seat in the state House of Representatives. His district serves residents in Lower Makefield, Morrisville, Newtown and Yardley.
According to released information about Santarsiero’s time as a state legislator, he “earned a reputation as a reformer when he repeatedly turned down legislative perks, including per diems, state cars and free health care; pushed for campaign finance reform; wrote what became the House’s new ethics rules on political activity; and became a leader on a variety of critical issues from gun safety to protecting our water and the environment to giving PA residents priority for state contracts.”
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“I’m excited to start preparing a campaign to represent the people of Bucks and Montgomery Counties in Congress,” Santarsiero, who is married and has three teenage children, said. “It’s time we make Washington accountable to our citizens. I will make it a priority to focus on keeping the middle class families of the 8th District secure while helping to grow our economy, create jobs and bring real reform to Washington.”
“Steve can win this seat. He just won re-election to the state house by a landslide in a swing district in what turned out to be a very bad year for Democrats,” John Cordisco, chairman of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, explained. “He has a clear track record of winning in a tough district, and that’s what we will need to prevail in the 2016 congressional race.”
In the release, former Montgomery County Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz also backed Santarsiero.
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Fitzpatrick, a Levittown resident, said in fall that he would not be seeking reelection in 2016. Rumors on who on the Republican side have swirled for weeks but no candidates have come forward.
Patrick Murphy of Bristol was the last Democrat to be elected to the Eight District seat. He was voted out in 2010 when Fitzpatrick took back the seat Murphy has ousted him from during the election four years prior.
