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Rueben Brock seeks 18th Congressional District seat

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Arguing he will represent people rather than political elites, Washington native and psychologist Rueben Brock has joined the crowded field seeking the seat in the 18th Congressional District that was vacated by Republican Tim Murphy last month.

Running as a Democrat, the 41-year-old Brock has no previous experience in elected office. He’s joining a Democratic field that includes, among others, Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli, former assistant U.S. attorney Conor Lamb, Mike Crossey, a former Allegheny County councilman, and Dr. Bob Solomon, an emergency physician. Despite running alongside candidates with track records and alliances within the party, Brock maintains the lesson of President Trump’s election one year ago this week is anything can happen.

“No one was picking Trump to win, but he did,” Brock explained. “All of the experts would have said that couldn’t happen. And so, when I saw that, it occurred to me that if anyone can win, I’m as good a choice as anyone. That really did inspire me to reconsider my political aspirations.”

Brock owns a private practice in McMurray and is an assistant professor in the psychology department at California University of Pennsylvania. He and his competitors on both the Democratic and Republican sides are gearing up for two competitions – first, a special election to temporarily fill the seat, which will take place March 13 and feature candidates nominated by each party’s leaders, followed by a primary election in May.

The district encompasses parts of Washington, Greene, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Most prognosticators believe Republicans are favored to hold the seat.

Brock said he was lobbying for the Democratic Party nomination for the special election, “but I really have my sights on the primary.”

“I think I actually stack up pretty well in a general election,” he added. “The demographics of the district aren’t as lopsided as people think, but also I think I can be an appealing candidate to conservatives. When it comes to fiscal issues, I actually side with them a lot.”

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