I'm Sam Doctor, by the way.
So I guess I should tell you a little about myself.
I'm a 28 year old Father who works as a crane operator for AK Steel inLyndora, PA, a little town that slowly grew into the surrounding city of Butler, which is located about 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh.
My mother, who was one of the first women to ever work at our plant, retired in 2013 after 36 years of service, and my dad will retire this spring with more than 20 years.
Each of them served as union representatives at certain points throughout their careers at the mill; though both strong conservatives, my parents engendered in me a respect for working people and an understanding of the importance of collective bargaining. I have also served as a union representative.
I'm an avid sportsman, and I continue a tradition that has been passed down through the generations in my family; I raise beagles to hunt rabbits. We currently have a 2 year old Beagle named Tom and a pup named Dizzy. We also have a german shepherd, but he stays home and plays guard dog. When I have time, I'm out in woods and fields two to five mornings a week during hunting season.
That isn't really that uncommon where we live.
You may have heard people say that Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh and Philly with Alabama in between, or heard our state referred to as Pennsyltucky. I think a lot of people are surprised by just how conservative and traditional life can be in Pennsylvania outside its two major cities, and that is a decent way of describing our town. Blue collar values. Trump voters who might also have voted for Obama. It's hard to understand unless you live here, I think.
I was not a very politically engaged person until 2016.
My daughter, Evelyn was born in October of 2016, just before the general election, basically. Even though she was born healthy and strong, through a twist of fate a blood vessel in her brain began to bleed, which developed into a stage three intracranial hemorrhage, resulting in hydrocephalus, which caused seizures and lead to a VP shunt being placed.
By the time we were able to bring her home, 40 days had passed. My wife stayed with her 24 hours a day; I was only able to stay with them for the first two and a half weeks before I had to return to work to keep us financially secure. I returned to the hospital after every shift to be by their side.
Today, she is a healthy and happy little girl, not without her own struggles, one of those being a diagnosis of autism, though it is uncertain whether or not that condition is a result of her brain injuries. In all other respects she has a full and healthy life, and we owe our sanity and her presence in our home to the medical professionals at CHP. Her struggles have given me a new insight into the incredible programs our state offers and how important protecting said programs are.
During the time we spent in the hospital, there wasn't much to do besides research our kiddo's medical condition, change her diaper, and wait for doctors to round and give us more information.
We also watched a lot of television. As you can probably remember, it was an incredibly tense and bitter situation leading up to the election that year. Our friends and neighbors were insulting each other on social media constantly. It was like the whole country had gone mad. Maybe it has always felt like that leading up to a presidential election, but for us, this was new. I have always had my opinions regarding politics but had not been active until this point. When we made it home from the hospital, we were both determined to make the world a better place for her.
I ran for office in 2018 as an independent candidate, and against a 14 year incumbent who had not faced an opponent in 10 years. My dedication to civil discourse and respectful dialogue across party lines earned me allies on both sides of the aisle. More Republicans than Democrats signed my nomination papers. It was bipartisan support that earned our campaign to fight corruption in Harrisburg more than5000 votes last year. We earned more votes with less money and less support on the ground than any other candidate in commonwealth, a fact that is owed to the simplicity of our platform and the integrity of our message. I will work with ANYONE to destroy the culture of corruption in Harrisburg. I will vote with ANYONE who will help to fix our broken system and to repair our people's trust in what should be their most intimate experience with representative government, their state government.
With that spirit of cooperation and willingness to listen I intend to faithfully represent all people in our district. I want everyone to feel that they are heard, especially if they happen to disagree with me.
I'm running again for the same office, after my opponent from last year resigned following a rape allegation.
For those who I'm just now meeting out on the campaign trail or online, here's a list of legislation I have promised to introduce/support if elected.
In no particular order:
Strengthen collective bargaining in PA
Increased documentation requirements for per-diem pay
Gift ban
Paid parental leave
Sunday hunting
Eliminate property taxes for owner-occupied homes
Simplify sales tax exemptions
Legalize and tax marijuana
Stop unnecessary and punitive testing of medical marijuana users at work
Safe nurse-to-patient ratios
Redistricting reform (end gerrymandering)
Return special-fund revenues to general fund.
Raise the minimum wage
In general, I'm a pro-worker candidate. That means supporting legislation that helps working people, plain and simple.
Working folks will remain my first priority as a legislator.
If you'd like to read the legislation I intend to sponsor (not all of these items have legislation already awaiting support in the legislature) just leave a comment here, or send me a message.
If you have any questions, about these items or anything else, likewise, leave a comment or a message and I will reply ASAP.
Our election will take place on May 21st.
There are a ton of videos on my facebook page, both video-town-hall style and infotainment style. Please feel free to explore that page and give us a like if you are in the district and want to follow along with our race.
My Campaign's Facebook pageProof of ID and pups
ASK ME ANYTHING!
