Just hours after U.S. Rep. Tom Marino announced he will be stepping down from Congress next week, his opponent in last November’s election said he will seek the Democratic nomination to fill the vacancy in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District.
‘I’m running,’ was the subject line of the email from Ferguson Township Democrat Marc Friedenberg to supporters on Thursday night.
‘Following Tom Marino’s resignation, Governor Wolf will call a special election to fill the seat,’ Friedenberg wrote. ‘When that happens, I will work harder than ever to earn the right to be your representative.’
Marino said earlier on Thursday that he will leave Congress on Jan. 23 to take an unspecified private sector job. The Lycoming County Republican was elected to a fifth term in November, winning 66 percent of the vote against Friedenberg.
After Marino steps down, Gov. Tom Wolf will have 10 days to issue a writ of election and set a special election date no less than 60 days later. There is no primary for a special election and nominees will be selected by local party leaders at nominating conferences.
In Centre County, the 12th District includes Ferguson Township, State College, Harris Township, College Township, part of Halfmoon Township and the Penns Valley Area. It also includes portions of Bradford, Clinton, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, and Wyoming counties.
Friedenberg, an attorney and Penn State faculty member, came on to the political scene in 2017 when he emerged as a leader of local residents who repeatedly called on U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, to hold town halls and answer their questions about the future of health care and other issues. When Thompson didn’t show, the group held their own town halls.
That led to Friedenberg declaring his candidacy to run against Thompson in the old 5th District. But when the state Supreme Court issued a new congressional map in early 2018, Friedenberg was shifted into the new 12th with Marino as the incumbent.
‘Running for Congress in 2018 was the honor of a lifetime,’ Friedenberg wrote on Thursday. ‘I’m thankful for every single person who turned out to vote, gave their time and talent to our campaign, and shared their ideas for a brighter future here in Pennsylvania. The energy that I saw was humbling and inspiring. That’s why I’m excited to announce that I will seek the Democratic nomination for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 12th District.’
State Rep. Fred Keller, a Snyder County Republican, and Northumberland County Commissioner Kymberley Best, a Democrat, both said on Thursday they are considering running for the vacancy, according to the Sunbury Daily Item.
