Speech

Tonight I announced my campaign – Beth Farnham for Congress in historic Gettysburg. You can watched the linked video here: https://www.facebook.com/61554730581395/videos/7002331599804254/

or read the speech which is pasted below.

Many thanks to the Adams County Democratic Committee for the use of their headquarters, to Commissioner Marty Qually for his warm introduction, to Barb Fisher for being my treasurer, to all of the volunteers who helped to set up tonight’s event, and to all of the attendees who came out to support this campaign! Together, we…Choose Democracy!

Speech

Good Evening. My name is Beth Farnham, my pronouns are she/her and I am wearing navy blue skirt suit. I am here today, at the Adams County Democratic Committee Headquarters in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to officially announce my campaign for the office of US Representative of Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District. The office of US Representative is a federal position and Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District unites the following counties – Adams, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry, as well as the western edge of Cumberland County and the northwest corner of Somerset County. 

With my treasurer, fellow Democratic committee member Barb Fisher, we have created our principal committee, Beth Farnham for Congress, which is filed with the Federal Elections Commission. You can visit our website at bethfarnhamforcongress.com and there are links to our ActBlue account if you would like to donate to this campaign. 

Even though I am originally from Maryland, Pennsylvania is my home because this is where my heart is. In Adams County, my dear husband Rob, whom I married over 17 years ago at Gettysburg Presbyterian, and I have built our lives in Conewago Township, where we bought a house and expanded our family by our two young children, a loud, fluffy cat, and a large, exuberant dog. Rob and I are members of the church where we married, our children are enrolled in local public schools where I recently served as a school board member, and I volunteer for several groups such as Democracy for America, Gettysburg for Gun Sense, Blue Storm Action, and of course, the Democratic Committee. I thank the Adams County Democratic Committee for allowing me to these headquarters to make my announcement and I welcome visitors to enjoy the many charming shops and restaurants that are open this weekend, as well as the National Military Park of Gettysburg, where our country once battled for the soul of our nation. But Gettysburg is not only known for its famous battle in 1863 that the United States won against Confederate insurrection, it is home to where President Eisenhower, a staunch defender of Democracy, and his wife, Mamie, chose to retire. Eisenhower, who as General led the Greatest Generation, including my grandfather, into victory against authoritarian regimes during World War II, later presided over the occupation of Germany to exemplify our Constitutional values as found in its preamble and to ensure that authoritarianism never rose there again. 

While occupying Germany, my grandfather and his crewmates were killed in a tragic mid-air collision. It comforts me to think that their sacrifice was toward “the common defense,” but currently, anti-Democratic Americans are treating their sacrifice and those of so many others who served, like NOTHING because today, our precious Democracy that changed the world, hangs in the balance. These extremists mistakenly believe that the Will of the People should be subverted for their violent authoritarianism and Christian nationalism. 

They have heeded the false claims of election fraud from accused criminal and former president Donald J. Trump after he clearly lost the November 2020 election. They ignored his 60 failed lawsuits to overturn the votes of the American people. In December 2020, they, including our current Representative, John Joyce, and his Congressional cronies, signed their names to the Texas Amicus Brief in a blatant attempt to throw away Pennsylvania’s valid electoral votes because more voters had voted for President Joe Biden than for Trump. The Supreme Court soundly rejected that case.

On January 6th, 2021, we witnessed a mockery of “domestic tranquility,” in a vicious attack, incited by Trump, on our nation’s Capitol, by his fanatics. In the wee hours of January 7th, 2021, both US Representatives and Senators performed their constitutional duties and certified the valid electoral votes for President Joe Biden, but Representative Joyce, in a disgusting display of fealty to Trump, objected to certifying those of Pennsylvania, thereby undermining our “more perfect Union.” A week later, in continued deference to Trump, Representative Joyce refused to “establish justice” and impeach Trump for his attempt to remain in power by force. To the best of my knowledge, Representative Joyce has never condemned Trump’s insurrectionists, nor Trump himself, for their actions on January 6th, 2021.

It is my belief that by acting as he has, Representative Joyce has broken his oath to the US Constitution. He has chosen loyalty to a wannabe dictator, over the living document to which he swore his oath. Our rights to vote and to have them be counted, are sacred, and I am running to protect them, no matter how you are registered. I am also running to do the work that is expected of Congress – to pass laws, including necessary repeals – that keep us safe and thriving. A functioning Congress annually passes around 200 bills that are signed into law  but last year, the 117th Congress only passed 27.

I ask for your vote to unseat Representative Joyce, to reassert the sacredness of our votes, and to represent Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District in a way that actually honors the US Constitution. If you need to check the status of your voter registration or you need to register to vote, please go to pavoterservices.pa.gov or follow the link from my website.

In a functioning Democracy, not only do we have the right to vote, but we have agency over our own bodies. To deprive us of such a fundamental right is to relegate us to second-class citizenship. No one should come between us and the healthcare decisions which don’t affect public health that we make with licensed medical professionals. Healthcare decisions, especially concerning our Reproductive Freedom like: access to abortion, birth control, and gender-affirming care, are PRIVATE. They should be legal in all states and protected by privacy laws, but in many states, the strong arm of the law prevents pregnant people from terminating unwanted or unsafe pregnancies, or gender-diverse people from pursuing gender-affirming care. 

The overturning of Roe vs. Wade in 2022 not only upended almost fifty years of precedent, it reversed the basic right of pregnant people in several states to make such healthcare decisions for themselves, putting their lives at tremendous risk. This is evidenced by the recent decision of the Texas Supreme Court regarding the wanted, but unviable and dangerous, pregnancy of Mrs. Karen Cox. In the end, that conservative court demonstrated it would rather a mother die pregnant and leave her living, breathing children motherless, than to have a life-saving abortion. The hypocrisy of such conservatives who often consider themselves good Christians is breathtaking and their decisions meet neither my definition of “securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity”, nor any definition of Christianity as I understand it.

In Ohio and Kansas, where abortion has been a referendum, the Will of the People has been to keep it legal. In 2021 Representative Joyce voted against The Women’s Health Protection Act which prohibited government intervention in abortion access and related services. To vote against that Act was to exalt the power of the State over the power of the individual. This is completely contrary to the personal freedoms we all cherish. I do not believe Representative Joyce truly considers the rights of pregnant or gender-diverse Americans as equal to his own, and so I ask for your vote to represent Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District in order to enshrine into law our Reproductive Freedom.

In addition to Reproductive Freedom, I believe in the Right to Life…of our living, breathing children whose leading cause of death in The United States is gun violence. Not car accidents, not cancer, but gun violence. No one deserves the swift and deadly bloodshed that murderers armed with guns perpetrate in schools, shopping malls, movie theaters, houses of worship, grocery stores, yoga studios, nail salons, concerts, university campuses, military bases, workplaces, and homes, smearing floors with blood and brain matter, but most especially, our children don’t deserve it. 

Please vote for me so that I, along with other members of Congress, can enact sensible gun legislation like Safe Storage of guns, Reporting of Lost or Stolen guns, Universal Background checks for gun Sales, and Extreme Risk Protection Orders, or Red Flag Laws, for those who present an extreme risk of harm to themselves or others. It is imperative that we protect our children from this violence, as well as our other family members, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and ourselves. After mass shootings, Representative Joyce has voted against sensible gun legislation while catering to gun enthusiasts, but to victims of gun violence, he only offers thoughts and prayers.

To “promote the general welfare” I also have positions on Public Education, Universal Healthcare, and Immigration Reform, which you can read on the website but we can also discuss in person at many important events like petition signings. If you are a registered Democrat in the 13th District, I encourage you to check with your County Democratic Committee about how you can add your signature to ensure Democratic candidates from our region are on the ballot for the Pennsylvania primary election which is April 23rd. Many County Democratic Committees have fun petition signing events where you can meet with other like-minded folks to discuss the important issues on your heart and mind. I ask that you please add your signature to my petition and to those of other local candidates.

In summary, it is time for the residents of the 13th District to be represented by someone who Honors the Constitutional values for which so many have sacrificed. I love my country, its people who are all created equal, our inalienable rights, and the future generations who will live out this legacy. For them, for us, please choose me, Beth Farnham and together we…Choose Democracy.

 Thank you.