What’s at stake: Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly is seeking his eighth term against Democratic challenger Preston Nouri. Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional district encompasses Butler, Crawford, Erie, Lawrence and Mercer counties, plus part of Venango County. Hunting and farming are big in the district, which consists mainly of rural and suburban communities aside from a handful of smaller cities including Erie, Butler and Sharon. The population has declined districtwide for several decades following the collapse of the coal and steel industries. Just under half of registered voters are Republican; 36% are Democrats and 10% are independent. Kelly’s tenure continues a four-decade GOP hold on the seat, unbroken save for single-term Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper (later Erie County executive), whom Kelly defeated in 2011.
Further reading:
“Ideological differences to define 16th district race” (Nicholas Vercilla, Meadville Tribune)
Mike Kelly
An ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, Kelly is leading the panel investigating the attempted assassinations of Trump: The first attempt took place in Butler County, where Kelly’s lived most of his life. Kelly’s family owns several car dealerships in the Butler area and his opponents have criticized the businesses’ receipt of government subsidies such as rebates, solar panels and substantial paycheck protection benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelly, who played football at the University of Notre Dame, served on Butler’s city council and its housing and redevelopment authorities before running for Congress.
Party: Republican
Place of residence: Butler.
Education: B.A., University of Notre Dame
Current occupation: U.S. Congress (2011–present)
Related experience: Small-business owner
Supporters/endorsements: NFIB, Erie County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 64, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Total fundraising (reported as of 10/1/24):
Total raised (2023-2024): $$1,164,674.51
Total spent (2024): $647,760.09
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?
Cut regulations and fight inflation. We need to put dollars back in the hands of hard-working Americans — they know how to spend their money better than the government does.
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?
First and foremost, I’m a big believer of single-issue bills. Too often, we throw the kitchen sink into legislation, which then creates pause related to the initial intent or topic of the bill. An immigration bill should be solely about securing our border and protecting our citizens from the dangers that come from illegal immigration — like crime and fentanyl. I have often said, ‘there’s a problem if the first thing that you do in entering our country is to break one of her laws’.
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 have a resolution named the Heartbeat Protection Act, which addresses the above.
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?
The United States should never be opposed to providing aid to our allies, but it has to be defined, transparent and reasonable — with a return on investment for our taxpayers. For example, it was at one time predicted that the US received over 60 percent of the aid for Ukraine back in terms of commerce.
National politics has rarely seemed as polarized as it does right now. If you take offic e 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?
I believe most issues are not Republican or Democrat issues — they are red, white and blue issues. I will fight for PA-16, not just the Republicans, Democrats or Independents. This sole reason is why my office has been incredibly successful with bringing our taxpayer dollars back here for investment in infrastructure and other priorities, year after year.
Preston Nouri
Born and raised in Erie, Nouri is a first-generation American who’d been working in Washington, D.C., since graduating from the University of Pittsburgh a couple of years ago before launching his campaign to represent his hometown in Congress. Nouri has been volunteering for more than a decade with Erie’s Community Outreach Group clothing drive. He says that, if elected, he’d push to redistribute what he describes as government waste to poverty alleviation initiatives such as support for people struggling to afford housing. Nouri turned 25 — the minimum age to serve in Congress — earlier this year.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Erie
Education: B.A., University of Pittsburgh
Current occupation: Small-business owner (Lawrence Park and Go convenience store in Erie)
Related experience: Legislative analyst, Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition & Sustainment, Department of Defense (2022-2024); security specialist, U.S. Department of State (2021-2022); legislative intern, U.S. House of Representatives (2021)
Supporters/endorsements: PA AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Steamfitters Local 449, American Federation of Government Employees, Communications Workers of America, International Association of Machinists.
Links: Website | Facebook | X
Total fundraising (reported as of 10/1/24):
Total raised (2023-2024): $411,927.74
Total spent (2024): $324,603.83
Further reading:
“Nouri hoping to win U.S. House seat as Gen Z member” (Nicholas Vercilla, New Castle News)
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?
The most important thing the federal government can do for my district is to make it easier for manufacturing to return to our region. The investments we’ve see in the infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act are first steps toward bringing manufacturing back from overseas. As congressman, I would go further by supporting additional investments through loans and grants to make our region competitive.
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?
The bottom line is that we must secure our border. We can do more to make sure that legal immigration is possible for those who want to come to the United States, while guaranteeing that only those without criminal pasts are entering our country. I support legislation that increases funding to hire additional border patrol and increase the speed in which asylum and immigration cases are adjudicated more quickly. At the same time, we must also be compassionate toward those who are seeking a better life, which means finally allowing Dreamers to stay and offering them a path to citizenship.
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 vehemently disagreed with the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. In Congress, I will co-sponsor legislation that guarantees abortion access. There is absolutely no reason why any woman in any state should be denied the ability to make her own health care decisions. Additionally, I will always fight to protect IVF and access to birth control and stand up to those who attempt to take those rights away.
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?
Every nation has a right to defend itself. My approach to supporting aid would be to make sure that we are taking care of our needs here at home before I would vote to send taxpayer money overseas. We need to make sure that the victims of Hurricane Helene are helped, that our schools are funded, and the least fortunate are cared for. I believe it is time that we begin to put our focus on helping the United States before we look to fund any war overseas.
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?
It is my firm belief that we, as Americans, have much more in common than our political differences sometimes make it appear. When I serve in Congress, I will work across party lines to bring manufacturing back to our region. This is not a partisan issue. We see many congressional districts throughout the region still struggling to recover from the collapse of the steel industry in the 1980s and I will work with members from the districts to help bring these jobs back to the U.S.
