Halvorson promises to steer clear of lobbyists

CHAMBERSBURG - The frustration was apparent Thursday in the questioning of congressional candidate Art Halvorson.

People were concerned about Social Security, the working poor, the influence of lobbyists, federal spending and how Halvorson would caucus in Washington, D.C., if elected.

Halvorson, a conservative Republican from Bedford County, won the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania’s 9th Congressional District by a surprise write-in. He lost the Republican primary to incumbent Rep. Bill Shuster by a slim margin – one vote per precinct, as Halvorson described it. He running as a Republican on the Democratic ticket.

“God closed the front door, but opened the back door,” Halvorson said. “It’s one of those quirks in American history. Here we are.”

Halvorson said he would caucus with Republicans at the Capitol. A member of Congress chooses whom to caucus with, he said.

Halvorson opened and closed his town hall at the Franklin Fire Hall with a prayer. Most of the 40 people attending were of retirement age.

Halvorson said that Congress has a spiritual problem, as well as a spending problem.

“I’m going there as an ambassador for Christ to bring a light to a dark swamp,” he said. “They are not the smartest bulbs. They are entrenched. They are not necessarily smart. I can get a lot done in six years. We just can’t settle for the status quo.”

He has promised to limit his career in Congress. He said he would not be tempted by the wheelings and deallings.

“Unless we’re in session, I’ll be back here,” Halvorson said. “They have nothing to offer me.”

Halvorson said Shuster’s campaign has received $14 million from lobbyists in 16 years. He said his win would send a message to lobbyists.

“If I can defeat the chairman of the House transportation committee without lobbyists, why should I start?” he said. “I think the vote is the most important thing, not the dollar from the lobbyist. I want to be a disrupter.”

Halvorson said his campaign has not conducted polls, but Shuster has, and Shuster’s behavior is “very odd” for an incumbent. Two members of the transportation committee “smell blood” and are positioning themselves for the chairmanship.

“The federal budget process is in chaos,” Halvorson said. “We’ve got to get a strong leader (of the House) who will enforce the rules.”

Members of Congress should not get paid until they pass a budget, he said.

Halvorson, a retired Coast Guard captain, said he was not familiar with the work done at Letterkenny Army Depot. He said the Army commanders and workers, not a congressman, can make the depot the most productive unit it can be. People should not buy into a base closure scare because Congress has no stomach for it.

On other matters:

• “I support a transition out of poverty,” Halvorson said. “I don’t want to create another program, but I want to get people out of poverty.”
• “Our freedom of religion is being shut down,” he said. “If we don’t use it, we lose it.”
• Washington manipulates the cost of living index, and so control annual increase in Social Security benefits, he said. “They’re not there to help you. They’re there to help themselves.”

Halvorson is in a three-way race. Democrat Adam Sedlock Jr., a Uniontown psychologist, is running a write-in campaign. Shuster, R-Everett,  is seeking his eighth full term in Congress.

Franklin and Fulton counties are in the 9th District.

Jim Hook, 717-262-4759