Stephanie Fox, domestic violence survivor and victims’ rights advocate, to appear at Congress – CBS Pittsburgh

BRENTWOOD, Pa. (KDKA) – A fourth candidate has entered the race to succeed U.S. Representative Mike Doyle, who will retire at the end of 2022.

Democrat Stephanie Fox brings a unique perspective to this congressional race.

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After 28 years in office, Doyle’s retirement offers a rare opportunity for an open seat, and while we’re not sure exactly what the final Congressional District boundaries will look like, candidates have been lining up for months.

Move over Pitt Law Professor Jerry Dickinson, State Representative Summer Lee, and Pittsburgh lawyer and activist Steve Irwin. There is another Democrat in the race: former Brentwood adviser and Center for Victims attorney, Stephanie Fox.

“I am the only mother in the race,” Fox told KDKA political editor Jon Delano. “I’m the only South Hills contender in the race. I am the only professional advocate who has lived in the trauma field, so I fully understand trauma, depression, anxiety, mental illness and everything that comes with that component.

Fox herself is a domestic violence survivor, who has rebuilt her life and the lives of her children to become a strong advocate for others in Harrisburg and Washington, DC.

“I know all too well what it’s like to be beaten, to be homeless. I have been homeless more than once. I have been out of a shelter twice. I lived in a car and parking lot and in a van with my kids. I have been without. I know what it’s like to come back from a failure like that, ”Fox says.

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Fox says Congress needs someone with their background and experience at the Center for Victims to listen to others and rebuild lives.

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“I’ve been doing this for years. I have rebuilt people and communities with a successful track record. And that’s what we need to see. We need to see somebody out there saying, “Hey, there’s inequality over there. We can do better. But I have proven myself by working without divisions to get things done, ”she says.

On the issue of abortion, Fox says she is pro-choice.

“I have been sexually assaulted myself, so I will never tell another woman what she can and cannot do with her body,” she says.

But the mother of four – two girls and two boys – says more needs to be done to help women who choose to have babies.

“We need to support the choices women make when they choose to keep the child with a future, with more education, with support, health care, long-term care and a game plan. “

Fox says she supports the Second Amendment, but more can be done to keep guns out of the hands of those with mental health issues.

“I believe in tighter checks and background checks. I believe in stronger gun control laws, ”she said.

In a race that already features a socialist a la Bernie Sanders and more traditional and moderate Democrats, Fox refuses to label herself, except to say that she comes from a military, pro-union and working-class family in the tradition of Bob Casey, Teddy Kennedy.

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Primary is May 17th.