Another candidate tosses hat in ring for 9th Congressional District seat
There has been a Shuster family member in Congress for longer than Travis Schooley has been alive, but now that U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster is ending that family’s 46-year tenure, Schooley is making his third run for the office.
Bill Shuster, 57, who in 2001 succeeded his father, Bud Shuster, in the House of Representatives and on the Transportation Committee, announced last week he won’t be seeking a 10th two-year term in the 9th District.
Schooley, 43, of Waynesboro, Franklin County, ran in the 2012 and 2014 Republican primaries, losing to the incumbent each time.
He served as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army and later the Pennsylvania Army National Guard as a noncommissioned officer for 10 years. Schooley holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Shippensburg University. He worked for the state Department of Environmental Protection in the oil and gas sector.
Project and engineering coordinator for Quincy Township supervisors, he also is head water operator for the township treatment plants.
Citing his success in obtaining grants and other expertise, Schooley said in a news release, “I deal with attorneys, engineers and numerous officials. I love people, am a careful listener, have a knack for research and natural ability to understand and navigate laws and regulations, and I love to be a part of solving problems.”
He said he looks forward to working with President Donald Trump.
The open seat is certain to attract a host of hopefuls to the May 15 primary.
On the same day Shuster made known his current term would be his last, Art Halvorson, 62, of Manns Choice, Bedford County, sped up his planned announcement by a few days and said he’d be making another run for the seat.
Halvorson lost to Shuster by a gnat’s eyelash in the 2016 Republican primary, but revived his candidacy by securing the Democratic nomination, where no candidate’s name appeared on the primary ballot. Shuster then went on to trounce Halvorson in the general election.
Meanwhile, the Chambersburg Public Opinion reported another announced candidate is Benjamin Dayton Hornberger of Shippensburg, Cumberland County, who at age 23 planned a run in 2020 but entered the race when Shuster said he did not intend seek re-election.
The sprawling 9th Congressional District includes all or parts of a dozen counties, including Mon Valley segments of both Washington and Greene counties.