A Pennsylvania lawmaker who has touted himself as a “moderate” despite being part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus is working to re-defend his seat in a district that voted for the former president. , Donald Trump in 2020, which is expected to be one of the most closely watched Congressional elections of the year.
“I’m a moderate, so don’t worry about running away with Nancy Pelosi,” Pennsylvania Rep. Matt Cartwright said in his first re-election debate in 2014.
Voting records nearly a decade later show Cartwright overwhelmingly aligned with Nancy Pelosi when she was speaker of the House, and a handful of other left-wing Democrats following the left-wing Congressional Progressive Caucus. Although he withdrew from the party, he continues to be a member of the party. The war in Israel and the issue of dues.
Mr. Cartwright was first sworn into Congress in 2013, representing Pennsylvania’s 17th District, and then in 2018, during the state’s redistricting, Mr. Cartwright was elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 8th District. .
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Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pennsylvania, speaks during a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Washington, DC. Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)
“His priorities in Congress include strengthening the middle class, creating jobs, ensuring quality health care, protecting seniors, and supporting veterans and military families. Working with members of both parties He believes so strongly that he has introduced more legislation with Democrats and Republicans, and has received more support than any other House Democrat since his first election.” Cartwright’s Congressional Biography states: states.
District 8 is located in northeastern Pennsylvania and includes cities such as the cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, including Wayne, Pike, Lackawanna counties, and parts of Luzerne and Monroe counties.
Mr. Cartwright is seeking re-election again this year, and Pennsylvania will likely be in the spotlight as a key battleground state as Mr. Trump and President Biden face off once again for the White House.
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Cartwright’s district voted to reelect Trump in 2020, winning him by 2.9 percentage points over Biden. Mr. Cartwright defeated his Republican congressional challenger that year by just over 7,000 votes out of 286,886 cast, according to New York Times data.
Former President Donald Trump addresses supporters at a rally supporting local candidates on September 3, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
This year’s re-election campaign is expected to be closely watched as it is one of just nine districts in the nation where Democrats are defending their seats after Trump won the district in the 2020 presidential election. .
Rob Bresnahan, the Republican candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 8th District, said in comments to FOX News Digital that Cartwright’s support for Pennsylvania’s working class while remaining in the left-wing Progressive Caucus in Congress. He objected to the repeated statement that
“Each election year, Matt Cartwright declares to the working-class voters of the 8th District, ‘I work for you.'” Is it? No. Matt Cartwright represents the radical left, and they vote for him,” Bresnahan said.
Since last week, Fox News Digital has repeatedly reached out to Cartwright’s campaign, his congressional office and his press secretary for comment via email and phone calls, but did not receive a response.
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The Progressive Caucus was founded in 1991 by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and California Rep. Maxine Waters, who call themselves democratic socialists. The group is currently chaired by Washington state Rep. Pramila Jayapal and represents the most left-wing members of the Democratic Party, including each member of the Squad.
UNITED STATES – JULY 20: Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) speaks during a press conference on the child tax credit at the Capitol on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. From left, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) also appeared, along with U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Rep. Matt Cartwright (Pennsylvania). (Photo by Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The caucus has been losing members in recent months, particularly since war broke out in Israel in October, with Democratic Reps. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Zoe Lofgren of California both signing off this month. He allowed himself to withdraw from the party caucus due to the burden of membership fees. Earlier this year, Rep. Richie Torres of New York also left the caucus after disagreements with the party over the war with Israel, and Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida left the caucus last year for similar reasons. Axios reported.
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 24: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) held a press conference to discuss debt ceiling negotiations. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Fox News Digital examined Cartwright’s voting record for the 117th Congress, which began in 2021 and officially ended last year, and found that he agreed with New York Rep. Ocasio-Cortez on 95% of the votes and 97% of votes. %, it was found that he agreed with Progressive Caucus Chairman Jaipal. According to data published by ProPublica, the votes were as follows:
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Even though he said in 2014 that he had no intention of “running away with Nancy Pelosi,” his voting record in the 117th Congress shows that he sided with her a whopping 100% of the time. It shows that you have voted.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Democratic California) (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The left-wing blog Daily Kos wrote this month that even after Trump wins in 2020 and wins the district in 2022, Bresnahan “could be Cartwright’s toughest challenger yet.” Meanwhile, the Cook Political Report lists the seat as the next seat. ‘Democrat Toss-Up’ and Politics Pennsylvania lists his seat as ‘vulnerable’.
Pennsylvania as a whole is expected to have another tough presidential election, according to a recent Fox News poll. According to a poll released last Wednesday, Mr. Trump has a narrow lead among registered voters in Pennsylvania in a possible presidential rematch, with Mr. Biden at 47% to Mr. Biden’s 49%. The two-point difference is within the poll’s margin of error.
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During his last campaign in 2022, Cartwright detailed on his website that his top priority was lowering prices “from the grocery store aisle to the gas station.” “Protecting and expanding access to affordable health care for all Northeastern Pennsylvanians.” Military and Veterans Advocacy. Fund and support the police. Find solutions to the opioid epidemic and strengthen our education system.
“Matt Cartwright has dedicated his entire career to working people, first as a trial lawyer and now as a member of the House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s 8th District. “We are champions of the United States and are standing up against corporate special interests and Washington insiders to lower profits for workers.” ,” his campaign website states.
Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in comments to Fox News Digital that Cartwright calls himself a moderate to “squeeze out votes” while pushing left-wing policies.
“Matt Cartwright is the embodiment of a lying politician who will do and say anything to get votes. Cartwright thinks his voters are idiots who want to believe he is a moderate. “While he is a Democrat, he has personally created extreme left-wing policies,” Marinella said.
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You can see the U.S. Capitol building illuminated by the morning sun. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
Cartwright, the ranking member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has voted for Democratic bills such as the Build Back Better Act, co-sponsored the Medicare for All bill and supported some policies in the Green New Deal. has expressed support.
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Cartwright is running unopposed in the Democratic primary next month. Republican challenger Bresnahan, a fifth-generation Luzerne County native and CEO of Kucharchik Construction, is expected to face Cartwright in the Nov. 5 general election.
