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Democrats in Pennsylvanias 14th Congressional District know there is a steep hill to climb.

Businessman Ken Bach of Smithton or retired U.S. Navy veteran Christopher Dziados of South Strabane will attempt in November to oust three-term Republican incumbent Guy Rescenthaler, who has represented the six-county district since 2019.

Both Bach and Dziados concede the task ahead is difficult. But they insist that although Democrats account for about 37% of registered voters in the district that includes all or part Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette, Greene Indiana and Somerset counties, the current political environment gives the minority party a chance to succeed in 2024.

Redistricting altered the the district prior to the 2022 election and, according to national experts, is now solidly Republican. Its one where former President Donald Trump won by more than 40 percentage points four years ago, based on 202o vote totals.

Rescenthaler is unopposed in the Republican primary.

Rescenthaler hasnt done a lot to endear himself to the constituents, Dziados said. He doesnt show up, he doesnt come back (home), and he aligns himself very much with Trump. There are moderate Republicans not happy with the public image he has.

Bach said Rescenthaler, who is the chief deputy House Republican whip and who has taken on a growing leadership role among the GOP delegation, has focused more on political ambition in Washington and less on his districts needs back at home.

Republicans see Guy Rescenthaler wants to go up the chain of command, and its not what they want, Bach said.

Bach, 56, owns an auto repair business. He has twice run unsuccessfully for a seat in the state House. He served 14 years as a member of the Yough School Board, including four years as its president.

He pledged to represent the district and not his own political views.

The big issue I see in whats wrong with Congress is many there dont represent their district, Bach said. I will represent the people of this district. Im talking about listening and talking to everyday people.

Rescenthaler doesnt have town halls, and he doesnt communicate with the people. He is pushing his own agenda.

Bach described himself as a pro-choice Democrat and said a solution to the abortion issue is improving economic conditions that makes it easier for woman and families to decide to continue rather than terminate pregnancies.

Bach said he supports the bi-partisan immigration bill negotiated earlier this year in the Senate and backs aid for Ukraine and Israel.

The biggest issue I see is that the ultra wealthy are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, Bach said. We have to address that. No one piece of legislation is going to fix that. We have to lift everyone up. Its a long process but it has to be done.

Dziados, 43, retired late last year after a more than two-decade career in the U.S. Army. He served multiple deployments to Iraq, served on staff for the under secretary of Defense and for the last year as a member of the U.S. Space Force staff. A native of Indiana County, Dziados returned to Southwestern Pennsylvania earlier this year after he decided to run for Congress.

He said his political aspirations fomented following the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.

Guy Rescenthaler voted not to certify the election, and not recognize what the voters wanted in Pennsylvania. It was a call to action, Dziados said. I absolutely wanted to come back home and make Congress my full-time job.

He said he his is a full-throated supporter of President Joe Bidens agenda, is pro-choice, favors increasing security along the U.S. southern border and backs financial aide for Ukraine and Israel.

Dziados said he is positioned to run a successful campaign against Rescenthaler this fall.

Both he and Bach would enter the fall race at a significant financial deficit with the incumbent. According to federal campaign figures, Rescenthaler had raised more than $1.3 million for his re-election campaign heading into this year. Bachs campaign listed just more than $2,000 in the bank and while Dziados had yet to file a campaign finance statement.

Dziados said the race will be a referendum Reschenthalers conservative politics.

I think the country wants to get through this period, Dziados said. There are a lot of moderates who remember Jan. 6. They want a steady hand.

Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.

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Democrats Bach, Dziados seek opportunity for fall race to unseat Reschenthaler in Congress - TribLIVE

Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer whose pitched battles with former President Donald J. Trumps supporters on and after Jan. 6, 2021, vaulted him to political stardom, was greeted Tuesday evening in Annapolis, Md., like a celebrity.

But there was also an undercurrent of skepticism among attendees at the Beacon Waterfront Restaurant, where he appeared at a campaign event to bolster his candidacy for the U.S. House.

We have a person here with a proven legislative record, Jessica Sunshine, an Annapolis Democrat, told Mr. Dunn, referring to State Senator Sarah Elfreth, his main opponent in next months Democratic primary. But, she added, You have heart.

But Mr. Dunn, an imposing former offensive lineman who stands 6-foot-7-inches and 325 pounds, didnt shy away from the reason he is running: to save what he sees as democracy on the edge. This moment, right now? It calls for a fighter, he said.

He is not the only one making that case to Democrats.

Over the next three months, primaries in three Mid-Atlantic House districts from the exurbs of Washington, D.C., to Harrisburg, Pa. will test the strength of Jan. 6 memories and whether the battle cry of save democracy will be enough even for Democratic voters who have many other concerns.

For many voters, partisan celebrity is virtually the only factor in their support for candidates like Mr. Dunn, who played a starring role in the Jan. 6 hearings, and Yevgeny Vindman, who goes by Eugene and along with his identical twin brother, Alexander, played a key role in highlighting Mr. Trumps effort to strong-arm Ukraine into digging up dirt on Joseph R. Biden Jr.

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'Save Democracy' Democrats Look to Win Primaries on Anti-Trump Sentiment - The New York Times

FAYETTEVILLE -- The worst-kept secret in college basketball became official early Wednesday when John Calipari was announced as the new men's coach at the University of Arkansas.

It had been widely reported since Monday that Calipari, Kentucky's coach the previous 15 seasons, would take the Arkansas job and replace Eric Musselman, who resigned last Thursday after five seasons to become Southern Cal's coach.

Calipari's hiring became official when the Arkansas Board of Trustees met Wednesday in Little Rock -- some members in person and some via Zoom -- and voted unanimously to approve his contract.

Calipari, 65, has signed a five-year contract with a salary beginning at $7 million per season, according to the Arkansas news release.

The contract runs through April 30, 2029, with a maximum of two automatic rollover years for NCAA Tournament appearances that would extend the contract to 2031. The contract includes a $1 million signing bonus and retention bonuses of $500,000 each year of the contract, along with one-time bonuses for making the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round, Sweet 16, Final Four and winning a national championship.

Calipari, who had an annual salary of $8.5 million at Kentucky, is the highest-paid Arkansas coach ever in any sport. Musselman was paid $4.2 million.

Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks' football coach, has an annual salary of $5.25 million.

"The financial [commitment] is significant, but our program is worth it," Kelly Eichler, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, said when asked about Calipari's salary. "What he will bring to the Arkansas program is worth the expenditure and we're happy to do it.

"I want to say thank you to many people who are contributing and their support for the program is unmatched. So we're very excited."

Calipari led Kentucky to a 410-123 record with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including four Final Fours and the 2012 national championship. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

"It's an exciting day for the University of Arkansas and the state of Arkansas as we welcome Coach John Calipari as our new men's basketball coach," Razorbacks Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek told the board members via Zoom.

News of Arkansas being in serious talks with Calipari broke on Sunday, and his impending move from SEC rival Kentucky became a national sports story.

"I know when I walked the campus the past couple of days there's been a buzz in the air," said UA Chancellor Charles Robinson, who also joined the board meeting via Zoom. "I know there's a lot of excitement out on the campus about this hire."

Board member Ted Dickey assisted Yurachek in finding the Razorbacks' new coach.

"It was a weekend I'll never forget, and probably one our program will never forget either," Dickey said. "During the search process I learned two things: One is that in conversations with coaches across the country, they actually believe we have a top-10 program. I think most of us already believed that anyway.

"The second thing is that we really have an outstanding athletic director. Hunter is well respected, well connected and tireless -- and he can survive on very little sleep."

Board member Kevin Crass thanked UA lawyers David Curran, the general counsel, and Matt McCoy, associate general counsel, for their roles in negotiating Calipari's contract.

Calipari is represented by Tom Mars, an Arkansas law school graduate.

"I had a conversation with [Mars] in which he said he's dealt with a lot of lawyers in Power 5 conferences, and he can't imagine lawyers better than those that represent the University of Arkansas," Crass said. "Unfortunately, athletics has gotten enmeshed in legal issues and I think it's a great comfort, to me at least as a board member who understands good lawyering -- I don't do it, but I can recognize it -- that [the UA] has world-class legal representation.

"Normally I think these deals are done so quickly that you have a term sheet, and then over the course of time, disputes often arise between that term sheet and that final contract. And these lawyers worked extraordinarily hard over the weekend to get a complex document prepared and sent to us, and I think they should be thanked and recognized for that."

The search officially ended six days after Musselman resigned.

"It was fast, it was very fluid," Eichler said. "One minute we were talking to one person, and then talking to another. And for the financial situation, we had to get a commitment from donors who are excited about Coach Calipari. We're thrilled with where we ended up."

Calipari is one of two coaches to lead three programs to Finals Fours along with Rick Pitino.

Before Calipari's four Final Four appearances at Kentucky, he led Massachusetts and Memphis to Final Fours.

Pitino, now the coach at St. John's, led Providence, Kentucky and Louisville to the Final Four.

"By all accounts, John Calipari is one of the premier coaches in college basketball," Yurachek said in a news release. "A national championship coach, a four-time national coach of the year and one of the nation's top recruiters, Coach Cal has consistently demonstrated his ability to attract outstanding talent and build championship teams within the Southeastern Conference and position his programs among the best in the nation.

"As I visited with Coach Calipari during this process, he acknowledged the tremendous opportunity we have at the University of Arkansas to attract and retain top players and compete for championships. He understands the deep passion of the Razorback Nation and has experienced the tremendous home court advantage of Bud Walton Arena.

"I have no doubt that under Coach Calipari's leadership and with the collective support of all those who love the Hogs, Razorback Basketball will continue to maintain its national prominence within college basketball," Yurachek said.

Calipari's on-court record is 855-263 in 32 seasons. He has coached 58 NBA Draft picks, including 21 first-rounders. This season 28 of his former players have been on NBA rosters.

"His resume is incredible," Eichler said. "We couldn't ask for anyone with more experience, or more quality experience. We're excited to have him here at Arkansas."

Eichler was a cheerleader at Arkansas when Nolan Richardson became the Razorbacks' coach for the 1985-86 season. Richardson led Arkansas to its only national championship in basketball in 1994.

"It's exciting to me to see our program progress," Eichler said. "I just think we have all new heights to go to with Coach Calipari."

Musselman led Arkansas to a 111-59 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including Elite Eight appearances in 2021 and 2022 and the Sweet 16 in 2023 before this season's team finished 16-17.

Prior to 2021, Arkansas hadn't advanced as far as the Elite Eight since 1995 when the defending national champion Razorbacks reached the title game again and lost to UCLA.

"I want to say thank you to Coach Musselman for raising the profile of the program," Eichler said. "We're very pleased with where we are currently.

"There's only so far to go up, so we're excited to have Coach Calipari to go through new horizons."

Information for this article was contributed by Sam Lane of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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Calipari officially joins UA - Arkansas Online

A decision by Arizonas highest court upholding an 1864 ban on nearly all abortions created chaos and confusion across the state on Wednesday. As abortion providers were flooded with phone calls from frantic patients, Republican lawmakers at the State Capitol blocked efforts to undo the ban, prompting angry jeers from Democrats.

Democrats, who seized on the decision to resurrect the 160-year-old ban as a pivotal election issue, tried to push bills through the Republican-controlled Legislature to repeal the ban, a move they said would protect womens health and freedom, and also force Republicans to take a formal vote on the law.

But Republican leaders in the Senate removed one bill from the days agenda on Wednesday, legislative aides said. In the House, a Republican lawmaker who had called for striking down the law made a motion to vote on a Democratic repeal bill that has sat stalled for months. But Republican leaders quickly scuttled that effort by calling for a recess, and later adjourned until next Wednesday.

Democrats on the Senate floor yelled Shame! and Save womens lives! as their Republican colleagues filed out of the chamber.

I dont see why we wouldnt move forward, said State Senator Anna Hernandez, Democrat of Phoenix. Are they serious about this or are they not? she said of the Republicans. Are they just backpedaling when they realize theyre on the losing side of a policy battle?

Despite the pressure from Democrats and some Republicans to undo the law, it was uncertain whether Republican leaders, who narrowly control both chambers of the Legislature, would allow any immediate action on proposals to repeal the ban.

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Arizona Republicans Thwart Attempts to Repeal 1864 Abortion Ban - The New York Times

If you want to be the president, you should probably win Wisconsin.

And if you are a Democrat, there is a proven way to do that: Run up the numbers in Dane County, the fast-growing and deeply progressive swath of the state that contains Madison and the behemoth public university that carries the states name.

President Bidens trip on Monday to a technical college in Madison, where he announced a new plan to help pay off student loans, seemed to be part of an effort to build excitement around his re-election bid in a college town that has been a bright spot for Democrats, one seen as crucial to his victory in the state in 2020 and vital to his chances in November.

My district, said State Senator Kelda Roys, a Democrat who represents much of Madison, could potentially decide the fate of the free world.

But this year, amid signs of an enthusiasm gap among young voters and widespread anger on college campuses over the administrations handling of Israels war in Gaza, college towns are emerging as a more complex battleground for Democrats. So I decided to head to Madison myself.

Im definitely a little bit nervous, said Megan Eisenstein, the communications director of the College Democrats group at Lawrence University, who had traveled from her campus in Appleton, Wis., to Madison over the weekend for the statewide College Democrats convention.

I think right now, she added, the hardest thing is to make young people excited about Joe Biden.

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College Towns Usually Lift Democrats. Is the Picture More Complicated in 2024? - The New York Times