First-Ever State House Candidates Forum Set For Fall In Lower Bucks

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA —Lower Bucks County candidates for state representative will square off in the first-ever State House of Representatives candidates forum in the lead-up to the November general election.

The NAACP Bucks County Branch and the League of Women Voters of Bucks County are partnering with the Bucks County Community College to host the event in which all 20 candidates running for the 10 state house districts in Bucks County have been invited to participate in the live, non-partisan forum, slated to begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, at the college’s Newtown campus.

The forum, focused on the topic of education in Pennsylvania, will be moderated by the college’s longtime social science faculty member Bill Pezza who will pose questions solicited from the public in the weeks leading up to the forum.

The “Candidates Forum: Education in Pennsylvania” will be open to the public and streamed live on the college’s YouTube channel.

“This is an exciting and extraordinary opportunity to hear state representative candidates discuss their views about education,” said Karen Downer, President of the NAACP Bucks County Branch. “Our members as well as the public in general always want to know more about who their candidates are and what their thoughts are on issues that are important to them and their families, and education is a critical topic in the Bucks County community.”

Voters who wish to hear directly from the candidates are strongly encouraged to contact those running in their district and urge them to take part.

The candidates and district boundaries for Lower Bucks County are listed below.

“The mission of the League of Women Voters is to empower voters and defend democracy,” said Liz Fritsch, Candidate Forum Chair, League of Women Voters of Bucks County. “One of the most effective ways of empowering voters is to provide them with non-partisan, unbiased information about where candidates stand on the issues. This event allows voters to hear from the candidates themselves about the important issue of education.”

Kevin Antoine, the college’s associate vice president of External Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer, pointed out that Bucks County Community College encourages free speech and debate for all residents as part of its mission.

“As the only public college in the county, Bucks County Community College believes civic engagement is fundamental to the survival of a democracy,” said Antoine. “Candidates from all backgrounds should be able to engage in dialogue without fear of reprisal from the government. Debates and public forums like these strengthen free speech and expand equal opportunity.”

The “Candidates Forum: Education in Pennsylvania” takes place in the Zlock Performing Arts Center, located on the Newtown Campus of Bucks County Community College at 275 Swamp Road, Newtown. Admission and parking are free.

The event will also be streamed live at YouTube.com/BucksCCC starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12.

The NAACP Bucks County, League of Women Voters of Bucks County, and Bucks County Community College urge all candidates to take this opportunity to speak directly to constituents on the issue of education, an issue that affects all residents of Bucks County: parents, students and taxpayers.

To learn more about where the candidates stand, results of the NAACP Bucks County’s candidates survey are here. Information is also available at Vote411.org/Pennsylvania.

Candidates by State House District (asterisk denotes incumbent):

• 18th: Kathleen C. Tomlinson* (R), Anand Patel (D)
• 31st: Perry Warren* (D), Bernie Sauer (R)
• 140th: Jim Prokopiak* (D), Candace Cabanas (R)
• 141st: Tina Davis* (D), Noah Boyd (R)
• 142nd: Joe Hogan* (R), Anna Payne (D)
• 144th: Brian Munroe* (D), Daniel J. McPhillips (R)
• 178th: Kristin Marcell* (R), Emma Rosenthal (D)

District Boundaries

• 18th: Bensalem Township and Hulmeville Borough
• 31st: Lower Makefield, Newtown, and Upper Makefield Townships; Newtown and Yardley Boroughs
• 140th: Falls and Middletown (part) Townships; Morrisville and Tullytown Boroughs
• 141st: Bristol Township and Bristol Borough
• 142nd: Lower Southampton, Middletown (part), and Northampton (part) townships; Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, and Penndel Boroughs
• 144th: New Britain (part), Warminster, and Warrington Townships; Ivyland Borough
• 178th: Northampton (part), Upper Southampton, Warwick, and Wrightstown Townships