Ninth District Democrat congressional candidates Jenn Brothers, Daniel Byron and Rachel Wallace each made their case for unseating GOP incumbent Dan Meuser on Monday.
There was a noticeable lack of drama at the online forum moderated by the Schuylkill County Young Democrats. Rather than taking on each other, the candidates presented their positions while mostly reserving their criticism for Meuser and the Trump administration.
Wallace, a Pottsville native and former chief of staff for the Office of Management and Budget, said Meuser has doubled his wealth since he took office in 2019, focusing on his stock trades while doing little to solve his district’s problems.
Brothers, who lives in Susquehanna County and worked as a private investigator and in education and banking, noted that Meuser has voted against infrastructure bills when too many Pennsylvania roads are in bad shape.
Byron, a retail manager from Williamsport, said Meuser hasn’t delivered anything for women, LGBTQ+ people or racial minority groups.
But he also expressed dissatisfaction with the Democrats in Washington and said he wants to bring “meaningful, real change that isn’t party-based.”
Brothers, however, said she believes Democrats are working for the people’s benefit”. “We may not have always done that successfully,” she added, “but we’ve done it the most.”
Here is how the candidates addressed some issues. Some quotes are condensed and edited for clarity.
Contributions from corporate or ideological political action committees
Byron seesundue influence of money in politics as a major problem, so he won’t take any from “any PAC, corporations, special interests, even organizations that I agree with.”
Brothers said she won’t take contributions from corporate PACs but has accepted them from organizations she’s aligned with, mainly one trying to keep religion and government separate. She also is pro-union and said she doesn’t see a problem in taking funding from such organizations. “You have to have the money to compete at some level with the money that’s going to be thrown at you from the other side.”
Wallace said money is a big problem in politics, but candidates need it to run. “But I will not be taking corporate PAC money in this race. And should I get to Congress, I would be a big proponent of campaign finance reform.”
Making transportation more reliable and accessible, especially in rural areas
Brothers said some people look at transportation as providing bus fare, but it also means maintaining roads. “We can’t travel the way that we used to because the roads in Pennsylvania need repairs. We need infrastructure funding, and we need somebody that’s advocating for infrastructure funding.”
Byron: Transportation is roads and bridges, “but it’s also the buses and the shuttles. Throughout our district, we have some pretty impressive public transit areas.” Expanding public transit allows more working-class people to commute more easily and efficiently, he added.
Wallace said she is proud of working in the White House on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which is funding work by Cabela’s on Route 61. Meuser, who voted against it, “should not get to take credit for any of those projects that are happening in our district … My bottom line is always going to be what’s best for our district and making sure that we have the funding that we need for community projects.”
Bills the candidates would focus on this week if they were in Congress
Brothers: Making sure people have what they need during the shutdown and “anything that we can bolster small businesses with because if we can build them up, we can stop being as reliant on corporations that aren’t necessarily doing the right thing.” She also said she is in favor of the Protecting the Right (for workers) To Organize Act if it can be adjusted for gig work.
Byron said he would focus on the ramifications of the agreement eight Democratic senators made with Republicans to reopen the government. “What the Republican Party offered us as a deal was that you can either starve or you can have no healthcare next year. That’s an unfortunate decision that we had to make.”
Wallace: “Congress needs to do its basic job, which is to get a new budget for this year passed,” but she said the plan seems to be continue last year’s funding. If that happens, she said, $1 million that was due to go to a new dental college in Tamaqua wouldn’t come, “and there are many other projects throughout the district that are waiting for new funding so that they can be completed.” Other priorities include lowering electricity bills and fixing health care, and Congress must “take back its power of the purse and end the tariffs.
Providing health care, including for women and improving access to mental health services
Byron pointed to drug epidemics, alcoholism and gun violence stemming from inadequate access to mental health services. He would look for ways to keep people with degrees in those fields in the district. Women’s health care is expensive, he said, and our country should move toward Medicare for all. “I know that we’re going to still have a Republican president in 2026, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to get things done.”
Wallace said she has seen great mental health programs. “They need funding so that we can do more of those.” Dan Meuser should not be involved in anyone’s reproductive health decision. Her first bill in Congress would ban prior authorizations by insurance companies, cap out-of -pocket medical expenses for everyone and limit the amount of health insurance premiums that go to executives’ pay.
Brothers said she supports moving toward a single-payer system. As a rape survivor, she said laws like the Violence against Women Act are wonderful but need an enforcement mechanism so that they are applied the same way in every state.
Renewable energy
Wallace advocates “an all-of-the-above energy approach. Pennsylvania has a lot of resources to offer, including solar and wind, and we need to take advantage that.” The increase of AI data centers in the district will be “a huge problem here, not just for our electric bills, but also for our water tables. Everyone who’s got a faucet should be worried about that.”
Brothers: Power companies can’t be allowed to gouge consumers “just because they can,” and cleaner energy should be integrated in the mix.
Byron said he thinks the U.S. is heading in the right direction when it comes to green energy even though “this administration makes it feel like that’s not the case.” He said geothermal has potential because technology is making it more feasible to drill the wells, and it would provide jobs for people currently working in the fracking industry.
Supporting marginalized communities and giving them a voice in the decision-making process
Wallace saidLebanon’s WEPA program trains people for jobs the community and businesses need. “These programs are here in the district. We need to make sure that they’re funded.” Meuser, she said, has not held a single town hall, while she will commit to showing up and listening to constituents.
Brothers said she has spent her life demonstrating and advocating for people who are underserved, unheard and unseen. “I’m not going to stop just because I get some fancy title and an office in DC.”
Byron said no member of Congress can represent every marginalized community as an individual, but they can build a team of people who can. “I have managed and led teams that have had people from all different walks of life, cultures, races, sexual orientations and genders. We’re able to come together and accomplish tasks because we listen to each other and actually hear what we’re saying. Is Dan Meuser coming into our communities and hearing any of these marginalized communities? He’s not.”
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Howard Pryda
November 14, 2025 at 10:33 pm
Talk about being out of touch.
Right to organize for gig workers? Good Grief, Gig workers are considered self employed .
Healthcare subsidies for the failed ACA which only serves to enrich insurance companies.
I could go on but from reading their answers none of them are qualified to be in congress. Their grasp of the questions and issues surrounding those questions is not very good and very cocerning.