When she stopped in Pottsville while on the campaign trail Saturday, Laureen Cummings, Old Forge, Lackawanna County, said if elected to Congress, she'll establish an office in Schuylkill County.
"There's no municipality designated yet, but that's something I will definitely do," the Republican candidate said before giving a speech at a Town Hall meeting at Humane Fire Company No. 1.
"That's good. I know she'll serve this area well. We've got to get her elected," said Joe Sterns, Deer Lake, who came out to hear her speak at the fire house.
Organized by the Schuylkill County Republican Committee, the event drew a crowd of 12, including state Sen. David Argall, R-29, who stopped by briefly as a show of support.
In the Nov. 6 General Election, Cummings will face Democrat Matt Cartwright, Moosic, a lawyer with the Scranton firm of Munley, Munley & Cartwright. In the April 24 primary election, Cartwright won the Democratic nomination in the 17th District over U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, Saint Clair.
Cartwright could not be reached for comment Saturday. However, Shane G. Seaver, the campaign manager for "Cartwright for Congress," offered a comment.
"Schuylkill County is an integral part of the 17th District. If elected, we will open an office in Pottsville and plan on having office hours throughout the county, giving greater access of services to the residents of Schuylkill County," Seaver said Saturday night.
The 17th Congressional District includes all of Schuylkill County and parts of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Northampton counties.
Cummings lived her entire life in Lackawanna County. She was born in Scranton and grew up in Moosic. She graduated from Riverside High School in Taylor in 1982. She studied nursing at Marywood College, Scranton, for two years, then transferred to Lackawanna County Area Vocational Technical School, Scranton, where she earned her LPN degree in 1987. She moved to Old Forge in 1988.
Since 1999, she's owned a private-duty nursing agency, Lorimar Home Care, Old Forge. Today, she is CEO and manages 10 full-time certified nurses aides.
"I love what I do. I love my patients. I love nursing. It's a very rewarding career. I get to speak to people who tell me the history of our country who know it better than anybody else. They're amazing people," she said.
She said Obamacare has challenged her business.
"This government has made it difficult for businesses like me to stay afloat. We had more than 50 employees at one time. But if you have more than 50 employees, you have to start providing benefits. Well, my whole competitive edge was the fact that I paid more to the nurses in lieu of benefits. So I had to either cut my nurses's salaries or increase my rates to meet the demands of that insurance burden. So, Obamacare made it tougher. My whole competitive edge was gone with the signature of that bill," Cummings said.
Cummings said this is the first time she's run a major campaign for a public office.
"I was initially running for U.S. Senate and the Republican Party came to me and asked me to switch over to the congressional race. So, here we are," Cummings said.
In her speech at the fire house, Cummings said she will fight to do the following:
- Repeal Obamacare.
- Replace the "complicated tax code."
- Restore "peace and prosperity."
- Establish "an America-First Energy Policy. Stop the war on coal and drill, baby, drill."
- End the war in Afghanistan and bring troops home.