Daniel Meuser

Voters in the 9th Congressional District have a choice at the polls.

Democrat Rachel Wallace and Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser are competing in the Nov. 3 election for the House seat.

The district stretches from Lebanon and Berks counties north to the New York state line. It includes Berks, Lebanon, Schuylkill, Carbon, Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, Luzerne, Lycoming, Sullivan, Wyoming, Susquehanna and Bradford counties.

U.S. representatives serve a two-year term and receive an annual salary of $174,000.

We asked the candidates to respond to three questions:

Rachel Wallace

Party: Democrat.

Residence: Schuylkill County.

Age: 37.

Background: Wallace began her career working for former U.S. Rep. Tim Holden before serving in several government roles, including positions in the U.S. Senate, the State Department and the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Website: wallaceforcongress.com

Wallace did not provide responses.

Dan Meuser

Party: Republican.

Residence: Luzerne County.

Age: 62.

Background: Meuser was first elected to the seat in 2018. He previously served as secretary of revenue in the Cabinet of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett and president of the Pride Mobility Corporation.

Website: meuserforcongress.com

Question 1: Recent polls show a majority of Pennsylvanians are increasingly worried about the high cost of utilities, groceries, gas and housing. What would you do to address those economic concerns?

Response: People are concerned about the price at the pump amid the conflict with Iran. But the Trump administration is addressing energy prices by unleashing domestic energy production while ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

Under Joe Biden, restrictions on oil, gas and coal production and power plants made it harder to develop reliable power, increasing costs for producers and consumers. The administration’s reckless energy policies had a direct impact on our ability to produce domestic energy and withstand energy price shocks amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

In Congress, I have supported the Trump administration’s efforts to drive down the cost of energy by streamlining federal energy permitting and changing leasing procedures to accelerate oil and gas development to protect our nation from disruptions caused by foreign adversaries and instability in global energy markets.

Earlier this year, Congress enacted the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, bipartisan legislation to address America’s housing crisis. The bill will boost housing production and improve affordability by cutting unnecessary bureaucracy and allowing community banks to extend more mortgages. It also includes reforms to promote innovative construction methods, expand support for homebuyers and renters and ban large institutional investors from owning single-family homes.

Question 2: Artificial intelligence and the proliferation of massive data centers needed to power it have become major topics of discussion recently. What should government do to address the impact these centers have on local communities?

Response: Local control and communities come first when it comes to data centers. Any potential development must be in the interest of the community. Potential developers must follow the President’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge to address energy and water usage concerns.

In mid-September, Congress enacted the Ratepayer Protection Act, legislation that builds on the President’s pledge and shields consumers from higher electricity costs caused by data center growth in their communities. The bill requires AI developers to build, bring or buy their own power and fully fund any new energy infrastructure needed for their operations.

Data centers have the capacity to increase value for communities in the form of good jobs and strengthen national security, which is important in our competition with China. But there’s no question that the final decision needs to be made by local communities.

Our government works best when local authorities and officials make the final decision. These decisions need to be made upon accurate information and requirements established by local communities.

Question 3: Organizations that track political violence in America say that incidents have risen sharply over the last several years. As a candidate for office, how are you helping to foster a climate of peaceful dialogue and disagreement?

Response: I was sitting in the front row during President Trump’s speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, when he was nearly killed by an assassin’s bullet. The president was beyond lucky at Butler.

Unfortunately, others were not so lucky. Corey Comperatore was just a few feet behind me when he was killed in the attack.

The manifesto of the shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner earlier this year read just like recent political talking points. It is incumbent on leaders to take the temperature and rhetoric down, and we must emphatically condemn political violence. While I’ve been outspoken about eliminating violent rhetoric, I have also supported legislation in Congress condemning political violence, making clear it has no place in our discourse.