Republican state Sen. Scott Martin seeks another four years against schoolteacher [Voters Guide]

Four years after facing a well-funded challenger in his first race for reelection, state Sen. Scott Martin is on the ballot again, seeking a third four-year term in office.

Since his first win in 2016, Martin has climbed the ranks of the Republican Senate majority and made his mark on a wide range of issues. He helped enact the school violence reporting law Safe2Say, introduced legislation to make it easier to donate to pediatric cancer researchers and advocated spending additional millions on the Clean Streams Fund.

But Martin's advocacy for alternatives to public schools, such as expanding parents' access to public funds to pay private school tuition vouchers and boosting cyber charter schools, has drawn the ire of some Democrats and education advocates.

They say the Martic Township Republican is doing the bidding of mega-donors looking to reshape education in the commonwealth. Martin's largest donors are linked to Pennsylvania's richest citizen, Jeffrey Yass, a committed champion of private school tuition vouchers.

And as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, Martin can play a big role in determining how taxpayer dollars are spent, making him one of the most powerful legislators in the Capitol.

Republican state Rep. Brett Miller faces progressive challenger in 41st District Former superintendent looks to oust incumbent state Rep. Mindy Fee In his first run for reelection, Martin was challenged by Janet Diaz, a popular Lancaster City Council member and active member of the state Democratic Party committee. Diaz's campaign raised $1.5 million, nearly twice Martin's haul, and Democrats believed she could flip the 13th Senate District.

But in a year when former President Donald Trump was at the top of the ticket, conservative voters in Lancaster County turned out in big numbers, benefiting Republican candidates down the ballot. Martin defeated Diaz by almost 15,000 votes, earning 55% of all votes cast.

This year, Martin's opponent is political newcomer Trex Proffitt, a Lancaster city private school teacher who secured the Democratic Party's nomination in the April primary after a successful write-in campaign , garnering more than triple the number of write-ins needed to appear on the November ballot.

Since then, he has spent his time door-knocking around the district, which covers the southern half and northeast portion of Lancaster County and four municipalities in Berks County. Proffitt has also hosted town halls, mounting what he calls a "scrappy grassroots effort."

With less than a month until the election, Proffitt hopes to win over Republicans and independents with a reform platform that includes term limits, an end to partisan gerrymandering and keeping the government out of citizens' private lives.

"We haven't tested this district. It was redrawn in 2022," he said. "Let's test it."

With Roe v. Wade's reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 and new energy from young people, Proffitt said he hopes to capitalize on the potential record turnout of women and college-age voters.

While that record turnout may well happen, Stephen Medvic, the director of Franklin & Marshall College's Center for Politics and Public Affairs, said more people going to the polls also will mean more pro-life women and conservative college-age voters, especially in a district that's more conservative now than four years ago.

Following the 2020 Census, the 13th District was redrawn to include parts of Berks County. Voter registration statistics show Republicans holding a significant edge, with about 48% of registered voters to Democrats' 34%, with independents and third-party voters making up 18%.

Campaign promises If elected, Proffitt says he's committed to protecting access to abortion services, limiting Pennsylvania's greenhouse gas emissions by supporting the state's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and pushing for firearm regulations that reduce risk to those struggling with their mental health.

The last issue is especially close to his heart, after a man who coached his children died by suicide after purchasing a firearm with ease from a now-closed gunshop, Proffitt said.

More than 1,900 Pennsylvanians died by firearm in 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Across the country, suicides by firearm reached record highs last year.

Proffitt moved to Lancaster Township in 2005 with his wife Beth, an assistant dean of student affairs at Franklin & Marshall College. Ten years ago, he unsuccessfully launched the Lancaster Sustainable Enterprise Stock Exchange, named LanX. It was intended to be a way for small businesses to raise money by selling stock.

Martin said in an email statement his top priorities for another four years include reducing high energy costs and continuing to expand the Grow PA program, which creates scholarships for students preparing for high-need careers as long as they remain in Pennsylvania.

"My primary goal is addressing the most serious threats to our Commonwealth and our future prosperity: our economic competitiveness and turning around our demographic decline," Martin wrote.

Before winning his Senate seat, Martin served as a Lancaster County commissioner and was a director of the county Youth Intervention Center. His wife, Amber, is the county treasurer.

Martin was a state and national heavyweight wrestling champion at Lancaster Catholic High School in 1990. At Millersville University, he placed third at the 1991 NCAA Division I East Regionals and became a two-time Division II All-American football player. Fittingly, Martin has made supporting youth sports one of his pet projects in Harrisburg. He helped push the PIAA to recognize girls wrestling as a sanctioned sport last year.

Michael Straw, Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee communications director, said Martin "puts Lancaster County first," touting Martin's work on the Grow PA program.

"Also, he has worked hard to stop tax increases, fight wasteful spending, keep Lancaster communities safe, and support local first responders in Harrisburg and will continue to do so after he's re-elected on Nov. 5th," Straw said.

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Education fight Martin has been outspoken about his support for vouchers, telling LNP | LancasterOnline in June that competition from private schools holds public schools accountable for how they operate. A recent campaign video shows Martin leaning down to chat with backpack-wearing children, accompanied by a voiceover touting his role in securing record education funding this summer.

But Democrats have largely blamed state Senate Republicans for preventing a House bill that would have committed the General Assembly to give an additional $5.1 billion to underfunded school districts over a seven-year period.

This year's budget, which gave K-12 public education a $1.1 billion boost, did not create a private school voucher program, against the wishes of many Republicans in the state Legislature, including Martin.

Proffitt, who teaches at a Quaker school, said he favors diverse educational opportunities but cannot support siphoning money from public education to fund them. Before teaching middle-schoolers math and history, he was a business professor at Franklin & Marshall College.

"If their school is not attractive enough to survive on its own, there's no reason the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania should prop its doors open," he said.

Proffitt, who said he would limit himself to eight years in office, has been critical of legislators who spend long stretches in office. At a September event, he committed to running for the seat every four years until he wins it.

After being in the state Senate for two terms, Martin said Pennsylvanians know he hasn't lost touch, like Proffitt says, and elections every four years are the best type of term limits.

"I believe my life outside the Legislature as a small business owner, husband, and busy

father raising four kids keeps me well-grounded in the concerns of our community," he said, "and the voters know that."

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Campaign finances As of May, the most recent campaign finance reporting deadline, Proffitt had nearly $3,000 on hand, mainly from small donors, family members and himself. The public will not have access to further spending reports until late October, but Proffitt's spokeswoman said the campaign was near $100,000 raised as of October 1.

Meanwhile, Martin reported nearly $700,000 on hand in May from a wide range of individual donors and political action committees. Since 2018, more than $784,000 came from groups supporting private school vouchers.

The groups, Students First PAC and Commonwealth Children's Choice Fund, have received millions from Yass. Leaders with the latter have previously said Yass does not control where the money goes.

Proffitt said Martin's unwavering support for the cause of private tuition vouchers is no coincidence: "I don't think it's trivial that people tend to vote the way their big contributors want them to vote."