Erie Times-News - Kelly, Eaton Prepare for November in 3rd District Race for Congress

News Article

By Kevin Flowers

Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly said his re-election campaign strategy is simple -- focus on being proactive regarding the issues affecting 3rd Congressional District residents.

Democrat Missa Eaton, a newcomer to politics, said her platform focuses on lifting the district's economy and making education even more of a priority.

Neither Kelly, 63, nor Eaton, 48, face opposition within their parties in the April 24 primary. But they'll face each other in the Nov. 6 election.

Kelly is running for a second two-year term in the newly reconstituted 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Butler and Armstrong counties and, for the first time, parts of Lawrence and Clarion counties beginning in January.

Portions of eastern, southeastern and some central Erie County broke away from the 3rd Congressional District and will be represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, who resides 210 miles from Erie in Howard Township, Centre County, assuming he wins re-election. Thompson represents the 5th Congressional District.

Mercer County Independent Stacey Gray, 62, has announced her candidacy for the 3rd Congressional District seat and also will be on the November ballot.

Kelly, a Butler automobile dealer, was first elected in 2010, defeating one-term Democratic Representative Kathy Dahlkemper, of Erie.

"Hopefully the people we serve feel like we've done a good job for them," Kelly said. He has said his campaign will focus on improving the district's economy; his continued push to reform entitlement programs; developing an energy policy with less reliance on foreign oil; and finding ways to ease taxes and regulations on companies that create jobs.

Kelly added that he was heavily involved in the deal that helped keep Lord Corp.'s local operations in Erie County, and he is lobbying for plans to create a multimillion-dollar logistics hub in the region.

"There's a lot left to be done," Kelly said.

Eaton is an assistant professor of psychology at Penn State Shenango. She lives in Sharon, Mercer County.

She said she is running for Congress because constituents deserve a representative who will keep their interests in the forefront.

"My primary platform is economics. It's jobs," Eaton said. "I think we can continue to help small businesses grow, and we can take away the incentives that major corporations have to move jobs overseas."

Eaton added that she would like to work with economic development specialists throughout the 3rd District to renovate "empty, idle" industrial sites and other buildings so they can be "remodeled and used" to create jobs.

"I would also like to see more money put into education, not less," Eaton said.

Eaton has raised slightly more than $46,000 for her campaign, Federal Election Commission filings show. Eaton said she believes she needs to raise about $1.5 million for her campaign, and plans to spend most of her funds on TV and radio advertising.

She said she is hopeful that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will support her.

Kelly, by contrast, has already raised more than $650,000, FEC filings show.

Two other Democrats, Crawford County lawyer George Schroeck and Erie's Mel Marin, had been in the race. Both had their nominating petitions invalidated by a Commonwealth Court judge after challenges alleging various errors.

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