Second-term Congresswoman Susan Wild, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican Lisa Scheller.

Here are their responses to questions from the Times News:

Congresswoman Susan Wild

Address: Allentown

Background: I’m the daughter of a conservative Republican Air Force Officer father and a liberal Democratic journalist mother - so I often say I was born to be bipartisan. I have lived here for over 30 years, it’s where I started a family, raised my children, and built a successful legal practice. Since Day One in Congress, I’ve been working to deliver for our community: fighting to lower costs, keep good jobs here, make sure seniors and veterans can retire with dignity, and ensure everyone can afford quality health care. I’ll put you first, no matter what.

Your three top priorities if elected to office: My top priority is lowering costs. I’ve taken on Big Pharma to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, passed health care tax credits that make insurance coverage more affordable, and fought to kneecap billion-dollar corporations’ price gouging. Reducing costs remains my priority.

The cost of living has risen dramatically, with no corresponding pay raise for residents. What can be done to battle the escalating Inflation?

Inflation has been a disaster for our communities, especially for those on fixed incomes, and it’s been caused by the reckless spending and anti-energy policies of Joe Biden and Susan Wild. First, we need to put an end to wasteful spending including progressive plans for new corporate handouts and 87,000 new IRS agents. Then, we need to put an end to the anti-energy policies that have prevented America and Pennsylvania from unleashing our energy independence.

Mass shootings have been more frequent in this country. How can this be stopped without infringing on the rights of Americans to own guns?

We must keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals and those who intend to do harm to others. We also need to address the mental health crisis in this country - especially among our youth. Rising crime and public safety remain a serious concern for voters, and if elected I will pledge to crack down on crime and fund the police, not support soft-on-crime policies and efforts to defund the police.

What’s your plan for keeping our jobs from going overseas?

Despite what my opponent says about my record of job creation, I’ve been doing the hard work of supporting American manufacturing right here in our communities. As a businesswoman who’s created hundreds of manufacturing jobs here in Pennsylvania, I know what it takes to bring jobs home. It starts cutting taxes, supporting pro-business policies to create more jobs at home and eliminating onerous government regulations that are restricting the American economy.

What should the top priority be for our foreign policy? Our top foreign policy priority should be to ensure peace and security for Americans. That means fully funding our military, supporting veterans, and securing our southern border. We also need to expand our domestic manufacturing and energy production so that we aren’t dependent on our enemies to heat our home and gas up our vehicles. Finally, we need greater oversight over the foreign policy of this administration so that we avoid more disasters like we saw with the Afghanistan pullout.

The area is heavily populated with older adults, struggling to make ends meet. What can be done to help our aging population?

Our seniors are most impacted by sky-high inflation and the rising costs of health care and prescription drugs. Seniors on fixed incomes are already paying more for gas and electricity, and as we enter the winter, many are facing the prospect of paying astronomical home heating bills. Susan Wild’s solution to high energy costs was a tax-credit for $80,000 electric cars. My solution is to unlock Pennsylvania’s massive supply of energy resources.

Health care costs continue to mount. How can we be sure our vulnerable populations get the coverage they need?

As someone who’s provided high-quality health insurance for employees, I’ve seen the enormous spike in health care costs in recent years. We need to protect Medicare and Medicaid, and I will, but we also need to enact common-sense reforms that are going to bring down insurance costs, like permitting insurance plans to cross state lines. I’ll also oppose the radical government takeover of health care proposals supported by my opponent that will decrease quality of care for everyone.

There is no question that the country is divided right now, between racism, politics and other differences. What steps would you take to heal the country? I’m not a politician, I’m a businesswoman, engineer, and problem solver. I’m running to bring an independent voice to Washington to fight for Pennsylvanian families and ensure the next generation can continue to live the American Dream. My opponent is a career politician who is more interested in playing politics than serving the Seventh District, and it’s time for a change.