What's at stake: Voters in the 51st State House District in Fayette and Somerset counties will choose a new member following state Rep. Matthew Dowling's decision to step aside after being arrested for driving under the influence. Republican Party committee members in August chose attorney Charity Grimm Krupa of Springhill Township to replace Dowling on the Nov. 8 ballot. North Union Township resident Richard Ringer, part of a collaborative virtual public relations firm, won the Democratic nomination in the May primary. The district stretches from Meyersdale to the Monongahela River, and the West Virginia and Maryland borders to the Laurel Highlands.
Richard Ringer
Party: Democratic
Experience:
Various roles, including press secretary and consultant on political campaigns for alderman, governor and Congress in the Chicago area, and Uniontown mayor (2009–2020)
Financial reporter, The New York Times (1995–1999)
Education: College of Steubenville, Ohio (B.A.); Marquette University of Milwaukee Graduate School of Journalism (M.A.)
Links: Facebook
Candidate surveys: WESA Candidate Survey; League of Women Voters
Major endorsements: Pennsylvania AFL-CIO; United Mine Workers of America; Fayette New Deal Democrats; Southwestern Pennsylvania State Education Association; Tim Mahoney, former state representative in the 51st District
Fundraising:
Total contributions (2021-22): $800
Total expenditures (2021-22): $549.40
Charity Grimm Krupa
Attorney and school board member Krupa is running a conservative campaign for state House. She did not agree to an interview request from WESA, but she told the Connellsville Daily Courier in September that she believes “government is best when it is limited — in what it takes from taxpayers and how it intrudes in individuals’ lives.” Her campaign website says Krupa, if elected, “will stand up to the radical left and make sure our children are taught facts and figures, not (critical race theory) and leftist ideology." She is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.
Party: Republican
Experience:
Albert Gallatin School District Board of Education (2017-2020)
Lawyer in solo practice (May 2006 –present)
Assistant Fayette County public defender (2012–2014)
Education: Pennsylvania State University (B.A.); West Virginia University College of Law (J.D.)
Links:Website | Facebook |Instagram
Candidate surveys: WESA Candidate Survey; League of Women Voters
Major endorsements: Firearm Owners Against Crime; Pennsylvania ProLife Federation PAC
Fundraising: Has not filed
Worth reading:
“Attorney to replace Dowling as 51st District's Republican nominee” (The Observer-Reporter)
“Republican candidate for District 51 named” (Bob Stiles, Daily Courier)
