We surveyed Republican Matt Kruth and Democrat Emily Kinkead, the candidates for Pennsylvania's 20th State House District, on top issues for the 2022 election.
About the WESA Candidate Survey: WESA sent surveys to all candidates running in competitive races for federal and state offices in our listening area, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. Our candidate survey was based upon input we solicited from voters.
We have fixed basic capitalization and punctuation issues, but have not otherwise edited candidates' answers.
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, some state lawmakers believe Pennsylvania should ban abortion after six weeks, with no exceptions. Would you support such a proposal — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and identify other changes, if any, you would like to make to the state’s abortion laws.
Kinkead: No. People in Pennsylvania should be confident in their right to choose if, when, and how they have children. Given that maternal health outcomes in Pennsylvania are some of the worst in the nation -— particularly for poor and Black women — banning abortion could be a literal death sentence. Accordingly, I have co-sponsored legislation that would enshrine the protections guaranteed by Roe into law in Pennsylvania. I am also working with a group of legislators to introduce a package of bills that would protect those seeking abortion care in Pennsylvania and expand the number of abortion providers available.
Kruth: No. I am a pro-life candidate and believe that abortions should be rare, but I do not support a ban with no exceptions. I believe exceptions should be made for the most heinous cases such as rape and/or incest. I also believe in exceptions for cases where the life of the mother is at risk as well. In addition, we must be clear that ectopic pregnancies and D&Cs after miscarriage would not be considered abortions.
Pennsylvania's minimum wage has been set at the federal rate of $7.25 an hour since 2009. Do you favor state action to change the minimum wage? Yes/no?
- Please explain our stance and, if you support a change, identify the minimum wage rate you believe is appropriate.
Kinkead: Yes. Since my first run for office, I have advocated a living wage for the minimum wage. While generally that has meant a $15/hour minimum wage, I believe that (especially as we are seeing unprecedented inflation resulting from unchecked corporate greed) even $15 is quickly becoming too little. Thus, I advocate for a minimum wage that is at least $15/hour, but indexed to inflation to ensure that Pennsylvania workers will not have to again wait decades for a fair minimum wage in the future. Relatedly, I also support collective bargaining rights and promoting the use of prevailing wage.
Kruth: No. As we have seen over the last few years, jobs that were offering the minimum wage are now offering a much higher wage to attract employees. Many companies are offering double the minimum wage as a starting rate and also including a signing bonus. The “Fight for 15” has in most cases been realized without needing to adjust the federal rate because the market has dictated the wage.
Do you support no-excuse mail-in voting in Pennsylvania — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and identify any other changes you believe should be made to state voting laws.
Kinkead: Yes. I support no-excuse mail-in voting because voting needs to keep up with technology and we have the technology to ensure safe, secure, and accurate voting by mail. Voting should be easy and accessible to all because our democracy does not function if the citizens do not participate. I also support drop boxes, early in-person voting, automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, and any policy that reasonably makes it easier to voter in Pennsylvania — not harder. I am opposed to voter ID requirements for the same reasons — it creates barriers to voting with no evidence that it solves any real problem.
Kruth: No. Pennsylvanians should continue to have the ability to vote by absentee ballot if they are not able to vote in person on Election Day.
Do you support Pennsylvania’s involvement in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which sets pricing for carbon emissions — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance, and describe any changes you wish to see to state energy or climate policy.
Kinkead: Yes. I support Pennsylvania’s involvement in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) because I believe that we must act to address climate change that is already devastating our region in the form of brutal storms and destructive landslides. RGGI isn’t the perfect solution, and climate change must be addressed at federal and international levels, but on the state level, RGGI holds accountable the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, invests in retraining oil, gas, and coal workers, and pushes us to meet aggressive targets for renewable energy production. RGGI moves us toward a green future and provides funding to get there.
Kruth: No. Pennsylvania has the ability to be one of the top producers of energy in the country which would lower oil and gas prices. RGGI would be a killer for energy production. We need to be a state that focuses on the responsible development of the oil and gas industry for the benefit of Pennsylvanians.
Inflation is a concern for Pennsylvanians, and some legislators have called for either reducing or suspending the 58-cent-a-gallon gas tax. Would you support such a measure? Yes/no?
- If yes, how would you replace the revenue to pay for State Police and road spending — and are there other inflation-fighting policies you would pursue?
Kinkead: Yes. Municipalities that don’t have local police forces and rely on the State Police, yet pay nothing additional to cover the cost must pay their fair share. Regarding our roads, the reality is that individual states just do not have the funds to build and maintain their infrastructure alone. We need a National Infrastructure Bank to build world-class infrastructure without raising taxes. Also, I’m a co-sponsor of the Stop Price Gouging and Open Markets Acts, which take aim at unchecked corporate greed driving inflation because a few companies control the majority of the market share on nearly every product.
Kruth: Yes. It's important, when we can, to provide relief to the average Pennsylvanian. Reducing or suspending the gas tax, will do just that by helping consumers at the pump. We can replace the tax revenue by rolling back regulations and putting policies in place that will grow our economy.
In the face of rising homicide and other crime rates, would you support requiring universal background checks for gun purchases? Yes/no?
- Please explain your stance, and describe other approaches to fighting crime that you would support.
Kinkead: Yes. I have introduced legislation that would require permits to purchase, not just carry, firearms so I absolutely support requiring universal background checks for gun purchases and eliminating straw purchases, closing loopholes in the background check system, and requiring reporting of lost and stolen firearms. I have advocated for stronger legislation that allows for Extreme Risk Protection Orders, bans on bump stocks and other after-market modifications that make weapons deadlier, requiring ID for the purchase of ammunition, and banning of ghost guns. These are just a few measures that would help alleviate gun violence in our communities.
Kruth: Yes. I support the current background check that we have in Pennsylvania for anyone that wants to buy a firearm legally. Unfortunately violent criminals that want to do harm to people in our community don't go through the legal means to obtain weapons. The most important thing that we can do is support our law enforcement officers and ensure that they are able to do their jobs and enforce our laws. Soft on crime policies don't work and make our communities less safe.
School funding in Pennsylvania is heavily supported by property taxes. Would you support efforts to change that system — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and describe the changes you would support to how public education is funded.
Kinkead: Yes. Even with the $1 billion investment in school funding that I proudly voted for in this year’s state budget, the state’s share of school funding is abysmally low. Every dollar spent at the state level on education not only invests in the strength of our Commonwealth’s future, but also lowers the property tax burden on those who can least afford it. The school districts with the highest property taxes are not the wealthiest districts, but the poorest. I support substantially increasing the state’s share of our public school funding to ensure that kids thrive, regardless of zip code.
Kruth: Yes. We absolutely need to look at how public schools are funded in Pennsylvania. Property taxes are crushing Pennsylvania and in some cases forcing them out of their homes. Unfortunately this disproportionally affects elderly Pennsylvania's that, in many cases, have already paid off their homes. Property taxes are effectively paying rent to the government on a home that you already own.
