In 1st re-election bid, Rep. Reschenthaler faces Democratic challenger Bill Marx

To say Rep. Guy Reschenthaler’s first term in the U.S. Congress was busy might be an understatement.

The Peters Township Republican was elected in 2018 to represent most of Westmoreland County, as well as Fayette, Greene and Washington counties, in the newly drawn 14th District. He was thrust into a Congress that would be mired in a prolonged government shutdown, impeachment of the president, a trade war with China and the corona­virus pandemic.

“It’s been a whirlwind, to say the least,” Reschenthaler said.

Reschenthaler, 37, will attempt to win a second two-year term Nov. 3 in a race against Democrat Bill Marx, 44, who serves as vice president of Delmont Council.

The race pits Reschenthaler — a staunchly conservative pro-life Republican and a steady vote for President Trump — against pro-choice moderate Marx. The Democrat says the district deserves representation from a local resident rather than transplant, who he claims is not in touch with the community he serves.

Before his election to Congress, Reschenthaler served as a state senator, representing a district based in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon, after serving as a district judge. A 2007 graduate of the Duquesne University Law School, he served in the Navy as a JAG officer (lawyer) and prosecuted terrorists in Iraq.

“The biggest difference between me and Guy Reschenthaler is that I’m part of this community, part of this district, as opposed to a carpetbagger from Allegheny County,” Marx said.

When it was redrawn in 2018, the 14th Congressional District saw Democrats hold a slight edge in voter registration over Republicans. It’s a district that Trump easily won in four years ago by 29 percentage points and saw Reschenthaler win 58% of the vote in 2018 over his Democratic opponent.

Two years later, Republicans hold a slight 4,000-voter edge in registration in the district.

Reschenthaler came into a House of Representatives just as Democrats seized back control of the chamber. Still, he quickly carved out a public profile as a strong backer of the president during impeachment proceedings as well as his role on House committees focusing on the judiciary and foreign trade.

Reschenthaler has not shied away from his support of the president, but has also veered away from the White House at times. He voted against lifting Russian sanctions and opposed Trump’s plan to withdraw troops from Syria.

“I call balls and strikes, but I do support the president. It’s very easy to do when he’s on the right side of the issues,” Reschenthaler said.

Those issues, Reschenthaler said, includes elimination of the Affordable Care Act, although his opposition carries the caveat that he wants to retain a key provision to protect individuals with pre-existing conditions. He said he’s against gun control measures, opposes an elimination of fracking, supports investing in the nation’s infrastructure and favors criminal justice reform.

Reschenthaler backs a continued reduction in regulations as a way to bolster the nation’s sagging economy. He said he supports regulation of social media and other large companies he views as monopolies, such as Amazon and Google.

“I’m old-school in my belief that we need less regulations and fewer taxes as the best way to grow the economy,” Reschenthaler said.

Marx served 17 years in the U.S. Marines as a military policeman, and, until he took a leave of absence for his campaign, worked as a history teacher at Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh. A member of U.S. Army Reserve, he came to politics as he worked with an advocacy group to eliminate gerrymandering, the process of drawing legislative districts to maximize political strength.

Marx concedes his candidacy represents a longshot for Democrats, as the state and national committees have largely ignored the race, which political observers classified as being solidly in the Republicans’ favor. According to financial records through September, the Marx campaign has been outspent by a more than 13-to-1 margin.

But Marx insists he’s on the right side of the issues and said voters are responding to his message to support the military, expand background checks for gun owners and enhance the Affordable Care Act. He accused Reschenthaler of focusing more on his national profile than working for his constituents back home.

“We need to focus on the working class. I want to just work for families in this district. My opponent just sees them as a stepping-stone to something else. I don’t care what happens in Kenosha, I care what happens in Monessen, Donora, Washington, Greensburg, New Kensington and Rostraver,” Marx said.