Election profile: Pa. 6th Congressional District

September 27, 2010 (WPVI) -- While it remains to be seen whether the tide of incumbent defeats will continue in November, Democrat Manan Trivedi is banking on it in Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District.

He is trying to defeat veteran Republican congressman Jim Gerlach.

Trivedi is already a doctor and an Iraq War veteran. Now, the Berks County native wants to be the Congressman from Pennsylvania's 6th District.

"I think we need people with real world experience, people who come from different backgrounds running for Congress. So many people are frustrated with Washington right now and I share that frustration," said Trivedi.

Trivedi's running for the seat that Republican Jim Gerlach has held since 2002.

Their race is a twist during an election where elsewhere in the country, it is incumbent Democrats who're fighting off challenges from outsider Republicans.

Gerlach's counting on the support of his Republican base.

"They're revved up and ready to go. They want to see a new Congress in place that will not raise taxes, that will not allow government to continue to grow at this size and spending that it has," Gerlach said.

Even though these two candidates are on the opposite sides of the political spectrum, they do agree on one thing: jobs are the number one issue on the minds of voters.

"When we have an unemployment rate that continues to be well above nine percent for two years, clearly the policies coming out of the Speaker Pelosi-led House and the Senator Reid-led Senate are not the right policies to move this country forward," said Gerlach.

"I keep talking about jobs because that's how you stimulate this economy - small businesses, clean energy manufacturing, infrastructure. That's how we get this economy back on track," said Trivedi.

Gerlach voted against the Health Care Reform bill and the stimulus package.

Trivedi supports the concepts of health care reform and economic stimulus, but says the bills passed in those areas didn't have enough follow-through measures and cost-containment.

Get more Inside Politics »

pennsylvania, election, amy buckman, inside politics, amy buckman

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•