October Surprise

Episode #4 of October Surprise features Kathy Rentz of Lawrence County: “The Republican party of today is not the Republican party I knew back then,” Rentz says. “To me, ‘conservative’ means fiscally responsible. They really worried about our national debt going up. Many that I knew in the Republican party were very kind people. They were good people. All of a sudden, I find my Republican friends mute when it comes to saying, ‘That’s not right.’” October Surprise is a podcast created for citizens by citizens in PA’s new 16th Congressional District. Conversations educate listeners in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, and Butler Counties on key issues leading up to Election Day 2018

Episode #12 of October Surprise features Erie’s Tyler Titus: “The solution to recovery … was creating a sense of community, a place of belonging for addicts, so that they’re not feeling like they have nowhere,” Titus says. “This is for the families that are going through this as well – having another family to connect to. When this becomes a conversation that we’re not afraid to have out loud with other people, we’re going to find that almost every person is touched by the opioid epidemic. Maybe it’s immediate or maybe it’s two steps removed, but everyone somehow has a story that’s related to this opioid epidemic.” October Surprise is a podcast created for citizens by citizens in PA’s new 16th Congressional District. Conversations educate listeners in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, and Butler Counties on key issues leading up to Election Day 2018.

Episode #10 of October Surprise features physician Dr. Joe Talarico of Zelienople: “If you’re fairly wealthy and insured, you could make an argument that you do have the best healthcare in the world (in the United States),” Talarico says. “But it doesn’t apply for the whole system because there are so many people left out. I’ve run into so many people … who had chronic diseases that were not able to afford their healthcare or their medications.” October Surprise is a podcast created for citizens by citizens in PA’s new 16th Congressional District. Conversations educate listeners in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, and Butler Counties on key issues leading up to Election Day 2018.

Episode #9 of October Surprise features Diane Syphrit of Hermitage talking about women’s issues, LGBTQ rights, and Mike Kelly’s in-person town halls, before he stopped holding them: “September 22, 2010, just before the election, Mike Kelly writes – if you want to call it a contract, because he signed it – his personal pledge to the (then) 3rd Congressional District ,” Syphrit says. “I still have one of these documents … that he signed and wrote to the people and he posted this out on his website. He said, ‘I personally pledge to you … that if you will elect me’ – and he had 10 items on there. ‘Number 10: Hold regular town halls.’ He signed that; that happened for one year because in 2011 he stopped doing them.” October Surprise is a podcast created for citizens by citizens in PA’s new 16th Congressional District. Conversations educate listeners in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, and Butler Counties on key issues leading up to Election Day 2018.

The premier episode of October Surprise features Chris Rieger of Butler: “I want to see economic investment in the surrounding communities, not just tucked away in these pockets of massive metro areas,” Rieger says. “I’d like to see more investment in infrastructure and renewable energy – these sorts of emerging industries – to give people in areas like the I-79 corridor a fair shake. … I want to see positive change affect us all, not just in tiny little corners of America.” October Surprise is a podcast created for citizens by citizens in PA’s new 16th Congressional District. Conversations educate listeners in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, and Butler Counties on key issues leading up to Election Day 2018.