Voter guide to Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election: Hayes v. Lee
What's at stake: Incumbent and longtime progressive champion Summer Lee will face her first re-election test this November, having been elected to the seat long held by Mike Doyle in a tumultuous bid for the office two years ago. The district includes Pittsburgh and a broad swath of outlying communities that include eastern suburbs, the Monongahela Valley, and a portion of Westmoreland County. Lee has been highly visible in efforts to secure Biden Administration investments for the district. But in this contest — as in 2022 — Israel looms large in the political landscape, given that the 12th includes the Jewish community of Squirrel Hill, as well as Lee's public criticism of the country's treatment of Palestinians. Challenger James Hayes hopes to make those criticisms stick — something earlier rivals have failed to do.
District map:
James HayesA first-time candidate with a background in finance and a degree from Georgetown University, Hayes says he got into the race after his 31-year-old son was killed in an as-yet unsolved murder. His platform is a largely familiar blend of social and business conservatism. He favors strong ties to Israel — an issue over which he has attacked Lee repeatedly since the outset of his campaign.
Party:Place of residence:Education: B.S.F.S., international economics, Georgetown University; M.P.A., economics and policy, Princeton University; M.B.A., finance and accounting, University of Chicago; D.B.A, management, Case Western Reserve University. Current occupation: Chief financial officer Related experience: Thirty years experience in finance and industry, six years with the Federal Reserve Supporters/endorsements: Republican Committee of Pittsburgh, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #91 Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Total fundraising (reported as of 9/30/24): $85,846.46 $69,739.79
WESA Candidate Survey
Coming from Western Pennsylvania, I believe that natural gas has the capability to be the most secure, reliable and affordable source of energy in the U.S. and that we should fully develop the potential of this region. I would support legislation streamlining the permit process so that U.S. energy resources, especially those in this region, can be fully exploited and become a source of security and prosperity for the country. I would also use the oversight role of Congress to ensure that the Department of Energy is not placing roadblocks in the way of allowing companies to develop the region's resources.
Illegal border crossing has been a tragedy on many levels over the last three-and-a-half years. This scourge has led to less safe communities, human suffering by the border crossers themselves on a catastrophic scale, an explosion in illegal fentanyl entering the country and resulting drug deaths, and is a contributing factor to the housing shortage and rampant inflation. In that sense it is a tremendously consequential issue for the region. HB 2 was a bill that passed the House and put into law many of the executive orders that the Trump Administration used to virtually end illegal border crossing but was held up in the Senate. I would like to see this bill return as HB 1 when I am elected and would vote for its provisions.
I believe that the Dobbs decision rightly returned the issue of abortion to the states, in keeping with the 10th amendment to the Constitution. Consequently I would not support any national legislation with respect to abortion on either side of the debate.
The US relationship with Israel is absolutely important. Not only is the country our most reliable ally in the Middle East region, but it is one of the most open democracies in the world. Israel is one of the few allies that shoulders responsibility for its own defense and is a net contribution to the security posture of the U.S. I struggle to see the strategic significance of the war in Ukraine for the U.S. The only objective that makes sense is to weaken Russia. However, we can weaken Russia by investing heavily in our energy industry, winning markets from Russia (and Iran) depriving them of funds. This can be achieved without firing a shot.
Summer Lee
The first Black Congresswoman to represent Pennsylvania, Lee has long been a standard-bearer for Pittsburgh progressives. She's lived up to expectations that she would align with members of the Democratic "Squad" in Congress, but she also appears frequently at district ribbon-cutting events, perhaps even more than previous District 12 Rep. Mike Doyle. Lee's 2022 election was bitterly contested by pro-Israel groups, but she overcame big-dollar ad campaigns against her then, and she comfortably won a sometimes bitter Democratic challenge this spring.
Party:Place of residence:Education: B.A., Penn State University; J.D., Howard University; Woodland Hills School District Current occupation: U.S. Representative, 12th Congressional District Related experience: Elected to Congress 2022, serves on House Oversight Committee, state representative (2019-2022) Supporters/endorsements: Lee has backing from the state AFL-CIO and a broad spectrum of individual unions, as well as local, state and federal Democrats who include party leaders in the U.S. House. She is also backed by a number of a liberal advocacy groups including Planned Parenthood, the League of Conservation Voters, and progressive Jewish group Bend the Arc. Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tiktok Total fundraising (reported as of 9/30/24): $2,695,289.50 $1,760,654.67
WESA Candidate Survey
PA-12's deteriorating infrastructure is, as the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse demonstrated, an urgent crisis. Through tireless advocacy and partnership with the Biden administration and our incredible local leader, we've helped deliver over $2 billion in federal funding to PA-12, largely for desperately needed infrastructure projects. We must aggressively go after the remaining funding, and our team knows how to bring those resources home.
Also, to save democracy, protect abortion rights and prevent my constituent's voices from being drowned out by billionaires like Jeffrey Yass, we must pass comprehensive campaign finance, transparency, and anti-corruption reform to get money out of politics.
Immigrants are essential to Western Pennsylvania — our communities, our economy, and our future. Yet Republicans continue to push xenophobic rhetoric and policies that criminalize brown and Black people, treating them as political pawns instead of building pathways to citizenship. Here in Pittsburgh, immigrants help meet labor demands, grow key industries, and contribute millions to Social Security and Medicare. We need to invest in communities, not walls, and we can't let fear and division dictate policy. This fight is about protecting people's lives, not scoring political points on their backs. It is long overdue for us to enact comprehensive immigration reform.
I wholeheartedly support federal legislation to codify our abortion rights and protect reproductive freedoms nationwide. Roe was always the floor and in Western Pennsylvania, abortion access was never reality for Black, brown, poor, or rural folks — with financial barriers and too few clinics. National legislation would look like bills I've already co-sponsored and helped introduce like the Women's Health Protection Act guaranteeing abortion across and comprehensive reproductive health care nationwide, EACH Act overturning the racist Hyde amendment, Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act, and the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act eliminating barriers to reproductive health for our disabled community.
Our greatest foreign policy strength is our diplomatic power. We can resolve conflict without war and prevent regional escalations if we prioritize diplomatic solutions. In Congress, I have and continue to support aid to Ukraine as they suffer from Putin's deadly war. Since Hamas' horrific 10/7 attack, Netanyahu has failed to bring home hostages, killed over 40,000 Palestinians, displaced 90% of Gaza residents and brought widespread famine to Gaza — condemned by the UN, international humanitarian organizations, and President Biden. Any country receiving U.S. taxpayer-funded aid cannot violate our Leahy Law or international humanitarian law, so I cannot support more blank checks to Netanyahu's military.
