PITTSBURGH — State Sen. Scott Martin, a Republican who represents Lancaster County, is the latest candidate to announce a bid for Pennsylvania governor.
“I’m running for governor not because I seek some grand title or big lofty perch,” he said during a virtual news conference Saturday. “I’m doing it because I know we can change everything for families and small businesses by focusing on the small things government can actually do, to get out of the way, and to ignite and empower our greatest resource — our people.
“Getting Pennsylvania back on the right path means focusing on people and the things that make their lives better.”
Martin, a state senator since 2016 and a former Lancaster County commissioner, joins a field of more than 10 Republicans vying for the job next year that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf now holds. Josh Shapiro, currently state attorney general, is the only announced Democratic candidate.
Martin’s campaign is centered on the “small things” that can make big change, he said, including a focus on helping small businesses, ensuring local schools serve students and taxpayers, improving public safety and restoring integrity to the election process.
As a state senator, he supported efforts to curb the governor’s power, including a successful constitutional amendment that limited a governor’s emergency declaration to 21 days unless the General Assembly approves a longer duration.
During his time as a Lancaster County commissioner, he said, he ended duplication of some government services, cut costs for taxpayers and eliminated an estimated $40 million in county debt.
He spoke Saturday of his time as a high school and college athlete and the discipline those experiences instilled.
“There’s no reason we can’t shoot for the stars, summit great mountains and win big,” he said. “There’s no reason we can’t restore Pennsylvania to its historic place of greatness and prosperity in this country.
“Unlike career politicians, this old wrestler and college football player knows we will achieve our greatest future by focusing on each and every individual who can make our commonwealth great.”
Martin was raised in Lancaster and graduated from Millersville University. Before getting involved in politics, he was a Realtor and a landlord, and he also served as director of the Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center.
———
