Conversations with Candidates: Christina Hartman

Campaigning is hard. Campaigning during a global pandemic is something else. All of the doors that volunteers and supporters promised to knock for candidates are now closed for the foreseeable future. The strategy that people spent months – and in some cases years – developing is now moot. 

This year Pennsylvanians will not only vote for their choice for President of the United States, but they'll also cast ballots for the offices of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, the Pennsylvania Treasurer, the Pennsylvania Auditor General, and here in Erie County, they'll vote for State Senator and State Representatives as well. 

As campaigns try to figure out what their digital strategies are going to be, we wanted to help inform voters about the candidates who will be on the ballot this spring and, in some cases, to help you learn more about the offices they seek.

Pennsylvania's primary election remains scheduled for April 28, 2020. This year Pennsylvanians have the option to vote by mail. The process is easy and it's an option we hope you'll consider. First, apply for a mail-in ballot at VotesPA.com. Once you've submitted the application, you'll receive a paper ballot in the mail. Fill it out and drop it back in the mail. You can vote early and safely. The Erie County Board of Elections has even agreed to pay for the postage. 

By participating in the 2020 elections with a mail-in ballot you'll ease congestion at the polls – assuming we're still headed to the polls on April 28 (if that changes, we'll let you know) – and you'll be doing your part to help poll workers stay healthy too. It's too easy not to do the right thing. 

So for as long as we're confined to our homes and our screens, we'll try our best to bring our conversations with candidates to you.

Next in the queue is Christina Hartman. She is one of six Democrats seeking the Party's nomination to hold the Office of the Auditor General. The incumbent Auditor General, Eugene DePasquale, is running for Congress this year in Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district. 

Hartman spent much of her professional career in nonprofit leadership before running for Congress in Southcentral Pennsylvania in 2016 and 2018. In our conversation, she outlines that experience and connects the dots to her campaign to be Pennsylvania's next Auditor General.

For more information on Christina Hartman's campaign find her online at christinaMhartman.com.

Jim Wertz is a contributing editor and chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party. He can be reached at jWertz@ErieReader.com and you can follow him on Twitter @jim_wertz.