The following is a media release sent to TalkErie from the Nouri campaign:
Says Kelly Failed Western PA; Will be an Advocate for Middle-Class Families
Democrat Preston Nouri formally announced his candidacy to challenge incumbent Congressman Mike Kelly in Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District today. Nouri said he is running for Congress because too many young people are forced to leave Western Pennsylvania to find family-sustaining jobs.
Nouri took issue with Kelly’s legislative record, pointing out that Kelly opposed legislation to invest in infrastructure and opposed the Chips and Science Act which is bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. He said that Kelly’s efforts to give special tax breaks to car dealers like himself and passing massive tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires show that Kelly is more concerned with enriching himself than working to stop the economic decline in Western Pennsylvania.
“I am running for Congress because Mike Kelly has failed the people of Western Pennsylvania. He’s demonstrated for years that he’s more interested in increasing his personal wealth and status than increasing opportunities for the people of Western Pennsylvania,” Nouri said. “In Congress, I’ll always have the backs of the hardworking men and women who are doing their best to put food on the table and to raise a family.”
Nouri pledged to focus on increasing access to quality, affordable health care – including access to mental health services and addiction treatment. He said he would prioritize rebuilding and growing manufacturing jobs while investing in vocational training and making it easier to join and organize a union.
“Young people like me are forced to leave Western Pennsylvania because Mike Kelly and other corrupt politicians have shipped jobs to other countries while failing to bring investments and development back home. I was born here, my friends and family live here, and I’m choosing to fight back because this is my home,” Nouri said.
Nouri was born and raised in Erie and graduated from Fairview High School and the University of Pittsburgh. Nouri has worked for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Department of State, Partnership for a Secure America, and currently works in International Affairs and Defense policymaking.
Nouri is involved in the community in several ways, both as a small-business operator and as a volunteer. Preston founded and runs Lawrence Park and Go, a small convenience store in Lawrence Park, Erie, which served as an essential business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He also participates in community outreach and service with the Community Outreach Group, distributing clothing to people in need.
Nouri resides in Fairview Township in Erie County.
