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I am writing today to announce my decision to seek reelection as State Representative in the 167th Legislative District. Click here to donate to Kristine’s reelection. When I was first considering running for the legislature, I imagined that if I won, I would be spending a lot of time in a law library putting my legal background to work researching legislation and public policy. Since that time, I have learned the job is more complicated than that. The outside world presents its own priorities. Although many of us in the legislature have our own priorities, we quickly learn real world circumstances often supersede the direction we want our work to take. For example, my background as the only legislator in the House and Senate with hands-on professional experience in child welfare and child abuse investigations uniquely positions me to advance policy and legislation helping children and families. However, fate creates its own priorities. The COVID-19 epidemic, the climate crisis and the undermining of our democracy with unsubstantiated charges of voter fraud, among other important matters, have served to put the attention of the legislature and the Governor on issues, in some cases, that did not exist when I first decided to run for office. I have learned it is essential to be flexible and quickly learn about things previously foreign to me. We can’t just work on our own priorities but at the same time we cannot lose focus on the issues, challenges and strengths where we have the most to offer. Work is more than the appearance of work. One thing I learned early in my first term, there are countless rallies, protests and press conferences in and around the Capitol in which one can participate and make appearances and statements with no shortage of people eager to grab the bullhorn. But don’t be deceived. Many of those kinds of public events are not much more than choir preaching and opportunistic grandstanding. I am not about hogging the microphone or getting my photo in the news. The real work in this job takes place in our offices and districts gathering information from constituents and stakeholders, addressing constituent needs and transforming the input we receive into information that influences the legislative process. Making progress requires listening, tuning out extreme rhetoric and bombastic tactics and actually doing something that makes a difference. Compromise and common ground are endangered species in Harrisburg, but nevertheless, we must embrace coming together and aspiring to civility, collegiality and results. The majority matters. Being a member of the minority party in the legislature is akin to being a defensive lineman in football. It seems we spend most of our time attempting to stop bad ideas from crossing the line of scrimmage. What I find particularly frustrating is, while I am a member of the minority party in Harrisburg, I believe my more moderate positions on most issues more accurately reflect the thinking of a clear majority of our Commonwealth’s citizens, especially in my district. If there is to be change in our state government and progress that reflects the goals and aspirations of a majority of Pennsylvanians, we need to elect a new majority. That means Democrats need to hold the seats we have and pick up a few more. If redistricting is fair, I believe there is an excellent opportunity for the ship of state to change course. That is why I am seeking reelection. And with your help, we can win the majority in Harrisburg and go on offense in the state legislature. Thanks for reading, Kristine
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