One of the Republican candidates hoping for the chance to unseat Sen. Bob Casey visited Pottsville on Thursday.
Tom Smith, 64, of Armstrong County, who is a farmer and owner of a trucking business in Plum Creek Township, said if elected, he plans to cut the reach and cost of federal government.
"I'm running for our children, your children and the children I have. I'm worried to death about their future, with all the deficit spending, with all the national debt we're building up and throwing onto these children. I cannot stand by and see that go on. I have to stand up and say 'enough is enough,' " Smith said at Maroons Sports Bar and Grill, 556 N. Centre St.
More than 50 people were there to greet him, including local dignitaries Schuylkill County Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr. and county Treasurer Jackie V. McGovern.
"It's nice to see people who are running for office stop into Schuylkill County. It's nice to see that they respect the voters enough to come here to listen and try to understand our needs," said Halcovage, who helped organize Smith's tour of the county.
Smith has been traveling through the state on a blue bus emblazoned with images of the American flag and his photo. His day Thursday started in Philadelphia.
"We want to get across the state and talk to as many people as possible," Smith said.
Before leaving the county, Smith's bus stopped at the Sterman Masser Potato Farm in Sacramento.
"We thought it would be a good stop because in the county the number one industry is agriculture," Halcovage said.
Smith, who owns a 400-acre farm, said he has a strong appreciation for agriculture.
"I still live on the same family farm I was raised on. We plant corn, oats, wheat and hay. Four-year rotation. I still run that farm today," Smith said.
In his professional life, he owned two deep mine bituminous coal companies, TJS Mining and Penn View Mining, and one surface mine bituminous coal company, Thomas J. Smith Inc. At the end of 2010, he sold those companies to Rosebud Mining.
"I was hoping when I started my businesses I could pass them on to my children, but the mining industry over the years became so regulated they didn't want it," Smith said.
Today, he also owns a trucking company, TJ Smith Trucking Inc.
His family includes his wife, Saundy, and seven children, Melinda, Jessica, Allison, Lupita, Daisy, Kimberly and Domingo. They range in age from 21 to 38.
Smith is hoping to win a place on the Republican ballot in the April 24 primary.
Meanwhile, Casey, a Democrat, is seeking a second six-year term after unseating Rick Santorum in 2006.