Race is on in 3rd
The primary election last week focused mainly on state offices, but voters will have a chance in November to vote on a national level by choosing which of two local men will sit in Congress.
And regardless of who wins, the 3rd District will be represented by someone from Butler County.
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, a Republican, has already won two elections for the right to represent Butler County in Congress, and he's about to embark on a chance for a third.
Kelly, R-3rd, will face Democratic challenger Dan LaVallee in the general election on Nov. 4. Both men won their party's nomination after running unopposed in the May 20 primary.
LaVallee, 26, of Cranberry Township previously worked in health care policy and management and last served as the deputy director of American Health Insurance Plan, a health care trade association in Washington, D.C. He now is focusing full-time on his campaign.
A North Allegheny graduate who received both bachelor's and master's degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, LaVallee said he recently moved to Cranberry to help take care of an aging relative.
There's no question that LaVallee has an uphill battle in taking on Kelly, considering that incumbent lawmakers are routinely re-elected.
There's also the issue of campaign financing. The latest figures show Kelly had amassed a $545,390 war chest before the primary compared to LaVallee's $51,850.
For his part, Kelly said he is running on the strength of his leadership and record in Congress. In comparison, it's a lack of leadership that LaVallee said is propelling him into the race.“I think the people here are hungry for new leadership, to get the economy moving again,” LaVallee said. “People are hungry to keep jobs here and to fight for minimum wage.”Kelly responded by saying his leadership is the reason why voters continue to send him to Washington.The 3rd District is large geographically, stretching from Cranberry to Erie, but Kelly said he remains committed to being open and accessible to every one of his 700,000 constituents.“We have offices in Sharon, Butler, Meadville, Kittanning,” Kelly said. “Nobody before us has provided that type of local services for our constituents. We try to operate the best service department in the United States. Any person who has a problem with the federal system knows where to find us.”Kelly, a Butler resident his entire life, added that he's most proud of his staff and their interactions with the public. There are 15 people on his staff combined in both Washington, D.C., and Western Pennsylvania, tasked with providing legislative services to nearly 1 million people.“I have no idea when someone calls us how they vote,” Kelly said. “All I know is they're a constituent, and we take care of them.”According to Kelly, that kind of customer service is the difference between himself and his Democratic challenger.“Here's a guy, somebody who's never been in our district and really doesn't know the district,” he said. “I don't think working as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., really serves the needs of the people of the 3rd District that well.”Kelly went on to say that LaVallee hasn't “walked the walk” with the local populace and that he likely hasn't had the chance “to get to know the people here in a three-month period.”“He obviously hasn't looked at anything we've been doing,” Kelly said. “Because it would be pretty hard to look at our record and say we haven't been responsive to our constituents.”LaVallee responded by saying his family has been in Western Pennsylvania for more than a century, and that he's campaigning on a full-time basis to talk to people in the 3rd District.“I'm going to talk to as many folks as I can from now until November,” he said. “I want to hear their concerns and give them a chance for new leadership.”Kelly said his record on important issues speaks for itself, and that anyone is welcomed to research his voting record. None of those issues has changed and he'll continue fighting for more jobs and for veterans' rights.LaVallee said he supports leveling the playing field for American workers, tackling Washington's “irresponsible and reckless spending habits” and investing in job training.The 3rd District covers all of Armstrong, Butler and Mercer counties, all of Crawford County except Titusville, and parts of Clarion, Erie and Lawrence counties.
