If Mary Ellen Balchunis is successful on Election Day, November 8th, she will leave the halls of academe in January for the halls of Congress. Running for U.S. Congress from Pennsylvania’s 7th District, Professor Balchunis teaches political science at LaSalle University, where she reminds her students that the government should always be, in the words of the Founding Fathers: “we the people, by the people.’’ Fearing that America is beginning to embrace “of the rich and for the rich,” instead, she decided she needed to run for Congress to advocate for restoring the nation’s original values.
One of the issues that is paramount in the Balchunis campaign is gun control. While she firmly supports the 2nd amendment, she believes in legislating the restrictions, which would curb gun violence. Further, she firmly supports background checks and a ban on assault weapons. An early proponent of gun control, she marched with her young daughter in the 2000 Million Mom March. Understandably, she seriously laments the fact that nothing has changed in the last sixteen years. It’s probably worse, because, as she says, “Congress is beholden to the National Rifle Association.”
When Mary Ellen Balchunis leaves the classroom to go to Congress, her constituents in 7th District can be assured that she will be guided by a singular tenet: Restore power to the people.
Submitted, Brenda Mercomes
