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Redistricting will put parts of Northeastern Pa. in redrawn 17th Congressional District
WILKES-BARRE – U.S. Rep. Tim Holden is facing challenges as he seeks his 11th term in Congress.
Holden, D-St. Clair, must learn about his newly redrawn 17th Congressional District, which will include Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Pittston. Those cities were once part of the 11th District, represented by Republican Lou Barletta.
The redrawn lines will be used in this year’s primaries and general election.
And his constituents have to learn about Holden – including where he stands on key issues. .
Holden, 54, is a former real estate agent, insurance broker and probation officer who served as Schuylkill County sheriff from 1985 until he was elected to Congress in 1992.
Holden faces many of the same challenges he has in his previous five campaigns – the stability of Social Security, Medicare funding, a down economy and the always present task of creating “jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Add to the list the amount of money needed to finance his campaign – he said it will take $750,000 just to run in the April 24 Democratic primary. One challenger is still mulling his decision to enter the race – Democrat Matt Cartwright of Moosic.
Holden said he has about $335,000 cash on hand. “If anybody tells you they like to raise money, they’re lying,” Holden said. “Public financing would be the answer, but that will never happen.”
Ties with Sen. Casey
Holden, whose father played baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1930s and also did a stint with the Wilkes-Barre Barons, said his family and the Casey family of Scranton have been friends since 1966.
“Sen. (Bob) Casey is a dear friend,” Holden said. “He’s told me he will help me in this campaign.”
Casey is running for his second 6-year term in the U.S. Senate this year.
Holden’s district has about 707,000 residents – 75 percent of them live in areas new to the 17th District. But Holden isn’t worried that voters may see him as an outsider.
“I’m from Schuylkill County, and we consider ourselves part of Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Holden said. “We are in the same media market. I’m the proud son of the coal region.”
When asked whether residents in Scranton would feel the same way, he responded: “I guess we’ll find out.”
Holden is the dean of the Pennsylvania delegation in Congress. He sits on two House committees: he is second in seniority among Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee and eighth on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Barletta, R-Hazleton, also sits on that committee.
Holden doesn’t expect much to get done in Congress during this presidential election year. All 435 House members are up for re-election, but Holden doesn’t expect the Democrats to wrest the majority back from the GOP.
Holden said the $230 billion Highway Bill needs to be passed by March 31, but he’s not optimistic. He said the measure, if approved, could inject $10 billion into Pennsylvania’s highway system.
Holden said Republican House Speaker John Boehner operates the same way Democratic leader Pelosi did – he won’t bring anything to the floor unless there is agreement of the majority of GOP members. He said the GOP also won’t support earmarks – something Holden said is helpful in directing federal funding for needed state projects.
“Ruling from the extreme is never good for the American people,” he said.
Other issues
• Holden said Democrats were not part of the redistricting discussions. He said Republican Barletta wanted to keep all of Luzerne County in the 11th District, but Holden ended up with it. Because of gerrymandering, he said he has to drive through other congressional districts to get to parts of the new 17th district. “I didn’t know I was getting Luzerne County until 10 days before the vote. I also got Easton – nobody saw that coming,” he said.
• On President Obama, Holden said he inherited the “worst fiscal situation since the Great Depression.” “(Obama) should have focused on the economy,” Holden said.
• Holden voted for the economic stimulus bill and against the health care bill, saying it should have been presented incrementally rather than as an all-at-once measure.
• He supports maintaining Medicare and Social Security. “The burden of balancing the budget shouldn’t be placed on the backs of senior citizens,” he said. Medicare is a more challenging dilemma due to the constant rise in health care costs, he said.
• Holden currently has four district offices and if funding isn’t cut, he will keep four offices, but he wouldn’t say where, if re-elected, he would locate them.
As far as his job is concerned, Holden said he will work hard for all of his constituents.
“I’ll be accessible,” he said. “I’ll be visible and open-minded.”