Congressional District 7 includes Eldred and Ross townships in Monroe County and Lehigh, Northampton counties.

The following Information is supplied by the Monroe County League of Women Voters.

Susan Wild

Democrat

Address:

Allentown

Online: http://www.wildforcongress.com, twitter.com/wildforcongress, http://www.facebook.com/wildforcongress

Education: American University, B.A., 1978; George Washington University Law School, J.D., 1982

Qualifications: Pennsylvania Super Lawyer: 2010-18; Woman of Influence, Lehigh Valley Business, 2016; President, Bar Association of Lehigh County, 2006; first female solicitor of Allentown, 2015-17; board of directors, Program for Women & Families; board of directors Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley

What are your top three priorities in office?

My campaign is all about families, and that’s why my top priorities in Congress will be: (1) establishing a Medicare-for-all system, so no family has to face bankruptcy due to medical bills or choose between receiving health care and putting food on the table; (2) protecting Social Security at all costs, so no seniors face financial uncertainty after a lifetime earning their benefits and playing by the rules; and implementing campaign finance reform to get dark money out of politics and shift influence from Big Oil, Big Pharma and the billionaire class back to the working class.

If elected, what will you do to ensure that the voting rights of all Americans are protected and that our elections are accessible and secure from internal and external threats?

Protecting voting rights isn’t just an important political topic right now; it’s nothing short of the story of our republic — from the 15th Amendment and the women’s suffrage movement, to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In recent years, efforts to chip away at this progress show the fight isn’t over. When the Supreme Court struck a blow to the VRA four years ago, it was an affront to democracy and we must continue to fight back.

I suggest we start by expanding the VRA, making it more explicit in protecting all Americans’ right to vote, regardless of skin color, national origin or criminal record. I also support making Election Day a national holiday and automatic voter registration. To protect the integrity of our elections, I favor the use of paper ballots — because as we all know too well, if it’s electronic, it can be hacked — and independent commissions at state and local levels to ensure voting locations are protected from tactics of intimidation, confusion and other obstacles.

Tim Silfies

Libertarian

Address:

Hanover Township

Online:

http://timsilfies.com, twitter.com/timsilfies, http://www.facebook.com/SilfiesForCongress

Education: Liberty High School, 1999; Emerson College, 2003

Qualifications: I spent 14 years working as a journalist, most recently as the Business Reporter for Channel 69 News. Previously I produced for John Stossel and co-created two shows for Fox Business Network: “The Independents” and “Kennedy”

What are your top three priorities in office?

1.) Break two-party control in Washington. America is now faced with an unacceptable reality in which establishment Democrats and Republicans are only concerned with beating the other side and increasing their own power, to serve themselves and their special interests. First and foremost, I will fight for you in Washington, not for the interest of a party. Every decision I make will be based on principles and protecting our constitutional rights. 2.) Check the power of the presidency. From war-making powers to trade policy, Congress continually abdicates authority inappropriately to the president. I will fight for Congress to reassert the duties assigned to it in the Constitution. 3.) Work to balance the budget. America faces more than $21 trillion in debt, with unsustainable programs and seemingly never-ending wars. I’ll seek to get our budget under control by reducing spending, reforming inefficient programs, bringing home our troops, and living within our means.

If elected, what will you do to ensure that the voting rights of all Americans are protected and that our elections are accessible and secure from internal and external threats?

It is a duty of government to make certain that all eligible citizens can vote if they choose, and that elections are clean and accurate. It is my belief that the best way to do this, and to protect against threats, is to keep local control of elections. People in their own communities can be trusted better to handle the process of voting than a complicated bureaucracy. I also feel that the use of paper ballots whenever possible, or a documented paper trail confirming a person’s vote was correctly recorded, is a sensible safeguard against manipulation.

Marty Nothstein

Republican

Municipality: Lowhill Township

No response to questions.