Mike Kelly will seek 4th term in Congress
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd, is running for a fourth term in Congress.
Kelly of Butler initially took office in January 2011.
“I am running to continue to be Western Pennsylvania’s voice in Washington and not Washington’s voice in Western Pennsylvania. I am very proud of the service we have provided to the constituents of the 3rd District and believe we can continue, and even build upon, our hard work,” Kelly said today in a statement.
He first was elected in 2010, defeating incumbent Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper of Erie, who only served one term.
“I decided then to run for Congress because I, like many, saw a federal government that had become too big, powerful and arrogant. Unfortunately, my concerns today are the same as they were in 2010,” Kelly said.
In 2012, he won re-election by defeating Democrat Missa Eaton of Mercer County with nearly 55 percent of the vote. In 2014, he defeated Democrat Dan LaVallee of Cranberry Township with 112,588 votes to 73,274 votes.
Kelly has no competition for the seat this year. No one else, Democrat or Republican, filed a petition to seek the 3rd District seat.
He said he wants to run again because his “fight continues.”
“Washington’s spending problem, though improved since 2010, has a long way to go before we rein in our record-high debt. Our economic potential in the U.S. is still unlimited, but our government must get out of the way and allow an economic environment of opportunity and fairness to flourish.
“With the right leadership and pro-growth policies, we can restore the entrepreneurial spirit that has always been the backbone of our country,” Kelly said.
He also said he continues to be concerned about “the destruction of the family, which is the true foundation of a strong and prosperous society.”
Kelly said he has been a strong voice on these issues, and he said Congress has made some progress on them.
The 3rd District covers all of Butler, Armstrong and Mercer counties, all of Crawford County except Titusville, and parts of Clarion, Erie and Lawrence counties.
