A Campbelltown chiropractor is one of four Republican candidates hoping to succeed the outgoing representative in the state Legislature’s 98th District.
Faith Bucks, 44, says she is running for the office because “it is time to rein in Harrisburg.”
The 98th district seat is currently held by Dave Hickernell, a Lancaster County Republican, who announced in December he would not seek reelection. He has served in the state House since 2003.
Bucks will face three Republican contenders for the seat – Lu Ann Fahndrich, Logan Hoover and Tom Jones, all from Lancaster County – in the May 17 primary. The winner of the primary will likely run against Mark Temons, the sole Democratic candidate in the 98th district, in November.
Read More: Lebanon County voters will have limited choices at the polls for May 17 primary
In an email to LebTown, Bucks explained her platform.
“I believe in limited government, personal responsibility, and freedom,” she said. “It is the job of the government to balance a sustainable budget, protect the freedoms of its constituents, and to follow the state constitution. I believe in the right to life, that each vote should count, and that we all have the inherent right to rule over our own bodies. I am a staunch defender of the second amendment and will vehemently oppose anyone who tries to stifle protected free speech.”
Harrisburg, Bucks said, needs “strong conservatives.”
“Representatives that will strip overreaching power from the governor and unelected bureaucrats,” she said. “Representatives that will work FOR the people. My record has already proven that I am committed to these principles.”
Background
Bucks was elected to the board of supervisors of South Londonderry Township in 2015. Now in her second term, she is serving her fifth year as board chairwoman.
“Through thoughtful planning,” Bucks says on her website, “I have been able to hire two additional police officers and fulfill MS4 requirements WITHOUT raising taxes for the past six years.” (MS4 requirements have to do with stormwater discharge and water quality.)
She has also worked on various local and countywide elections, she said.
Bucks served on Lebanon County’s Republican Executive Committee and, in 2018, was president of the Republican Women’s Council.
“My most recent accomplishment was in the recruitment and successful election of six conservative candidates to the Palmyra school board,” she said on her website. “I passionately believe that parents should make the health and safety decisions for their children, not the school district or Department of Education.”
Bucks earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pennsylvania State University and a doctorate in chiropractic medicine from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. She and her husband of 20 years, who is also a chiropractor, opened an in-home office in Campbelltown in 2003. They have three children.
Top priorities
Asked to name her top priorities in Pennsylvania, Bucks listed “unfunded pension obligations, overspending, and the out-of-control budget.”
Lebanon County voters, she added, are primarily concerned with staffing issues, inflation, and election integrity.
Regarding the ongoing rift between the Republican and Democratic parties, Bucks lays the blame solely on the other party.
“Until the (D)emocrat party recognizes and upholds the Pennsylvania constitution, protects personal freedoms, and insists on ballot integrity, I do believe the divide is insurmountable,” she said in an email to LebTown. “I, myself, will work with anyone that stands for American values, protects liberties, and demands fiscal responsibility.”
If elected, Bucks believes she is up to the challenge of lawmaking.
“There will be a great deal to learn but I am tenacious,” she said. “I will listen and learn from other conservative Representatives to prepare myself for the budgeting process. I have a proven track record as a leader of limited government and fiscal responsibility.”
As the chairwoman of supervisors in South Londonderry, Bucks said she “kept the township open to the public during the pandemic theater. As a parent, I fought to keep masks optional in our schools, and stood for parental rights.”
“I am a candidate of action,” she added. “During my tenure as a legislative aide for Representative Frank Ryan, I have seen firsthand what it takes to be a successful legislator. These attributes and my experience will enable me to be an effective legislator.”
Recent revisions to the state’s voting districts may lead to the election of more Democrats to the Legislature, Bucks said.
“I do not see it changing in the Lebanon County area directly, but our voices may not be the majority any longer in Harrisburg,” she said.
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