WYSOX - Its official. Dr. Davis Haire, of Tunkhannock, has thrown his hat into the race for United States Congress, seeking a seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock.

Haire is the third person to declare their intention to seek the seat. Republican Chris Hackett had announced his intentions to seek the Republican nomination last year while Carney is seeking re-election to another two-year term in office.

Haire made his announcement Tuesday at the Wysox Fire Hall to a crowd of about 60 people. He made similar announcements in Susquehanna and Wyoming counties to a total of approximately 150 people. Haire expects the number of his supporters to grow, hopefully enough to catapult him into the final race in November.

The candidate was introduced by Stacy Bellows of Troy, who called Haire “one of us,” someone born and raised in rural Bradford County. Haire was born in Towanda, grew up in LeRaysville and then Canton. He is now an optometrist in Tunkhannock.

Haire focused his comments Tuesday on what he believes are the current priorities in Washington, including the need to protect our borders, health care, and social security.

Haire believes our nation needs to stop giving amnesty to illegal aliens and one way to do that is to stop allowing them to work in our country and send our money back to their native countries, he said. He also believes that English should be made the official language of the United States.

“We don't have a common background, but we do have a common language,” he said. “And that common language is English.”

Haire suggested medical savings accounts as a way to make health care more affordable for everyone, as well as make citizens more responsible for their own health care. He additionally urged the protection of Social Security, saying the government has borrowed too much from the fund and needs to replace that money.

As an avid sportsmen, Haire said he plans to protect the right for Americans to bear arms. He also plans to protect the rights of the unborn and the rights of the elderly, saying he believes in “the sanctity of life.”

“There are some issues that are just non-negotiable and this is one of them,” he said.

Bradford and Wyoming County and other rural areas of the 10th Congressional District need someone in Washington, D.C., who understands their needs, as well as those of the more urban areas, said Haire.

“We have to have a rural conservative in Washington, someone who knows us and thinks like us. That someone is me,” he said.

Haire's campaign web site is www.DavisHaireforCongress.com and officially launched Tuesday.

January 9, 2008
BILL O ’ BOYLE boboyle@timesleader.com

TUNKHANNOCK – About 100 supporters came to the Triton Hose Co. on Tuesday morning to hear one of their own announce he wants to represent them in Congress.
Davis Haire, a 54-year-old optometrist from Meshoppen, told the gathering he is prepared to leave his “comfort zone” for Washington D.C. because he wants to effect positive change for his district and the country.
“My family settled in the Tunkhannock area 175 years ago,” Haire, a Republican, said. “I’ve been fortunate to live in a great world. We need to change this country’s course or this great world won’t be here for future generations.”
Wyoming County Commissioner Chairman Tony Litwin, also a Republican, said he supports Haire for the 10th Congressional District seat because he’s a good community guy.
“He will do a lot for the rural communities,” Litwin said. “He doesn’t have any baggage; he’s not been involved in politics. He doesn’t owe anything to anyone. That’s a good thing.”
Tunkhannock Mayor Norm Ball, a Democrat, said he supports Haire because he’s a local guy. “There are a lot of issues unresolved,” Ball said. “Davis will get them resolved. Besides, he’s my eye doctor.”
Ball said winning the Republican nomination will be a struggle, but should Haire emerge as the GOP candidate, financial support will flow in from the national party.
With Haire in the race, the Republican field stands at five. He joins a field that includes: Chris Hackett, owner of OneSource Staffing Solutions; Dan Meuser, president and co-owner of Pride Mobility Products in Exeter; Paul R. Swiderski, a self-employed accountant and small-business consultant from Harding; and Donald J. Ely, a retired high school teacher from Sunbury.
Former television weatherman Vince Sweeney is still deciding whether he will add his name to the list. Incumbent Rep. Chris Carney of Dimock Township has no opposition on the Democratic side. The primary election is set for April 22.
Before Carney defeated Don Sherwood in 2006, the 10th District seat was held by a Republican for 44 years – Sherwood for eight years and Joseph McDade for 36.
Haire said he is pro-life and a strong advocate of gun ownership, which he feels is woven into the fabric of rural life.
“I’m an avid sportsman,” Haire said. “I will be a loud voice in Congress that respects gun owners, sportsmen and our rural outdoors way of life.”
Haire said he understands the importance of the right to bear arms. He said he, like many of his constituents, had three guns: a .22 caliber for shooting squirrels, rabbits and woodchucks out of the garden; a shotgun to hunt rabbit, grouse and turkey; and a deer rifle.
“The U.S. Constitution provides us with the right to bear arms,” Haire said. “A gun is needed for protection, sport, food and sometimes to shoot the woodchuck out of the garden.”
Haire said Social Security must be protected and the government has to stop writing IOUs against the fund.
“And we have to repay the debt that has been removed from Social Security,” he said.
Haire said our borders must be secure and under no circumstances would he support offering amnesty to illegal immigrants already in the U.S.
“We must fully fund the border fence, end taxpayer benefits to illegals, remove incentives like wire transfers that keep illegals here and oppose amnesty,” Haire said. “I think Mayor (Lou) Barletta (of Hazleton) has it right. If you don’t allow the export of money by illegals to their families back in their home country, you will alleviate the problem.”
Haire advocates a program to provide affordable health care.
“I will oppose Hillary-style socialized medicine and will be an advocate of reducing the cost of health care by eliminating bureaucrats and middlemen,” Haire said, noting he has been an optometrist for more than 30 years, caring for over 7,000 patients.
Haire said he will fight for the rights of farmers, saying they deserve a fair price for their products and that will help grow the rural community.
“If the farmers do well, the rest of the economy will do well too,” Haire said. “Farmers aren’t in it for the money. They’re not in it for the hours. It’s a way of life and they should be treated fairly.”
Haire said there is a strong need for national leadership on energy, saying it’s an area that will help the economy and create new jobs.
“We have to find energy here and stop sending our dollars across the world,” Haire said. “We can’t continue to let our dollars buy bullets for terrorists to shoot at us.”
Haire said it was time for him to “step to the plate.” He said he believes he can make a difference.
“It’s time I try to do something about it,” he said.
Bill O’Boyle, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at 829-7218.

WYSOX TOWNSHIP — Republican Davis Haire officially announced here Tuesday that he is running for Congress in the 10th Congressional District, and he said he would be a conservative congressman who would do a good job of representing the rural people he grew up with.

Haire grew up in Bradford County and has worked as an optometrist in Tunkhannock since he graduated from college.

“We have to have a rural conservative, someone who thinks like us ... and I think I am that candidate,” Haire told about 40 people who came to hear him speak Tuesday at the Wysox Fire Hall in Wysox.

Haire is one of a number of candidates who are seeking the Republican nomination to run against the Democratic incumbent, Chris Carney.

Haire said he was born in Towanda and grew up in Canton.

Haire, who has two grown children, said he is running for Congress “so that my kids and my grandchildren can have the kind of country that we inherited.”

“I feel very serious about running for Congress because there are so many issues facing our country,” Haire said. “While they are issues, if we take the proper perspective, they will become opportunities.”

Haire said he is pro-life and in favor of protecting the right to have and bear arms. But he said that the country needs to embark on projects, similar to putting a man on the moon, to address its energy problems.

Haire also announced his candidacy on Tuesday in Montrose and Tunkhannock.

Illegal immigration

“I believe the biggest issue facing this country is immigration,” Haire said. “I believe in immigration, but it must be direct, orderly and proper.”

He said there should be no amnesty for illegal immigrants, and he said they should not be entitled to tax-funded benefits.

“We need to take away their incentives to come here,” and one of those incentives is their ability to send money home, he said.

That ability to send money out of the country needs to be blocked, he said.

Haire said that some of the measures advocated by Hazleton mayor Lou Barletta, need to be adopted throughout the country. For example, it should be illegal to not only give illegal immigrants a job, but to rent housing to them, he said.

“If we take away the jobs, if we take away the housing, if we take away the ability to (send money home), I think we’ll start to see the problem of illegal immigration start to take care of itself,” he said.

Also, English, which is the common language in the United States, should be made the official language of this country, Haire said.

He also called for a reduction in government waste, and for the government to pay down the national debt.

He told everyone in the audience that they each owed $30,000.

“That’s your share of the national debt,” Haire said. “We need to pay down the debt. If we did, did you ever stop to think what we could do with the money we waste on interest for the national debt? We could reduce taxes, and do more.”

Social Security

Social Security “has to be saved,” Haire said. “The easiest way to do that is to stop robbing the Social Security Fund. You just don’t touch it.”

The federal government has IOUs for money it has borrowed from the Social Security Fund, he said. “We need to start re-paying IOUs to the Social Security Fund.”

He said he was not in favor of privatizing Social Security, but wanted to establish incentives for people to save for their retirements.

Specifically he said he is in favor of creating special savings accounts that people could put money in for their retirement, and they would get a tax credit for funds they put into the accounts. The savings accounts would be used to supplement their Social Security checks after they retire, he said.

Haire said he would be “the strongest advocate’ for Second Amendment rights, namely the right to have and bear arms.

He also said he would be a very strong advocate for his pro-life views.

“There are some issues that are not negotiable, and that (having pro-life policies) is one of them,” he said.

Haire also said that energy is “a huge issue.”

“I am very disappointed in our leadership” on the energy issue, he said.

“I am a private enterprise guy and I am in favor of small government, but, like going to the moon, there are some issues that are too big and too complicated. They need a nationally coordinated effort to accomplish. And energy is one of them,” he said.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com