by Paul Ricci
On October 22 I conducted an interview with Congressional Candidate Beth Farnham, Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican John Joyce. They are vying for the 13th Congressional district seat, which runs from Adams County (Gettysburg area) in the east to Somerset and Cambria Counties in the west.
Farnham ran against Joyce in 2024 and received 104,823 votes compared to 301,460 for Joyce. Given the current political climate – high inflation, an unpopular war in Iran, and low approval ratings for Trump – Farnham’s chances may be better this time. So far, Joyce has refused to debate with her.
Discussing the current political climate, Farnham cited higher turnout among Democrats in the primaries compared to Republicans. She also noted an increase in voter engagement during her campaign outings. Our conversation covered inflation, medicaid and SNAP cuts, health care, the war in Iran, and the death penalty.
While Farnham did express support for universal health care coverage, she expressed reservations about Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal. She noted Joyce’s support for the Big Beautiful Bill, arguing it has cut off vital services for many constituents in his district. Additionally, she expressed support for ending the war in Iran and raising the federal minimum wage.
Farnham also expressed support for ending the war in Iran and for raising the federal minimum wage. Pennsylvania’s and the Federal minimum wage has not been raised since 2009. Both stand at $7.25/hour.
She has heard protests against the building AI data centers. She said that Joyce has worked with FBI director Kash Patel to open an investigation into those organizing against these centers.
We then discussed her support for gun safety and background checks. She then stated that she is a former Republican that and her husband was an NRA member.
We ended our conversation discussing the death penalty, She equivocated on her support for it. She was opposed to the proposed live-streamed execution of Nidal Hasan. Trump rejected the idea after criticism from Republicans.