Wade Jodun and Susan Boser are seeking the Democratic nomination for the 15th Congressional District in Tuesday’s primary election.
Whoever wins the party nod will challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, the State College Republican, in the November general election. The district includes McKean, Elk and Cameron counties.
If elected, Jodun said he wants to get rid of corrupt influence of money out of politics.
“Money has turned politics into a billion-dollar industry,” he said. “This ‘legalized bribery’ has left ordinary, hard-working Americans with no voice. It’s time to give all Americans a voice and representation.”
What’s more, Jodun said he also desires to see the rebuilding of rural economies through funding a new deal with a major investment in infrastructure, including green infrastructure.
“This also includes restoration of degraded forests, lakes and streams as hunting, fishing, hiking and camping combine to be a more than $15 billion dollar industry in Pennsylvania,” he said. “This also includes investing in vocational education, job-retraining programs, and fostering an environment where small business can grow and thrive.”
Also on his priority list is rebuilding the middle class. He backs the restoration of the lost value of the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation, as well as tax reform that increases the take-home pay for what he considers hard-working Americans.
“Rebuilding the middle class also means protecting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security; gradually moving to a single-payer health insurance system; and ensuring equal pay for equal work,” he said.
A native of Mill Hall, Jodun worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for several years.
“As a federal whistleblower, I reached out to sitting politicians in both parties. Not one would even meet with me,” he said. “It made me recognize that today ordinary Americans have no voice in government. The corrupting influence of money has turned politics into a billion-dollar industry — it takes millions of dollars to win races for governor, senator, and even the House.”
In fact, he said the United States regressed into a state of taxation without representation. Politicians are eyeing personnel ambitions, selling out the country and the future, he said.
“It’s time for a return to government as envisioned by the founding fathers — that is, a citizen government accountable to voters,” Jodun said. “I’m not accepting corporate donations, anonymous donations, or money from (political action committees). I’m decided to run to try to give ordinary citizens a voice.”
Meanwhile, Boser, a professor and assistant chairwoman of the department of sociology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, says that during the past few years, she observed unemployment continue to climb, and problems have become progressively worse.
“I have specific ideas for how to address these problems, and that is why I decided to run,” she said. “If elected, my first priority is improving the local economy. To do this, I believe we first need to make sure that all rural people have access to broadband internet and good, reliable cell service.”
Today, business operates on technology and information, she said. If large groups of individuals have no access to the internet, they are stuck behind in business, education and information.
“I would also work to improve opportunities for small businesses,” Boser said. “They are the backbone of the rural economy. I would also work for infrastructure development, particularly roads and bridges, and updates to the electrical grid. And I would seek opportunities for small local businesses producing renewable energy for local use.”
