Elizabeth Terwilliger

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Elizabeth Terwilliger

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

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Elizabeth Terwilliger (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District. She was a write-in candidate in the general election on November 3, 2020. Terwilliger decided to run as a write-in candidate after she was disqualified from the general election ballot.

Elections

2020

See also: Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2020

Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 2 Republican primary)

Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 2 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Incumbent Fred Keller defeated Lee Griffin and Elizabeth Terwilliger in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Keller (R)	71.8	230,072
		Lee Griffin (D)	28.2	90,174
		Elizabeth Terwilliger (L) (Write-in)		0

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Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source

Total votes: 320,246

Democratic election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Lee Griffin advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lee Griffin	100.0	41,313

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There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 41,313

Republican election

Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12

Incumbent Fred Keller advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 12 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Keller	100.0	87,886

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Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 87,886

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Elizabeth Terwilliger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Terwilliger's responses.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a speech-language pathologist. I have been working with infants and toddlers and their families in their homes in Northern PA for almost 20 years. I live in Warren Center, in Bradford County with my husband, Chris and our chocolate lab, Ritchie. I started this campaign because I was fed up with the partisan bickering, the political games and the posturing that divide us, keeping us from moving forwards.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I feel strongly that we need to participate to make the change that we would like to see in the world and that our Representative should be encouraging and facilitating our participation. That's the main focus of my campaign, engaging as many people as possible in discussions about issues.
• We need increased transparency and accountability in government. To that end, I propose single-issue legislation. If we are going to ask people to engage on an issue, it needs to be clear what the issue is and where our representatives stand.
• The government has too large a role in our lives. I believe it should be limited to protecting our civil liberties, health and safety.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about civil liberties. Any public policy that impacts our personal freedoms will have my immediate attention. Our Constitutional rights have been subtly and sometimes not so subtly undermined over the years. We need to stand up to protect our freedoms. The Constitution does not give us rights, it outlines rights that the government is tasked with protecting.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I've spent my career building consensus in challenging situations, helping families find common ground and a path forward. I would bring those skills to Washington. As an outsider, I wouldn't carry baggage of partisan rancor, which would help me be a mediator. I propose single issue legislation to reduce gridlock. In the recent criminal justice reform attempt, each party proposed a package that the other party wouldn't support. Both said they were trying to do something but the other side was obstructing. Meanwhile nothing got done. I would propose one reform at a time, for example a national ban on choke holds. It would be more transparent and accessible to the public, who could then hold their representative accountable.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

An elected representative has a responsibility to be present in his/her district, to stay in touch with his/her constituents. Although we will not always agree on every issue, it is critical that we listen to each other's points of view so that the community is better represented. It would be easy to get caught up in the politics of Washington, party loyalty and what's happening inside the beltway. A representative must remain grounded in his/her district and hold his/her constituents needs as paramount.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was working for my parents on our goat dairy. In addition to driving tractors and caring for animals, we pasteurized and bottle the milk that my Mom delivered all over NY state. I loved it! My parents had a ledger where they kept track of our hours and they paid us accordingly. I had that job until we had to move when I was in 8th grade.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Neil Gaiman's American Gods is my current favorite book. I enjoy the humor and the mythological characters interwoven throughout the story, both obvious and subtle. The journey of the main character, Shadow, is compelling with inflection points that are based on individual choices and on things outside of his control, much like life.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

In January, before the pandemic, I would have said climate change was our greatest challenge, hands down. The pandemic has highlighted disparities in our society that we have glossed over for too many years, unequal access to healthcare, technology, education and more. In May, the death of George Floyd brought to our national consciousness more disparities in our society that we have been looking away from. The biases embedded in our criminal justice system run far deeper that a few rogue police officers. The greatest challenge to our nation over the next decade is building a just society for all Americans. To do that we need to have difficult conversations and engage with as many different people as we can and try to see things from each others' perspectives.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I am a fervent supporter of term limits. We need to bring as many people as possible into political conversations. Too often we listen to the same people over and over on an issue and we, not surprisingly, find solutions that only work for some of us. To engage in more people, I support Congressional term limits. Term limits would not only help to prevent individuals from accumulating personal power over years in Washington, but would bring opportunities for new, more diverse voices, to Congress.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

At the Jersey Shore Farmers Market recently I spoke with a gentleman about his family farm. He told me how his plan to downsize his herd so that he could pass it on to his son was thwarted by his co-op agreement, the distribution system and regulations. He ended up switching from a dairy to a beef herd. He felt trapped by the system and was prevented from doing what he wanted with his farm. We need find ways to bring freedom back to farming.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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