Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Pennsylvania, 2022

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Local ballot measures • Municipal

This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

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• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30

Arvind Venkat defeated Cindy Kirk in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 30 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Arvind Venkat (D)	55.3	18,757
		Cindy Kirk (R)	44.7	15,136

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,893
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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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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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?

Cindy Kirk (R)

Roberto Clemente said, "Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this earth." I feel like now more than ever we need to take a commonsense approach to governing. As a nurse and a mom, I just feel like I must do something. We have rampant inflation and rising interest rates. Folks can’t afford groceries, gas for their cars, or energy to warm their homes, and it feels like there is no end in sight, but it doesn't have to be this way...That is why I am running.

We need grounded reasonable people who focus on working families and their kitchen-table issues. As fuel prices increase, I support a gasoline tax holiday, which would instantly lower the price by .over 58 cents per gallon and return some of the state surplus to our working families when they need it most. As mental health issues crush our kids, we must increase the supply of mental health professionals and the accessibility of services for patients, and we can get started right away with some commonsense licensure reforms, retention incentives, and broader use of technology.

I have knocked on thousands of doors and the one thing that stands out, people are worried. Politics has failed us, and the only way to fix that is to get involved and vote for candidates that care more about their neighbors than politics and special interests. I will fight for us, as I always have. The problems we face are huge, from inflation and a stifling economy to education and healthcare, solving them is not a part-time endeavor. It will require a full-time focus and the kind of hard work that I have done my whole life.

Arvind Venkat (D)

As an ER doc, I have cared for my neighbors in their times of crisis and will bring that experience and perspective in serving them in a new way as their State Representative.

We need legislators who understand how healthcare is actually delivered. I would be the only physician in the General Assembly and can bring that perspective on behalf of our community.

I went into emergency medicine to care for everyone no questions asked and to be a voice for those who often do not have one and can only get care from me in the ER. I understand from my lived professional experience that when we raise the working and middle class, we help everyone and make our communities stronger. I will bring that viewpoint to Harrisburg as our State Representative.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Cindy Kirk (R)

Politics has become so divisive, but it doesn’t have to be. On County Council, I worked with fellow council members regardless of party, and together we solved real problems. We did it with mutual respect and civility. We need a representative who knows how to listen and follow through to tackle the issues we face. As a career nurse, this just comes naturally to me. With compassion and understanding for our families and seniors, I will focus on health care access and mental health, improving our children’s education, and skyrocketing prices Together, we can create better lives and communities for everyone. It can be done, and as a life-long resident, a mom, a nurse, and experienced county council representative, I am ready to serve.

Arvind Venkat (D)

1. We must make healthcare more affordable and accessible. I will fight to reduce copayments, deductibles, and premiums, work to increase Medicaid resources to allow our elderly to age at home, and develop programs to incentivize appropriate staffing in ERs, hospitals, and other acute care clinical settings on which we all depend.

2. My community has seen significant population growth, but our infrastructure has not kept up. I will fight to improve our roads, bridges, sewer systems, parks, and other infrastructure that are critical to the residents of the 30th district.

3. We have seen during the pandemic how poorly resourced our public services - schools, police, EMS, and fire - were. I will work to ensure these vital services have the resources they need to be there for all of us in our time of need.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Arvind Venkat (D)

I look up to my parents who immigrated here from India when I was a baby and built a successful life for themselves and our family while serving their community as physicians. They taught me the value of family, service, and community that informed my decision to become an ER doc and try to serve my community in a new way as a State Representative.

I believe Abraham Lincoln epitomizes what we hope to see in our political leaders - steadfast, values driven, able to change while holding true to their moral center.

I believe Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. exemplify how we can fight injustice in a peaceful, yet effective way.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Arvind Venkat (D)

1. Honesty

2. Integrity 3. Proven Judgement

4. Steadfastness and Ability to Address Crises Effectively

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

Arvind Venkat (D)

I believe my career as an emergency physician and in the community show that I am honest, have integrity, proven judgement, and a tested ability to help my neighbors in their time of crisis. These are the qualities I will bring in my serving as our State Representative.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Arvind Venkat (D)

I remember the Miracle on Ice in 1980. I was 6 years old and can remember feeling excited to see the US win even while there were other struggles like the Iran Hostage Crisis that I also remember from that time.

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

Arvind Venkat (D)

My first job was working as a checkout person at KMart in the summer after high school. I had it for three months. I remember wanting to use my first paycheck to take out my family to dinner and realizing at the end of dinner that I was well short, despite having worked nearly full time over those two weeks. That was the first time I realized the vast gap between what working class people make and what they can afford.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Arvind Venkat (D)

Robert Caro, Master of the Senate - Love both the historical detail and narrative beauty explaining why politics and political power is both ennobling and frightening at the same time.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Arvind Venkat (D)

They belong to co-equal and separate branches of government who must represent their individual constituencies while finding common ground for both local communities and the state as a whole. If both are focused on recognizing these realities, there is grounds for optimism in working together with the natural tensions that come in their political relationship.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Arvind Venkat (D)

1. Ensuring we make healthcare affordable and accessible for all Pennsylvanians.

2. Rebuilding our infrastructure in an environmentally responsible way.

3. Making sure our public services on which we all depend - schools, police, EMS, and fire - have the resources to be able to serve our communities well.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Arvind Venkat (D)

Yes. The only way to get things done is by recognizing that we must understand the perspectives of other members of good faith and common purpose. Building relationships with other legislators is critical to doing so, regardless of party.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Arvind Venkat (D)

I believe we need a non-partisan redistricting process that does not involve those whose offices are being redistricted. Voters should choose their political leaders. Political leaders should not choose their voters.

Both sitting legislators 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?

Arvind Venkat (D)

I had a resident of my district tell me how challenging it was to care for her children and her aging parents during the pandemic while holding down a job where she had to work in person during the pandemic. To me, this exemplified how we ran our public services at the ragged edge and when crisis hit, we shut down as we were unsure of their ability to cope with all the consequences that followed. As an emergency physician, I see similar gaps and want as a legislator to ensure we never have to go through such tragedies again by ensuring our public services have the resources they need to serve all of us.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Arvind Venkat (D)

I believe that every policymaker needs to have a moral center. For me, that is fighting to ensure government is on the side of middle and working class families and that their interests are elevated. From that moral center, one can find compromise on policy making details and that is both necessary and desirable to get things done.

See also

More about these elections:

• Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2022

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