A Delmont councilman announced his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler in the 14th Congressional District.
Bill Marx, 43, a Democrat, announced his decision to run during a Greater Westmoreland County Labor Council meeting this week, according to his Facebook page. He confirmed his intention to run for the district that includes all of Fayette, Greene and Washington counties as well as about two-thirds of Westmoreland County.
Marx is the first Democrat to challenge Reschenthaler’s reelection.
“Up until now, Mr. Reschenthaler has had no opponents,” Marx said. “Our democracy only works when people have choices.
Marx said he wants to be a voice for unions, veterans and families.
He is vice-president of Delmont council, elected in 2018. He teaches history at Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill, and is a retired Marine who served in the Army Reserve. He previously has spoken out against gerrymandering across the state.
The Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court redrew the state’s congressional district map in 2018 after a long campaign by anti-gerrymandering advocates, including Marx.
“Seeing how nobody was stepping up to challenge Reschenthaler, and feeling partially responsible for the new districts that I helped create because of the lawsuits that I was a part of… I thought I might as well step up,” he said.
Marx said he’s running a grassroots campaign, and is not as yet working with state or local Democratic leaders. He’s focusing on getting the 1,000 signatures needed to get in the primary ballot this spring.
Reschenthaler, 36, R-Peters, Washington County, won his seat in November 2018 when he defeated retired auto industry executive Bibiana Boerio of Unity. He ran as a pro-Trump Republican, touting his experience as a prosecutor in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps in Iraq.
