This year's race for Pennsylvania State Senate and for the General Assembly in Penn's election district will see two Democratic incumbents facing off against two Republican challengers .
Key issues for Pennsylvanian voters this election season have been education funding — Philadelphia schools are currently struggling to maintain their budget from last year — and jobs creation and health care .
Below is a list of state candidates, and where they stand on key issues:
State Senate
The election for Penn's state senate district pits the Democratic incumbent Christine Tartaglione against Republican John Jenkins.* Tartaglione has been State Senator for Penn's district since 1994 .
On Infrastructure:
Tartaglione: She believes that Pennsylvania should carry out the P.A. Works project, which would create the Pennsylvania Investment Bank, making investments of $1 billion in water and sewer system rehabilitation , $100 million in new business development and $75 million in new technology investment. Other investments include job site training, targeted job creation tax incentives and new home ownership.
On Education:
Tartaglione: She believes, according to her website, that Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's proposal to cut education budget be stopped and that teachers should not be laid off .
Jenkins : According to a Facebook post from April, he believes more education funds should be made available to parents so that they can have the option of letting their children attend the schools of their choice .
On Disability Services:
Tartaglione: She believes the government should provide low-interest loans to disabled Pennsylvanians to purchase equipment that will help make them more independent and employable through the Pennsylvania Assistive Technologies Foundation .
State House Candidates
The election for Pennsylvania's House of Representatives in Penn's district pits former rivals against each other. Republican Ernest Adkins* is running against Democratic incumbent James Roebuck, who was first elected to this position in 1985 . They ran against each other in 2012, in which Roebuck won in landslide, receiving 93.7 percent of the total vote .
On Education:
Roebuck: For him, education is the first priority. He believes that Pennsylvania's education budget should be increased so that Pennsylvania children can have quality education in public schools. Roebuck sponsored the cigarette tax legislation in September to raise tax money for public schools .
On Water Supply:
Roebuck: He believes that the drilling activities of Marcellus Shale are having a negative impact on Philadelphia's water supply. He also believes that drillings should be done in a responsible way that will not pollute the water supply .
On Incarceration:
Roebuck: He believes that prisoners have been treated unjustly. He advocates for to put a system in place to provide compensation to prisoners who receive unjust treatment .
*It is unclear where John Jenkins and Ernest Adkins stand on some of the issues in this article. Neither candidates have easily findable campaign websites, and neither candidate responded to requests for comment from The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.