Name confusion may affect voters in local congressional district where candidates have sharply different views
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Voters in the new 12th Congressional District, which includes the city of Pittsburgh, South Hills, Mon Valley and western Westmoreland County, are seeing a familiar name on the ballot this election.
But as political editor Jon Delano explains, it's not the same person you may think it is.
Older voters will remember when the name Bob Casey was such political magic that others with that name won their races, like an unknown Bob Casey of Johnstown who was elected state treasurer.
Democrats worry something similar could happen again.
WATCH: Jon Delano interviews Summer Lee
"No relation at all. It's just a very common Irish name," says Mike Doyle, a Republican councilman from Plum Borough.
Meet this Republican Doyle, who is running to take the seat of the retiring Democratic Congressman Mike Doyle of Forest Hills.
"I need to make sure the Republicans know," says Republican Doyle. "This isn't just me out there trying to fool the Democrats. That's not my intent here."
But Democrats like Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee, who is her party's choice for Congress, worry about the name confusion.
"They're going to be a number of voters who won't be able to distinguish between this Mike Doyle who is a Republican and our Mike Doyle who was the Democratic incumbent for 26 years," says Lee.
Lee says voters need to know the difference and understand that Republican Doyle does not represent their interests.
"He has picked the side of a party that participated in an insurrection," Lee says. "He has picked a party that has picked candidates that align very closely with the former president."
For his part, Republican Doyle says he has a record of working with Democrats and recounts a recent meeting with Mon Valley Democrats.
WATCH: Jon Delano interviews Mike Doyle
"They see that I'm a moderate, and I had about 150 signs in the room with me that say 'Democrats for Doyle,' and they're all gone."
Lee says much more is at stake for control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
"I know what the Republican party stands for today. There is a huge fight for the soul of our democracy," says Lee.
"I don't think you'll see a bigger contrast in two candidates anywhere in the country," says Doyle.
Democrat Lee says a lot is at stake in this congressional election, including abortion rights. Doyle says he's pro-life while Lee is pro-choice.
"Abortion access has really played a key role over the last few months," she adds.
Doyle calls Lee a "socialist" aligned with the progressive congresswomen of color like AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called the Squad.
Delano: "Is it your intention to be part of the Squad if you're elected to Congress?"
Lee: "That's a really good question. It is my intention to work with every single member who is working to advance the issues that we so desperately care about and are so desperately fighting for in the 12th Congressional District."
"I've seen video of her. I've seen a commercial of her actually, where she's saying she wants to defund the police. She considers herself a prison abolitionist," says Doyle. "Those are two issues – I support the police. The fact that she wants to eliminate jails and prisons is mind-boggling to me."
Delano: "Do you really want to abolish all prisons?"
Lee: "I want to work to getting the United States with the rest of the world. Right now, the United States incarcerates more people per capita than anywhere else on the globe."
"I don't believe we are more prone to criminality. I don't believe we invest in those wrap-around services. I don't believe we invest in people; we don't invest in that social infrastructure," says Lee.
These are just some of the issues that divide these two candidates, but two things they both agree on: this is a critical race for Congress and don't confuse this Republican Mike Doyle with the Democratic congressman who is retiring.
