VESTAL, NY (WSKG) - Candidates in a special election for Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district seat differ on President Trump’s visit next week.
The district covers a swath of north and central Pennsylvania, and includes Susquehanna, Bradford, Tioga and Wyoming Counties.
Trump is making a trip near Williamsport on Monday. The election is on Tuesday.
The President dominated what is now PA-12 in the 2016 election, but the Democratic candidate isn’t worried. Marc Friedenberg claims the President’s policies are hurting the community. “The tariffs in particular have really hammered our farmers," he said. "They are facing higher equipment cost and a smaller market for what they sell."
"They’re kind of getting hammered on both sides,” Friedenberg added.
Opponent Fred Keller sees things differently.
The Republican said voters are happy that Trump is standing up to countries like China. “And I think there’s a lot of people that are willing to give the President a little bit of latitude because we’ve tried a lot things in the past that, quite frankly, have put America’s workers and America’s families at a disadvantage,” Keller countered.
Keller has already received an endorsement from Trump via Twitter. Keller hopes to replace fellow Republican Tom Marino in Congress. Marino resigned in January, first citing a new private sector job and then health issues.
His announcement came just a couple of weeks into his term and a couple of months after he won re-election by more than 30%. The Democratic candidate in that race was also Marc Friedenberg.