Longtime Republican State Rep. Scott Petri (PA-178) has thrown his hat into the race for congress.
Petri confirmed to LevittownNow.com that he filed paperwork to officially begin his candidacy to take the seat currently held by Republican Eight District Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, a Levittown resident. Paperwork filed with the Federal Election Commission shows Petri formalized his run on October 1.
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The state lawmaker, who is a resident of Upper Makefield, officially announced his run on Monday in a video posted online. Petri said in the video that he hopes to “represent us from Levittown and Sumneytown.”
In an exclusive interview last month, Petri said he was running for congress because of the “very serious” issues facing the country. He recalled his 18-year-old son who is entering the adult world and planned to help make America better for people like him.
“I plan to keep the focus on a balanced budget,” Petri said. “The economy isn’t a GOP or Democratic issue. We need to keep a proper fiscal house.”
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
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The Downingtown Senior High School and Villanova University School of Law graduate said whoever takes Fitzpatrick’s seat will have to make some tough choices. He said he plans to work to lower unemployment, help small business owners remain strong, work to solve the drug addiction problem gripping the area and limit the size of bills that make their way through congress.
“How can an 8 page bill become 300 pages?” he said. “I don’t get it.”
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Petri stated he felt Fitzpatrick has done a fine serving serving the Eighth Congressional District that covers all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County.
In his video announcement, Petri said he is a “conservative” who has “never once compromised my values in finding common ground to move solutions forward.” He added that he “hopes to get our country back on track” using common sense.
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Petri, who also works as an attorney with Middletown firm Begley, Carlin and Mandio, will face off in the May 2016 Republican primary against former Bucks County Commissioner and PennDOT official Andy Warren of Middletown. Warren briefly switched to the Democratic party and unsuccessfully ran against former Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy of Bristol in 2008.
Democrats are hopeful they will be able to retake Fitzpatrick’s seat. Small business owner and scientist Shaughnessy Naughton of Upper Bucks County is facing off against State Rep. Steve Santarsiero (PA-31) of Lower Makefield in the Democratic primary.
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Sources inside the Bucks County Republican party said leadership asked several politicians, including Langhorne-based State Rep. Frank Farry (Pa-142), to consider running in the 2016 race for congress.
Bucks County is expected to be a race watched nationally in 2016 as the Eighth District has shifted between Democratic and Republican control in the past decade.
