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What’s It Like to Run for State Rep?
On the Trail with Two
Jewish Candidates
JARRAD SAFFREN | STAFF WRITER
W hen we think of political
campaigns, we tend to
paint a specifi c picture in
our minds: an inspiring candidate fi ring
up supporters about the issues facing the
nation. Th at’s what Jewish Democrat Josh
Shapiro’s race for Pennsylvania governor
looks like. It is also what his Republican
opponent Doug Mastriano’s campaign
looks like. Both men are capable of mobi-
lizing hundreds of supporters around
their messages in a matter of days.

Running for state representative is
nothing like that.

It’s not about the candidates or the
issues. It’s not even about the coun-
try as a whole. Instead, it pretty much
comes down to this: Are you willing
to walk neighborhoods in your district,
hour aft er hour, day aft er day, through
spring, summer and fall? And can you
get enough busy residents to give you two
minutes on their front porches?
Two Jewish Democrats, Ilya Breyman
and Gwen Stoltz, are walking their Bucks
County neighborhoods and trying to
convince people that they care, yes, but
also that they exist.

Breyman is running to represent
Pennsylvania’s 178th House district, cov-
ering lower Bucks County towns like
Northampton. Stoltz is campaigning for
the House seat in the 143rd district,
which includes central and upper Bucks
towns like Perkasie. Bucks County is
known as a purple territory on the polit-
ical map, meaning it combines both red
Republican voters and blue Democratic
voters. Breyman has to beat Republican
Kristin Marcell for a seat held by an
outgoing Republican in Wendi Th omas.

Stoltz must topple the incumbent
Republican Shelby Labs.

Both Democrats have done enough
fundraising to top $100,000, with Stoltz
accumulating more than $300,000. Both
have advertised on social media and even,
in Stoltz’s case, on television. But John
Fetterman versus Mehmet Oz this is not.

Unlike that
campaign for
Pennsylvania’s open seat in the U.S.

Senate, Breyman and Stoltz cannot win
by creating over-the-air caricatures of
their opponents. Instead, they must exe-
cute stronger ground games than their
rivals. “You just keep going,” Breyman said.

“Trying to talk to as many people as
possible.” On Nov. 3 and 4, just days before
Election Day, that’s what both Jewish
candidates did. Breyman walked
around neighborhoods in Northampton
Township. Stoltz did a loop around the
hill in the borough of Perkasie leading
down to Kulp Park.

At door aft er door, nobody answered.

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Th at is common during weekday aft er-
noons, both candidates said. Yet both
Jews, who are proud of their identities but
who do not have Jewish-specifi c issues to
campaign on, kept the faith and contin-
ued knocking.

Sometimes a man or woman in ath-
leisure clothes would answer the door
and say they couldn’t talk for long; they
had to get back inside for a Zoom meet-
ing. One Northampton resident had his
headset on when he came to the door. He
said he wasn’t sure if he was voting yet
and went back inside.

Th e walking, the knocking, that split
second you get to convince someone that
you matter more than a solicitor; it all felt
tiring. But Breyman and Stoltz had been
at this for months, starting when they
announced their campaigns in April.

During his summer laps, Breyman was
off ered water by some constituents.

“Today, I feel energized,” Stoltz said.

“Yesterday, I was tired.”
It is always energizing, though, when
a resident steps out of their home and
onto the front porch. Breyman and
Stoltz start racing through their names,
hometowns and most important issues.

(For Breyman, it’s ending the red-blue
divide; for Stoltz, it’s maintaining the
right to an abortion and supporting
small businesses.)
Th en they start asking questions. Are
you voting? What matters to you? Can
I count on your support? Some voters
already know who they are supporting.

But others are not so sure. And to them,
a good conversation can be convincing.

“All right man,” said one Republican-
leaning voter to Breyman. “I appreciate
you showing up here.”
Breyman, Stoltz and their campaigns
have knocked on tens of thousands of
doors. And to do that day aft er day, they
have made sacrifi ces. Breyman no longer
devotes as much time to his educational
tech company Coursalytics. Stoltz needs
her mom to handle dinner for her three
children once a week.

Neither campaign has done much
polling, so they are unsure if they will
win. Th at makes it essential to leave
everything on the fi eld, they explained.

Stoltz said she was looking forward to
election night because she would be able
to relax at home with her family. Th ey
plan to order pizza.

“Th ey are excited and look up to the
fact that I’m running for offi ce,” Stoltz
said. “But they are looking forward to
being beyond Election Day.” JE
H O L D C O U R T.

jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com
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