Live election results:
What’s at stake: The deep-red 14th includes Fayette, Greene, and Washington counties, as well as portions of Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland. The seat has been held since 2019 by Guy Reschenthaler, one of former President and presidential candidate Donald Trump’s more vocal supporters. Facing Reschenthaler is Indiana County native and U.S. Army veteran Chris Dziados, who narrowly won the Democratic primary to run on an avowedly liberal platform.
District map:
Further reading:
"While all eyes are on Lee’s district, challengers are preparing to take on Deluzio and Reschenthaler" (Chris Potter, WESA)
Chris Dziados
A first-time candidate with an extensive military background, Dziados bested automotive repair shop owner Ken Bach by a few percentage points in this past spring’s Democratic primary. The Indiana County native and current Washington County resident faces a tough map this fall in his bid to challenge Reschenthaler’s bid for reelection. But he’s sticking to Democratic principles on abortion and staunch support for Ukraine’s efforts to fend off an invasion by Russia.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: South Strabane Township, Washington County
Education: B.A. political science, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; M.S., systems engineering, Johns Hopkins University; M.S., finance, Georgetown University
Current occupation: Running for Congress
Related Experience: 20 years service in the U.S. Army, including deployment to Iraq. Work with U.S. Air Force, Defense Department and Space Command on military space systems
Supporters/endorsements: Dziados is backed by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and individual unions that include the United Mine Workers. He is also backed by Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania
Links: Website
Total fundraising (reported as of 10/18/24):
Total raised (2023-2024): $255,108.99
Total spent (2023-2024): $182,958.48
WESA Candidate Survey
What is the most important thing the federal government could do for your district, and how would you make it happen if you were in Congress next year?
Economy and education. 55 years ago, the U.S. won the space race and ushered in an era of technological supremacy. We are now at the start of the next technological age, underpinned by technologies like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, energy technology, microchips, and others. Over the next 50 years, these technologies will intersect with every facet of human life, not just in America but around the world. Congress needs to ensure that all American children have access to a high-quality education capable of preparing them for a modern labor force and ensure our infrastructure can support the future of commerce, which underpins job creation here in America.
Concerns about immigration have generated national political debate during the past few years, and an effort to pass a sweeping Senate immigration bill failed earlier this year. How pressing a concern do you think immigration is in Western Pennsylvania, and what would an immigration bill need to have in order to merit your support?
Western PA has always been a melting pot for immigration. My last name alone is proof. While I believe Western PA has mostly benefited from immigration by attracting medical professionals that support our aging population, brilliant minds to our universities as both students and professors, and numerous other immigrant entrepreneurs, I do understand how unmanaged immigration can put pressure on our outdated infrastructure. In order to start addressing these issues, Congress needs to pass the bipartisan immigration reform bill proposed earlier this year and begin fixing our immigration system, which has gone decades without the substantive reform requested by both sides of the aisle.
Since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, there have been proposals to legislate abortion rights from the national level, including efforts both to codify Roe and to establish nationwide restrictions on abortion access. What national legislation, if any, do you favor on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues such as birth control and IVF?
I fully support the Women's Healthcare Protection Act (WHPA), which establishes a statutory right for health care professionals to provide abortion care and the right for their patients to receive care, free from bans and medically unnecessary restrictions that single out abortion care.
Two United States allies, Ukraine and Israel, are embroiled in conflict, and there is heated debate over the role the United States should play in those conflicts. Do you support providing aid to those countries, and under what conditions?
I support aid to Ukraine because the illegal Russian invasion is about more than ensuring Ukrainian sovereign territory and the freedom of its people: It’s about reinforcing the rules-based world order that has maintained peace, albeit tenuous at times, since WWII. If the world accepts borders are no longer sovereign, that has global implications far beyond Ukraine. While Israel has the right to defend itself, especially in response to the attacks of October 7, further aid to Israel needs to be contingent upon finding a diplomatic solution to its war, which I believe still remains possible.
National politics has rarely seemed as polarized as it does right now. If you take office in Congress next year, which issues would you be likeliest to reach across the aisle on, and what in your background suggests you could do so successfully?
The world is facing various national-security crises: Putin in Russia looking to turn back the rules-based world order and rewrite the rules governing sovereign territory by invading Ukraine; a Chinese government seeking further regional control threatening smaller economies who have peacefully participated in global commerce; and a tenuous situation in Israel. I recognize the importance of bipartisan efforts to achieve national security objectives and in cooperation with like-minded allies, continue securing democracy for peaceful nations. As a veteran myself, I recognize the issues facing veterans. This country has a solemn promise to veterans and I join with whoever wants to work to ensure America keeps this promise.
Guy Reschenthaler
Reschenthaler is a former magisterial district judge and state senator who served as a U.S. Navy lawyer in the Judge Advocate General Corps. First elected to Congress in 2018, Reschenhtaler currently serves as the chief deputy whip, communicating with members and rallying support for GOP leadership priorities. He has been open to some forms of criminal justice reform, but he is a staunch conservative and loyal supporter of Donald Trump. He has, for example, proposed legislation to rename Dulles Airport after the former president, and he voted against certifying the electoral votes from his own state in 2020 amid Trump’s protests.
Party: Republican
Place of residence: Peters Township
Education: B.A. Penn State Behrend College; J.D., Duquense University
Current occupation: U.S. Representative, 14th District
Related Experience: U.S. Representative (2019-present); Pennsylvania state senator (2015-2018); magisterial district judge (2014-2015)
Supporters/endorsements: Advocacy groups that have endorsed Reschenthaler include the Humane Society Legislative Fund, LifePAC, National Rifle Association, Pro-Israel America
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Total fundraising (reported as of 10/18/24):
Total raised (2023-2024): $3,547,177.84
Total spent (2023-2024): $3,492,886.04
WESA Candidate Survey
Reschentaler did not respond to the WESA Candidate Survey.
