C-NET hosted candidates in the 2020 general election for interviews conducted by StateCollege.com editor Geoff Rushton. We’ll be sharing the interviews with candidates for the 12th and 15th congressional districts and the 76th, 77th, 81st and 171st state house districts.
THE RACE
Pennsylvania State House of Representatives 171st District, which includes parts of Centre and Mifflin counties. In Centre County, the district represents Bellefonte, Centre Hall, College Township (partial), Ferguson Township (partial), Gregg Township, Harris Township, Millheim, and Penn, Potter, Spring and Walker Townships.
THE INCUMBENT
Republican Kerry Benninghoff of Bellefonte is seeking his 13th term as representative for the 171st District, having first won election to the office in 1996. Since June, Benninghoff has been House majority leader, the No. 2 leadership position, and was previously majority whip. Prior to his election to the state house, Benninghoff was elected to two terms as Centre County coroner in 1991 an 1995 after serving as deputy coroner for six years. Benninghoff graduated from State College Area High School and attended Penn State.
Website: facebook.com/RepBenninghoff
THE CHALLENGER
Democrat Peter Buck of College Township is running for state House for the first time but is no stranger to elected office. Buck been chair and vice chair of the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors, as well as serving on the Centre Region Council of Governments and Spring Creek Watershed Commission. He continues to chair the regional intergovernmental solar power purchase working group. A Centre County native, Buck holds a Ph.D. in educational theory and policy from Penn State and is academic program’s manager for the university’s Sustainability Institute.
Website: buckforpa.com
THE ISSUES
In their C-NET interviews, Benninghoff and Buck discuss why they’re running, experiences and qualifications, Pennsylvania’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, rural broadband internet access, aiding family farmers, mail-in voting, health care, climate change and environmental protection and racial justice.
Kerry Benninghoff:
Peter Buck:
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