LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — The 120th State House District is a hot seat, with five candidates running in the primary. Two of those candidates are Democrats hoping to take back the seat from the GOP. The incumbent, Republican Aaron Kaufer, is not seeking re-election.
Democrat Fern Leard from the Back Mountain lost to Representative Kaufer in November of 2022. Now, she's back hoping to make it to the general election for a second time.
"I first ran in 2022, and I saw a lot of things wrong with our government as a whole," said Leard.
John Morgan is also vying for the Democratic spot on the November ballot in the place his family has called home for generations. Morgan is the vice chairman of Exeter Borough Council and the EMA director for the borough.
"I feel like my skill set sets me far apart from anyone else in this race. It's hard to deliver on the state level when you haven't delivered on the local level, and I delivered on the local level," said Morgan.
Both Morgan and Leard have experience in politics, just in different ways. Morgan points to helping in the creation of the Wyoming Area Regional Police Force and revamping aging infrastructure in Exeter borough.
"Sure, they're not the most the most attractive projects, because they're underground but they're important projects. Not only that they're good for the environment and they also create jobs. We need to make sure our union people are getting out there and getting the work they need," said Morgan.
Leard has worked in advocacy for the past decade on Capitol Hill, working to get a health care bill passed.
"That's where it all started. My children were born with a rare disease, and I was told there was no cure and no treatment. And I refuse to believe that...Once we found a treatment plan, we found out the main component of it wasn't covered by insurance," said Leard.
With a divided state legislature and an evenly divided district, the two democratic candidates say they're willing to reach across the aisle, if elected.
"Their concerns are my concerns; I don't care what party affiliations you have, or even if you don't have one," said Leard.
"At the end of the day, you need to work with everybody to bring back what your borough or township needs," said Morgan.
Primary Election Day is set for Tuesday, April 23.