Democratic Congresswoman Susan Wild and her challenger Republican Lisa Scheller recently faced off at the 7th Congressional District forum, held by the 2020 Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation last Thursday. As WLVR’s Ben Stemrich reports, the focus was mainly on jobs and the economy.
There was no interrupting or shouting at the debate, but the candidates did take some shots at one another. Scheller, who runs the Schuylkill County Manufacturing company Silberline, cited the energy needs of her business when taking aim at Wild.
“Manufacturers need a lot of energy, and they need good low-cost energy. My opponent Susan Wild and Nancy Pelosi support a bill called the Green New Deal. And it's going to decimate the Pennsylvania economy by eliminating fracking and coal, and it's going to drive the costs up and no longer make us energy independent.”
Congresswoman Wild, who was elected in 2018, said Scheller is misrepresenting her record.
“I just introduced last week an amendment to the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act that creates opportunities for workers that are being displaced so they can begin or continue a career in construction. And I'm really happy to say it overwhelmingly passed the House, again on a bipartisan basis.”
Both candidates agreed on the importance of getting many Pennsylvanians back to work, but they disagreed on the best way to support those struggling in the meantime.