Candidates running in the 17th Congressional District in the upcoming May primary outlined their platforms on various topics during a virtual debate hosted by Robert Morris University and the League of Women Voters.

Republican candidate Jeremy Shaffer did not participate in the event. Republicans Kathy Coder and Jason Killmeyer and Democrats Chris Deluzio and Sean Meloy participated, in two separate panels. The debate was pre-recorded last week.

Each candidate was first asked what they considered to be the top issues in the district, which encompasses Beaver County and portions of Allegheny and Butler counties.

In the Republican forum, Killmeyer, a national security expert, said his main focus was inflation. Coder, a former Bellevue Council member who now owns a business that teaches leadership, identified inflation, the economy and a leadership deficit as the biggest issues in Washington.

On the Democratic side, Meloy, a community leader who would become the commonwealth’s first gay Congressman, cited “right-wing extremism” and the belief among voters that government is looking out for special interests rather than working-class people. Deluzio, an Iraq War veteran and voting rights attorney, said the biggest issues he was focused on include the right to vote, increased living expenses and turmoil abroad.

On the topic of education, Coder said it should “be in the hands of the people and the states,” while Killmeyer suggested abolishing the federal Department of Education.

Meloy said the government should work with families and communities to ensure schools are preparing students for everything from the workforce and trades to two- or four-year degrees. Deluzio said the pandemic highlighted disparities in school resources, and called on the federal government to provide better funding to schools and pre-school programs.

The moderator, Robert Morris University student Kristen Davis, suggested the landmark Supreme Court case of Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion, would likely be overturned this summer. In the Republican debate, Coder and Killmeyer agreed that abortions should be banned after 20 weeks.

The Democratic candidates, however, both wanted to see the legislature codify abortion rights.

When asked about the misinformation and disinformation that have become so prevalent in society, Coder said she just wants to bring people together. Killmeyer argued that the terms “misinformation and disinformation” are used by mainstream media to discredit certain viewpoints, and said limiting them leads to censorship.

Deluzio, however, called it “a real threat to the security of this country.” He called for antitrust legislation to break down big technology corporations that have killed local media outlets while elevating misinformation.

“We have to break their hold on public discourse,” he said.

Meloy said tech companies need to ensure their algorithms don’t incentivize misinformation or hate.

Candidates also discussed their views on climate change and energy production, a topic candidates said was of top importance to local voters.

Coder said it shouldn’t be either renewable energy or natural gas, which she said is “very clean” and something of a “gold mine” in the district.

“We all know we need to be looking and be innovative for renewable sources of energy,” she said. “However, to say that the rest of it is going to go away is not even realistic, and it will take a very long time to get to renewable energy.”

Killmeyer said renewable energies “aren’t ready for the show,” and advocated for developing natural gas and other resources domestically to alleviate soaring gas prices, create jobs and bolster national security.

“It is the right business case and it is the right case from a national security perspective,” he said.

Meloy said the country needs to move toward green energy, while protecting the people working in Pennsylvania’s energy sector today.

“We need the federal government to create a plan to help incentivize new technologies that are manufactured here, that will help make sure we meet the climate goals scientists have laid out.”

Deluzio pointed to the nuclear sector as a good example of clean energy that preserves union jobs. He said the need for clean energy is paramount as the region is already experiencing “extreme weather events” as a result of global warming. He called for investing in infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather and said the goal should be to achieve carbon zero by 2050.

On the subject of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Killmeyer said President Joe Biden “failed to deter Vladimir Putin upfront,” leaving him now with “limited options.”

“The reality is, sanctions don’t stop tanks,” he said.

Coder said she’d like to “step up our funding and our resources that we’re giving the Ukraine people,” but said she would not support sending troops.

Deluzio said he was glad to see swift economic sanctions. Meloy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes and called on Congress to continue facilitating aid to Ukraine.

When asked about how to reduce inflation and create jobs to help the economy rebound, Killmeyer and Coder agreed that the federal government should cut down spending to curb inflation. Deluzio and Meloy, however, blamed big corporations for inflation. Deluzio also said “shaky, foreign overseas supply chains” exacerbate the issue, and Meloy said it should be a sign to raise minimum wage and index it to inflation.

Deluzio said the country should look to bring back manufacturing jobs that were shipped overseas, and pushed for strengthening unions. Both Republican candidates said Pennsylvania should be relying more on energy jobs.

When asked about potential plans to forgive student loans, Coder said students should “think twice when they’re getting them,” and said she doesn’t know where the money would come from to write off the debt.

“All of you should pay down all of your student loans. You’re adults,” Killmeyer said.

Meloy, however, said abolishing student loans would actually help the economy, because people would instead use that money to buy things or launch businesses.

“We need to give people coming out of high school real opportunities to work, to learn, to thrive, without saddling themselves and their future families with debt for a lifetime,” Deluzio said.

On the subject of voter rights, Coder said she wants to see every American citizen who is not a felon vote. She said she supports voter IDs and efforts to help people get the necessary identification.

Both Democratic candidates supported efforts to bolster voting rights.

All candidates agreed that political candidates should disclose campaign donations, and all four were against the idea of additional toll roads, including on I-79.

Both Democratic candidates also supported legalization of recreational marijuana, a question that was not posed to Republican candidates. The Democratic candidates agreed also that they would support efforts to lower health care costs and enforce more stringent gun laws to curb violence. Those topics also were not addressed with Republican candidates.

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