With a major focus on gun control, Mary Ellen Balchunis wants to turn the U.S, House of Representatives over to the Democrats. Balchunis is, once again, challenging Republican Pat Meehan for the Pennsylvania’s 7th District seat.
In 2014, Balchunis lost to Meehan by 24 percentage points, 143,265 votes to 87,783. She said in a brief interview during a fundraising event in a private home in Kennett Township on Sunday that this year’s results would be different.
“When the party asked me to run in 2014, they told me the real election was 2016 because the district had been so gerrymandered by Pat Meehan. And in 2016, when Democrats come out with Hillary on the ballot, there would be a historic number of women coming out, and especially now with Trump. I think that adds to our victory, as well,” she said.
Her issues remain the same as they were in 2014. A college professor, Balchunis wants to lower the interest rates on student loans, in addition to protect Social Security and Medicare, which she said Meehan wants to privatize. She also wants to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour and have pay equity between men and women.
Her main issue, though, is gun control.
“I’m passionate about the gun debate, and that’s even more heated now… That’s the number-one issue in this campaign,” she said. “Congressman Meehan told Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Laws that in light of the events in Orlando, he has not changed his position. He will not support a ban on assault weapons.”
(According to newspaper reports, the citizens’ group marched on Meehan’s office on Saturday, June 18, when the office was closed, and Meehan was not in.)
When Balchunis was asked to define what she meant by assault weapon, she said: “Weapons that are used for hunting are acceptable. Weapons that kill mass amounts of people in a very short time, I would describe as assault weapons. The police don’t even have those weapons.”
She said those types of weapons have magazines that can kill people very rapidly.
“Criminals and terrorists shouldn’t have stronger weapons than the police,” Balchunis said.
She favors stronger background checks and closing “the gun show loophole.”
When reminded that all firearms’ sales in Pennsylvania require background checks, even at gun shows, Balchunis said that was not the case in all 50 states and that, “I’m running for federal office.”
Balchunis said she was one of the “million mom marchers” and that she’s been pushing to make communities safer while Meehan has “too many ratings from the NRA and found to be the fourth highest member of the Pennsylvania delegation receiving money from the NRA.”
She thinks the district is winnable.
“We’re being targeted now as ground zero for turning the House blue. With support, with donation and volunteers, we can win this. This is a very winnable district,” she said.
In support of that statement, Balchunis said she’s received endorsements from the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the National Political Women’s Caucus and Pennsylvania’s NOW and AFL-CIO.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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