Preparing to take office at a time of profound geopolitical unrest if elected this year, candidates running for Congress in Western Pennsylvania say they fully anticipate to be immersed — personally — in the ongoing impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The candidates, asked a series of questions by the Post-Gazette about the international crisis, agreed nearly to the word on the high stakes of Russia’s aggression, and how the U.S. should continue to respond swiftly with economic sanctions.
Where they differed was in how they described their own backgrounds and why they believe they’re best suited to hold a seat in Congress at a time when the U.S. ponders its role in response to Russia’s escalation.
Chris Deluzio, a Democratic candidate for the newly drawn 17th District seat that Rep. Conor Lamb has held for two terms, remarked that one of the most solemn duties for a member of Congress is to decide whether to commit Americans to fight. He said it’s important for candidates to be well-versed on issues of foreign policy and how to preserve global peace.
“I think it is imperative to be ready to serve and understand national security issues,” said Mr. Deluzio, an Iraq War veteran. “I’ve worn the uniform, I’ve done it — I’ve been a tool of America’s foreign policy. I understand these issues.”
Mr. Deluzio said Russia’s aggression is a reminder that there are “bad actors out there,” including some who target the very idea of sovereignty. As a result, the Ukrainian people will suffer, with civilians bearing the cost, he said. President Joe Biden was right to take swift, diplomatic action with economic sanctions, he said.
In the nearby 12th District, which is currently the 18th District represented by outgoing Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hill, candidate Jerry Dickinson, a Democrat, said he was shocked to see news of the invasion — that a Democratic nation state was being attacked by another nation state.
It’s heartbreaking, Mr. Dickinson said, to see images of families with children in Ukraine fleeing for their lives. The first steps in cases like this are diplomacy and economic sanctions, he added.
“You have to come down hard,” said Mr. Dickinson, a University of Pittsburgh law professor. “These types of unjustified and unprovoked attacks cannot go unanswered. I think the United States right now is taking the proper steps to impose very stringent economic sanctions, and I suspect there will be more coming down the pike.”
Steve Irwin, a Pittsburgh attorney running as a Democrat for the 12th, said it’s critical to understand the underpinnings of an event that will impact so many people, including the Ukrainian population in Pittsburgh. He recalled attending the international mayor’s conference with then-Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto — noting that Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko attended.
Mr. Irwin, whose grandfather fled Russia to escape religious persecution, said he reacted with great sadness to the invasion, and said he thinks Mr. Biden has been forceful in uniting America’s European allies. He said his 17-year-old daughter asked him if this was going to mark World War III.
“I looked at her and frankly, I thought that after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Warsaw Pact countries seeking to become part of NATO, that no longer were we in a situation where we had to worry about nuclear war, at least from Russia,” Mr. Irwin said.
Bhavini Patel, who is also running in the 12th District as a Democrat, attended the University of Oxford as a student of international relations. She said she thinks the U.S. has done a “phenomenal” job at making intelligence available to the public on such a rapidly evolving issue, something that’s needed to promote peace and prevent war.
She called Russia’s invasion “unprovoked and unacceptable.”
“I think the United States has a responsibility to stand with the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and right to self governance,” Ms. Patel said, adding that candidates for office need to lead with empathy.
Mr. Deluzio said there’s a fundamental idea that citizens ought to have a say in their government and that borders and sovereignty matter. That’s not to say that the U.S. military has to be the “world police,” he said — praising Mr. Biden for his economic actions and his rallying of NATO allies.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin seems to have his mind set on some sort of post-World War II reality of Europe, rather than post-Cold War, Mr. Deluzio added.
“Certainly a post World War II Soviet style sphere of influence in Europe would be problematic for a lot of our European friends,” Mr. Deluzio said.
Mr. Dickinson said he can’t predict how far this conflict will go, but that at this moment, Congress should be figuring out a plan on how to humanely “welcome — with open arms — refugees from Ukraine into this country for health and safety purposes.”
Mr. Irwin said the U.S. needs to prevent Mr. Putin from reuniting the Soviet Union.
“When I’ve been talking about the challenges that we face and the reasons I got into this race, I always talk about existential problems we have in this country — but also globally,” Mr. Irwin said.
“Globally, in my mind, I was thinking climate change,” he added, “and now, the climate has changed pretty dramatically.”
Julian Routh: jrouth@post-gazette.com; Twitter: @julianrouth
First Published: February 28, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
Updated: February 28, 2022, 3:57 p.m.
