Rep. Mike Kelly faces challenge from Justin Wagner in Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District
Democrat Justin Wagner is looking to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly in Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District.
Kelly, who has coasted to victory in the last eight elections, is touting his experience and accomplishments for the district against Wagner, all amid an unpopular war and rising gas and grocery prices. However, Wagner believes this might be the year to end that streak given Kelly's close alignment with President Trump.
"In a way, yes, it is a referendum on the president's policies, and folks like Kelly who just go along instead of standing up for the people in the district," Wagner told KDKA-TV in an interview.
"I am running against a guy that has absolutely no background," Kelly told KDKA-TV in an interview. "That's not a slight of him, by the way. It's just the truth."
While Wagner is an engineer and an Iraq War veteran, he has limited government experience as a councilman in Mercer. Kelly, on the other hand, has become a power broker on Capitol Hill over the past 15 years. While conceding that midterms are sometimes a referendum on the sitting president, Kelly stands on his individual record of delivering for his district.
"If you check my record, you'd have a hard time finding somebody who's done a better job in Congress than I have," Kelly said. "Why would I say that? Well, look at it from 2011 until this year, I have been elected time after time after time by voters. Not just by Republicans, but also Democrats."
If affordability is the main issue in this campaign, Kelly said inflation skyrocketed under former President Joe Biden but is stabilizing under Trump. He also pointed to his own work to reduce expenses for everyday Americans.
"If you were to take a look at the biggest change in the last two years, it's the Working Families Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," Kelly said.
As the senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, he helped craft the Working Families Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, otherwise known as the Big Beautiful Bill, which he said will amount to $191 billion in net tax relief, including no taxes on tips and overtime.
"We saved the average person 22 percent in taxes when they were going to go up," Kelly said.
Though Wagner argues the act actually hurts struggling families.
"Cut to Medicaid, cuts to SNAP benefits, cuts to everything that helps everyday working-class Americans," Wagner said.
Despite unfavorable polling on the war, tariffs and immigration enforcement, support for Mr. Trump remains high in the 16th District, which runs from Butler County up to Erie. But Wagner sees cracks and a potential opportunity with those who supported the president in the past.
"I hope that they see what's happening now is the direct result of the policies of this administration," Wagner said. "And they can take a look and say, 'Hey, we got this new guy. Maybe he has some good ideas. Let's give him a chance and see if he can help us out.'"
Over his eight terms in Congress, Kelly has attained power and influence in Washington, D.C., and has enjoyed the overwhelming support of his constituents. If Wagner prevails, it would be one of the biggest upsets in the country.
