Dunbar faces primary challenge for state House seat in Westmoreland

For the first time in more than a decade, state Rep. George Dunbar is facing a primary challenge to retain his 56th District seat — this time from a political newcomer who contends the incumbent’s Republican credentials are insufficient.

“I believe he is more of an establishment Republican,” said challenger Samuel Wright of Penn Township. “We need to get back to our roots. The true Republican Party used to be that way, for the preservation of the American way of life.”

Wright, 43, a retired military policeman, calls himself a “constitutional Republican.” He is making his first run for public office. Wright served eight years on active duty in the Navy and a dozen years as a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard. He works as a production supervisor for military defense contractor Curtiss-Wright.

Dunbar, 61, of Penn Township is a certified public accountant who was first elected to the state House in 2010. He is seeking his seventh two-year term representing a district that saw its boundary lines altered as part of this year’s legislative redistricting.

The 56th District still includes Irwin, Jeannette, North Irwin, most of North Huntingdon and a small western portion of Hempfield.

No Democrats will appear on the ballot this spring.

Dunbar said his resume speaks for itself and his GOP bona fides were signaled when he was chosen last year as the chairman of the Republican caucus in the state House.

“My message has always been the same. I am a good Republican, a solid Republican who believes government should get out of the way,” Dunbar said. “I stand very proud of my record.”

The Westmoreland County Republican Committee has taken no sides in the primary.

GOP Committee Chairman Bill Bretz said Wright’s challenge of Dunbar is part of a growing far-right movement in the Republican Party, but one that might not reflect local voters’ beliefs.

Still, Bretz said Wright’s challenge and his political viewpoint will ultimately be up to voters to assess.

“We will see challenges with the success we’ve had in the county. We’ll see people with conflicting ideas who want to challenge the status quo,” Bretz said.

Wright criticized Dunbar for supporting Act 77, the 2019 bill that reformed elections in Pennsylvania and allowed no-excuse mail-in balloting.

Republicans, including Dunbar, overwhelmingly supported the election reform bill. Many have backtracked since the 2020 presidential election after unsubstantiated claims of election fraud surfaced. A Republican-backed court challenge claimed the bill violated the state’s constitution.

Commonwealth Court judges sided with the Republicans in a lawsuit decided this year that sought to overturn Act 77. That decision has been appealed to the state Supreme Court, and provisions of the law will remain in place for the primary.

“It’s clear we strayed away from our constitution. (Dunbar) didn’t stand his ground and didn’t challenge Act 77,” Wright said.

Dunbar defended his original support for Act 77 but said the law he supported was far different from how Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration interpreted the legislation. Dunbar said he now wants to amend the election reform to include more stringent voter identification requirements, signature verification on mail ballots and the elimination of drop boxes.

Dunbar rejected claims that the results of the 2020 election were flawed.

“I think there were issues, but I don’t think either side can say the election was stolen. The governor’s administration did some things that were outright illegal, but it didn’t change the results,” Dunbar said.

Meanwhile, the leaked U.S. Supreme Court’s majority decision that would overturn federal abortion protection rights throughout the country figures to place added emphasis on Pennsylvania state lawmakers.

Wright said he favors legislative changes to outlaw abortion in the state, saying he would support a bill that includes provisions to allow early-term ends to pregnancies for mothers whose health would be in peril and for women who were victims of rape and incest.

“I support banning abortion in Pennsylvania,” Wright said.

Dunbar said he, too, supports a legislative ban on abortion and has supported previous bills in the state House that would have limited and banned abortion.

“Let’s wait and see what the Supreme Court does, but I would vote for a total ban,” Dunbar said.