2 Dems announce bid for 6th District seat
Two Democratic candidates have thrown their hats into the ring in a bid to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello in Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District.
Candidates Bob Dettore, of Berwyn, and Chrissy Houlahan, of Devon, have both managed businesses and are experienced engineers. Neither has held political office at any level.
The 2018 Democratic primary race could be wild. At least six prospective Democratic candidates have unofficially expressed an interest in unseating Costello, a two-term congressman. The Chester County Democratic Party is not expected to endorse a candidate.
The 6th District race will likely attract national attention, possibly with major campaign funding coming from outside the district.
Costello did not respond to requests for comment concerning whether he will seek re-election in 2018.
Houlahan has thrown herself into the race fulltime, after leaving a job she held for four years as chief operating and financial officer for Springboard Collaborative, a nonprofit addressing the literacy gap for financially disadvantaged students and their families.
She was also a project manager in the U.S. Air Force and a teacher. She comes fromamilitary background; both her father and grandfather served and a cousin continues to serve.
Houlahan, an MIT and Stanford graduate, said she did not consider running for Congress until recently.
“I never thought about being a politician until after the (presidential) election,” she said. “It’s a dangerous time with the new administration. I really do feel that Ryan Costello is a rubber stamp for the Trump Administration.”
If elected, the mother of two grown daughters said she will focus on job creation, education, women’s issues (she prefers the term “family issues”) and veteran’s issues.
She will focus on innovative STEM curriculum, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, in high schools. She hopes to integrate science and the arts through a STEAM education.
When asked what she would politically label herself as, Houlahan said she would not be “boxed in.”
“I’ll represent our community,” she said. “There is no label I fit under.”
She talked about Costello’s April 8 town hall at the Historic Chester County Courthouse.
“It was scripted, a controlled experience,” she said. “Costello is doing a terrible job. I’d be more transparent. He’s running scared of his constituents.”
Houlahan, 49, and her husband of 26 years will soon be celebrating their 50th birthdays.
The couple enjoy jogging as a hobby, and they have already participated in organized races in 22 states — with plans to run in all 50 states prior to their 50th birthdays.
Dettore was the first member of his family to graduate from college. He said he came fromamodest background and matured in a stable environment.
An engineer by trade, Dettore is now a construction executive, or owner’s representative and turn- key, in the building industry.
The Spring Garden College grad and trained EMT can take a builder’s dream from design to construction, and to occupancy and then operation.
Dettore, 62, has completed many major projects, including, work with school districts, SEPTA, office buildings and expansion at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
“I’ma ‘Labor Democrat,’” he said. “We’ve strayed away from the importance of representing the working people. It’s important that everyone is included … we can’t exclude or underestimate all the groups that make up our party.”
While he’s worked regularly with unions, Dettore said the label “Labor Democrat” might be misleading. He wouldn’t exclude others, especially young men with no college education.
Dettore said that the country is experiencing an economic recovery, producing both winners and losers
“We need to take a good hard look at what works and what doesn’t,” he said.
The candidate said that many people he talks to consider infrastructure improvements to consist merely of highway, road and bridge work.
Dettore said he would bring high-speed internet to those living in rural and low-income areas who don’t already have the service.
“We’re creating a permanent underclass of people unable to address the real world,” Dettore said about the lack of fast internet in some schools and homes. “The private sector will not step in and do this.”
Dettore said he probably doesn’t deserve to be a .congressman, but … “I think I’m a credible and effective advocate. Only the voters can decide that. From my background, I’m able to identify with those who haven’t been as lucky as me.”
Dettore is also a runner and was a varsity letterman in high school. He laughed when he said he is a “long-suffering Phillies fan” but hopes to someday see the home teamwin another World Series.