Williamsport, Pa. — A woman hoping to challenge to Congressman Dan Meuser brought her fight to Williamsport this weekend to raise funds.
Democratic congressional candidate Rachel Wallace for Pennsylvania's 9th District went to the Pajama Factory's Clerestory Ballroom the afternoon of March 28, hosting a fundraiser there from 4 to 6 p.m.
Saturday's event was aimed at building the campaign's financial foundation. Tickets ranged from $50 to $100, with different tiers available in how many drink vouchers attendees wanted at the "Pints for the People" event.
About 70 people attended Wallace's fundraising event. Tickets were $50 to $100, depending on how many drink tickets an attendee wanted to buy.
Local support
Several local Democratic officials were in attendance, including Mayor Derek Slaughter, County Commissioner Mark Mussina, and City Councilman Jonah Milliken.
Milliken was marqueed as the event's host, and said he has connected with Wallace several times since she started her campaign in October. He chose the venue because the Pajama Factory is "an old factory that has been revitalized through a lot of hard work and vision," which he believes suited Wallace's mission.
Jonah Milliken has been Wallace's most outspoken ally for her campaign in Lycoming County.
"I think people in Williamsport are ready to see leadership that meets us where we're at. She has energy and momentum, and I'm rooting for her," Milliken said.
Wallace said the funds raised would go toward yard signs, office space, staff, and getting her message out to voters across the district. She is currently battling for the Democratic ticket this November, facing off against Democrats Daniel Byron and Jennifer Brothers before she can go head-to-head with Meuser.
Newcomer to the race with experience in the game
Wallace, a Pottsville native whose family has lived in Schuylkill and Berks counties for "10 generations," is challenging four-term Republican incumbent Meuser.
She comes to the race with an extensive public service background. After graduating from George Washington University, she began her career working for longtime Schuylkill County Congressman Tim Holden. She moved on and up to the State Department, the U.S. Senate, and ultimately served as chief of staff for the Biden Administration's White House Office of Management and Budget. She returned home after her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
"I just felt like the bar was too low," Wallace said on federal officials' work in her district, "and that we deserve representation that is from here, for here, rooted in the community."
District feels like federal 'dumping ground'
Wallace's message has sharpened in recent months around two flash points: ICE detention facilities and healthcare.
Wallace has been vocal in opposing plans to convert warehouse facilities in Schuylkill and Berks counties into immigration detention centers. She described plans for one in the Tremont area, projected to be capable of holding 7,500 people, and located across the street from a daycare center.
"I've talked to the woman who owns it, and she thinks she's going to close her daycare center. This is a part of the state where we have a childcare crisis, and we're gonna lose this daycare," Wallace said.
Feeling for the small community, Wallace held a town hall in western Schuylkill County in January that drew more than 100 people in seven-degree weather.
"This community feels like they're the dumping ground for things that nobody else wants in their backyard," she said.
She criticized Meuser for failing to push back on the proposal, noting that other states have successfully persuaded the federal government to abandon similar facilities.
"He said things like, 'let's make the best of it.' And I don't think the community wants to hear that."
Wallace also weighed in on the broader theme of federal overreach, opposing a proposed national permitting framework for AI data centers and calling for local communities to retain control over infrastructure decisions affecting their water supplies and way of life.
Closing hospitals, people kicked off Medicaid
On healthcare, Wallace pointed to Meuser's vote last year to strip nearly 30,000 district residents of health insurance, arguing it has put local hospitals under financial strain.
"Our hospitals are struggling right now," she said, "and we are looking at hospitals that are considering closing their doors."
The hopeful Democratic candidate also expressed her anxieties on whether Meuser is prepared to face the public and act on issues his constituents have attempted to raise to him.
"I've attended a protest outside Dan Meuser's office. And no one's there. No one's listening. No one's advocating for Williamsport," Wallace said of an oft-vacant Williamsport satellite office rented by Meuser's staff.
When asked how she would appeal to rural voters wary of supporting a Democrat, Wallace was direct: "I am not running to be a Democratic vote. I'm not afraid to bug my party to say what is best for our district."
The Democratic primary is scheduled for May 19.