Dear Neighbor,
Thank you for reading my District Round-up. As your candidate for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District, it is my honor and pleasure to deliver to you where I’ve been and what issues I’ve tackled in the past week. Criss-crossing the counties of Adams, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Cumberland, and Somerset gives me great opportunities to meet with voters, hear what is on your hearts and minds, and the chance to voice my fight for Everyday Americans. If you would like to contribute to my campaign, please donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/beth-fa,rnham-for-congress-1
Official Launch of the 2026 Beth Farnham for Congress Campaign!
Yesterday, Team Beth Farnham for Congress launched the official 2026 campaign at the Franklin County Visitors Center in Chambersburg. I was honored and thrilled to receive your support at this event. Franklin County Commissioner Bob Ziobrowski kindly introduced me and you enthusiastically clapped for many points I made during my speech.
I thank you all for your support as I fight for Everyday Americans. If you missed the event, here is the video to Bob’s and my speeches. Many thanks to Campaign Manager Jack Stansbury for having recorded it.
Many thanks also to everyone who made this event possible including Team Beth Farnham for Congress for setting up, managing, and tearing down the event, and members of the Women’s Democratic Club of Franklin County for providing refreshments.
If you would rather read the speech, here it is:
Thank you, Bob.
Thank you All for coming out today to celebrate the launch of the Beth Farnham for Congress 2026 campaign.
I am honored and privileged to run for the office of US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District.
It is not only one of the largest geographic districts in Pennsylvania, it is the most beautiful – from Gettysburg to Johnstown, from Altoona to Shippensburg, from the Appalachian mountains to the Susquehanna River, there is rich history, rural culture, and stunning views everywhere you look.
Part of the privilege to run for this office comes from living here, but another part comes from the tremendous support that I receive from many of you, starting with my family.
Every morning, when the news stories threaten to disorient us, it is the heartfelt conversations with my dear husband Rob that steady and ready me for the day.
No matter what is happening at the federal level, how it affects our single income family directly, and what the future of this country, as well as that of public education looks like for our children, Laura and Daniel, I have peace because Rob and I are well-aligned politically and that includes our journey from rather bumbling Republican conservatives to the very progressive Democrats we are today.
Once upon a time, Rob and I voted for Republicans, not having studied the issues nor the candidates for that matter, but assumed that local Republicans stood for lower taxes and public education, until one day, we stopped our assumptions cold.
Even though we had a baby in 2015, the candidacy of Donald Trump landed on our radar and repulsed us both.
In 2016, we finally did our research, discovered what a competent, educated, experienced, candidate former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was, and proudly voted for her.
We even brought the children to our polling place on that historic day.
Alas, her presidency was not to be, but we kept voting for Democrats anyway, as the Republicans only seemed to cede more and more of their power to Trump.
Until one day, I registered as a proud Democrat, and a few months later, so did Rob.
After our morning chats, I then move on to the work of my campaign and this most often involves working with the exceptional volunteers of Team Beth Farnham for Congress.
Because of their commitment, I can count on Barb Fisher as Treasurer, Jack Stansbury as Campaign Manager, Maribeth Fish, Sandy Hartzel, and Jack as Calendar Coordinators, Ike Loften, Claire Meissner, and Christina Palensky as the social media team, and Jay Inman as boots on the ground in Blair County.
They don’t simply fill their roles, they crush them.
Their diligence and conscientiousness bring a consistency of message and presence across the ten plus counties and beyond.
Together, we are Team Beth Farnham for Congress and I could not be more proud
But we are not the only people who support this candidacy. I thank members of the Women’s Democratic Club of Franklin County for their tasty contributions here, but also I also thank the Democratic Committees of Blair, Cambria, Franklin, Bedford, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Somerset, and Adams Counties who have already given me opportunities to speak at their events this year.
Additionally, Indivisible Blair County, Pennsylvania Federation of Democratic Women of Blair County, and Blue Storm Action have also welcomed me to speak this year at their marches, rallies, town hall, and meetings.
And all of us number among the over 104k people who voted for me last November, for which I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I will not forsake your votes, but we will build upon them for no matter how we are registered to vote, no matter our background, gender expression, race, economic status, education level, religion, we are UNITED.
We are united in grief over the erosion of our precious Democracy, anger over those legislators who have the power to stop it, but won’t, fear about threats to us, our loved ones, our neighbors, our jobs, benefits, our rights over our own bodies, right to vote, this higher cost of living, our international reputation, and our national security.
We are also united in our demand to be represented by someone who is accessible, willing to not only attend your Town Halls, but to hold them myself, to answer your phone calls, emails, and letters, to vote in our best interests on bills in the House of Representatives that seek to strengthen our agency over our own bodies, support gun safety, defend public education, promote healthcare, and reform immigration, and to relate to us as Everyday Americans whom I define as hard-working families, retirees on a fixed income, veterans, young adults just making their way, and everyone who is not a multi-millionaire.
Yet, most of all, we are united in our resolve to preserve our Precious Democracy, our self-governance, our Constitution of the United States of America.
You see, while many of our neighbors have been voting for Republicans, mistaking lies for truth about what those Republicans will do for us in Congress, the ultra-wealthy, like Representative John Joyce have been voting against our interests.
Representative Joyce voted against the Infrastructure Bill, the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Women’s Health Protection Act.
Had more members of Congress voted like him, the sorely needed Infrastructure Bill wouldn’t have passed, but mercifully, Democrats carried the votes and Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District received the help it needed like lead-free pipes in Bellwood Borough of Joyce’s home county of Blair, updates to the airports in Cambria County, the bridge replacement in Franklin County, and rural broadband access in Adams, Bedford, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry counties.
Recently, Representative Joyce voted not once, but twice for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that not only removes healthcare from 17,273 PA-13 residents and food assistance from 6,626 PA-13 residents over the next ten years, but with the cuts to the National Institute of Health (NIH), loses 374 jobs and $86M from our district over the same timeframe.
In other words, Representative Joyce does not care about us Everyday Americans – how could he?
In a congressional district where over 46% of the public school students qualify for free and reduced lunches, multimillionaire John Joyce is clearly not one of us, but if he won’t have the decency to resign from his disgrace, then it is up to us, the Everyday Americans, to vote him out and vote me in.
For when I take this oath of office, I will actually abide by it because I share a love of country with every veteran, every union member, and every activist who ever sacrificed in the name of Democracy.
I will stand with my right hand raised and say with all of my heart,
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
And I do ask for God’s help because I am firm in my faith that we should feed the hungry, heal the sick, house the unhoused, welcome the stranger, and help the poor.
To stuff the pockets of the ultra-wealthy with tax savings that increase our federal deficit by $3 trillion dollars while depriving the least among us is well, not to put too fine a point on it, like trying to thread a camel through the eye of a needle.
Instead, as a member of Congress, I will always check the illegal actions of a president who violates the Constitution by illegally impounding congressionally-approved funds.
I won’t let a US President accept a $400 million dollar jet, much less for such an important vehicle as Air Force One.
No due process for people suspected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
Not on my watch.
I will do my due diligence and vote FOR Everyday Americans, not against us.
In other words, vote for me and I’ll vote for you.
When our neighbors, friends, family, and coworkers who voted differently than we did in November of last year, bear the consequences of those votes through job loss, lack of funding, the rising cost of living, the depressed values of our assets, the losses of healthcare, the rise of poverty, and the blight that accompanies it all, they will start to lift their heads and seek real solutions.
And in this constitutional crisis, we rise to meet that moment,
If there is any message I ask you to please take away from today, it is simply this – Amplify this campaign.
Because in the midst of so much darkness, we, standing together today, are the light.
Like the torch in the hand of the Statue of Liberty, we are on the right side of history and the right side of humanity.
We believe in healthcare, food assistance, due process, humane treatment of huddled masses, stewardship of the earth, public education, women’s rights, gun safety, and so much more.
When yet another cloud of fascism threatens to dim our stability, I ask you to shine for our neighbors in PA-13 because soon, they will be looking where to turn, and we, we will light that path for them by our continued rallies, protests, town halls, doorknocking, calling voters, letters to the editors, reposting social media, or donations to this campaign and of those who also hold dear our same beliefs.
When they understand whom to vote FOR, then they can finally understand that our US Representative can truly answer us, help us, and ultimately, represent US.
And I say this not as someone who has lofty ideals built from thin air, but as someone who lived the experience as a former registered Republican who saw the light and voted against the darkness of fascism, suppression of equality, violence, ignorance, disease, and propaganda.
When they join us in choosing me, Beth Farnham, then we all choose the best interest of PA-13 residents, the best interests of Everyday Americans, and ultimately, what the Revolutionary Founders gave to us – we too
Choose Democracy.
Thank you.
Earlier in the week, I attended the Juniata County Democratic Committee picnic where I met with many voters and heard what was on their hearts and minds. Later, I spoke to them about my fight for Everyday Americans, including the rising cost of living due to an incompetent tariff-by-tweet policy and impending job, healthcare, and food assistance losses as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Representative John Joyce voted for twice.
Because part of the fight for Everyday Americans includes fighting for Affordable Housing, I attended the Landlord Summit on Tuesday.
You see, until Congress authorizes a livable federal minimum wage, Everyday Americans are stuck paying exorbitant costs in rent, mortgages, taxes, and/or interest. The cost of housing is so far out of balance with income that programs exist to offset this tremendous burden for those least able to afford it.
Frankly, housing is a basic human right and so these programs shouldn’t have to exist in the richest nation in the world, but here we are.
I truly appreciate the informative presentation that I, and others, received from Amanda with the Franklin County Housing Authority. Because of her vast knowledge and the knowledge of others who work with her, I, and Campaign Manager, Jack Stansbury, were able to learn about the Housing Choice Voucher Program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Franklin County Community Connections Access Center, Service Access & Management, Inc. which also includes Rapid Rehoming, Bridge Rental Assistance Subsidy, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, and information about the Public Housing available in Franklin County.
The hard work that many of these workers do to serve the community often goes unnoticed, but I thank them for giving me a greater understanding of the local resources available for families in need.
Some people celebrate the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that a convicted felon signed into law on July 4th of this year in terms of housing. For example, (OBBBA) provides a long overdue expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which funds a majority of new affordable housing projects in the United States.
Unfortunately, OBBBA’s “…$3 trillion bill’s devastating cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, enacted to free up funds for tax cuts for the ultra-rich, will bring about widespread job loss and a surge in poverty, causing the number of people who cannot afford housing to soar far beyond what the new housing provisions could address. (That is especially true in this era of surging construction costs thanks to tariffs and the decimation of the construction workforce.)”
Moreover, “Making Medicaid harder to get will disrupt the process of getting people out of homelessness, notes the Urban Institute, as well as remove a major funding source for supportive housing.
Medicaid cuts mean nursing homes will close, turning people out onto the streets, or sending them home to family caregivers…”
In other words, depriving people of Medicaid benefits, SNAP benefits, Medicare benefits, etc. like our own US Representative, multimillionaire John Joyce, voted for twice, only adds to the workload, but with fewer resources, that we learned about yesterday.
Of course, OBBBA can be reversed, but only by members of Congress willing to do it. I am one of those people, so please elect me, Beth Farnham, in 2026.
Together, we #ChooseDemocracy and Affordable Housing!
https://shelterforce.org/…/trumps-big-ugly-bill-is-a…/
(photo credit: Jack Stansbury)
If you’re like me, you love this country as much as I do and work to make a positive difference. In the midst of this Constitutional Crisis, please consider reaching out to your local Democratic committees or Democratic candidates so that we can strengthen our Democracy instead of letting it slide into fascism.
We don’t just #ChooseDemocracy, we choose Pennsylvania, we choose The United States of America, we choose Humanity and I am deeply glad to work along side you.
Sincerely,
Beth
Beth Farnham for Congress 