On Saturday, August 23rd, at the Franklin County Visitors Center in Chambersburg, Beth Farnham officially launched her 2026 campaign for US Representative of Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District.
In a room festooned with pink balloons, several Beth Farnham for Congress yard signs, and American flags, Mrs. Farnham delivered her impassioned speech to represent “Everyday Americans” whom she defined as “hard-working families, retirees on a fixed income, veterans, young adults just making their way, public school students, and everyone who is not a multimillionaire.”
Frequently punctuated by applause from the 45 people, including registered Democrats and Republicans, in attendance, Farnham thanked her supporters, starting with family, members of her team, the Democratic committees of Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District, several grassroots groups of the district, and lastly, the over 104k people who voted for her in the November 2024 election, which she lost to current incumbent Republican Representative John Joyce.
To those voters, she stated, “I will not forsake your votes, but we will build upon them for no matter how we are registered to vote, no matter our background, gender expression, race, economic status, education level, religion, we are UNITED.”
Farnham described being united with voters “…in grief over the erosion of our precious Democracy, anger over those legislators who have the power to stop it, but won’t…” and she listed fears over threats to community members, several rights guaranteed by the US Constitution, and national security.
Farnham criticized Joyce as “voting against our interests“ and noted his votes against the Infrastructure Bill, the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Women’s Health Protection Act. She specifically referenced the lead-free pipe project in his home county of Blair, airports in Cambria County, a bridge replacement in Franklin County, and rural broadband in several PA-13 counties as having benefited from the funding of those bills.
Citing statistics from the Office of Governor Shapiro, Farnham also criticized Joyce’s two votes for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4th of this year because, she claimed, “[it] not only removes healthcare from 17,273 PA-13 residents and food assistance from 6,626 PA-13 residents over the next ten years, but with the cuts to the National Institute of Health (NIH), loses 374 jobs and $86M from our district over the same timeframe.”
Prior to reading the Oath of Office she hopes to swear in January 2027, Farnham further stated, “In a congressional district where over 46% of the public school students qualify for free and reduced lunches, multimillionaire John Joyce is clearly not one of us, but if he won’t have the decency to resign from his disgrace, then it is up to us, Everyday Americans, to vote him out and to vote me in.”
She capped it with, “Vote for me and I’ll vote for you.”
With a nod to the Illegal Impoundment Act of 1974 and the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution, Farnham affirmed that she would “check the illegal actions of a president” as a member of Congress.
Wrapping up her speech, Farnham referenced the fact that she had been a registered Republican, but eventually “saw the light and voted against the darkness of fascism, suppression of equality, violence, ignorance, disease, and propaganda.” She then asked her attendees to “shine” like a light and promote her campaign for PA-13 residents who “…voted differently than we did in November of last year [and will] bear the consequences of those votes through job loss, lack of funding, the rising cost of living, the depressed values of our assets, the losses of healthcare, the rise of poverty, and the blight that accompanies it all…”.
Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District unites Adams, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry counties, the western edge of Cumberland County, and the northwestern corner of Somerset County. More information about Farnham’s positions can be found at her website www.bethfarnhamforcongress.com