Attorney Kerith Strano Taylor announced Thursday that she will once again seek the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District, the seat held for the past nine years by Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township.
Strano Taylor, of Brookville, is running for the seat for the third time. She won the Democratic nomination in 2014 and 2016.
Primarily focusing on family law, Strano Taylor owns the Taylor Law Firm in Jefferson County, where she is also guardian ad-lidem, representing children who find themselves in the foster care system. She has a bachelor’s degree from Penn State and a law degree from George Mason.
“Glenn Thompson’s record shows that he does not care about our people,” she said in prepared remarks announcing her candidacy. “Thompson votes for higher taxes on working families and students and taking away health care, while protecting big banks, hedge fund managers, and polluters and sending our tax dollars to other parts of the country. Who is Glenn Thompson working for? Not me. And not you.”
Strano Taylor launched her campaign on Thursday with public events in Erie and Clarion before an appearance scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the State College Municipal Building.
Former state representative from Centre County Helen Wise is one of the hosts of Strano Taylor’s State College appearance. Another is State College Borough Council member Jesse Barlow.
“Pennsylvania’s fifth Congressional district is a very difficult challenge for any Democratic candidate,’ Barlow said. ‘You need to run two or three times in order to build the base of support needed to win. Kerith has done that. I’m convinced that she is the only Democrat that can win this seat in 2018. That’s why I’m supporting her.”
Ferguson Township attorney and educator Marc Friedenberg announced in September that he also will seek the Democratic nomination for the seat. He recently launched a listening tour across the district.
The 5th Congressional District is Pennsylvania’s largest geographically and represents Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Venango and Warren counties, and parts of Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Huntingdon and Tioga counties.
