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(Editor’s note: This story was updated at 8:30 a.m. Sunday)
Democratic voters in parts of Cambria County will have a choice between two candidates vying to appear on the general election ballot against incumbent U.S. Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson in Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District race.
Susan Boser of Indiana County and Wade Jodun of Patton Township, Centre County, will face off in Tuesday's primary election, hoping for the 15th District's Democratic nomination.
In the wake of the recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision to draw new congressional districts, Jodun relocated to Patton Township from Mill Hall.
With the re-drawing of district boundaries, Thompson, R-Howard, now represents the 15th District, which includes parts of Centre County, as well as all of Cambria, Indiana, Elk, Jefferson, Armstrong, Warren, McKean, Clearfield, Cameron, Forest, Clarion and Venango counties and part of Butler County.
Jodun -- a self-described federal whistleblower who refused to falsify storm damage estimates after Hurricane Irene -- said he planned to continue campaigning in the days and hours before the primary.
"We're going to continue to canvass and knock on doors, ramp up phone banking and highlight our campaign on social media," he said in an email.
Jodun, a 20-year U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee who has campaigned on an anti-corruption and representation for local residents struggling financially, highlighted his interactions with other Pennsylvanians during his campaign.
"It's been the single best experience of my life," he said. "It's been an honor and a privilege to meet so many wonderful people across this district and hear their stories."
Responding to an email, Jodun described a number of those interactions, remembering a "single mom in Franklin who can't afford child care" and a "young lady in Bellefonte who wants to be a social worker but can't afford college," among others.
"It further demonstrates that people are craving someone who will listen to them and fight for them. Their stories mimic my story as a federal whistleblower; in their hour of need, they have been left without a voice in Washington," he said.
Jodun said he is proud of his campaign and is confident in his chances to win.
"It's been a grassroots effort funded entirely from small donations. We've not taken money from corporations, PACs or anonymous donors," he said. "I think we have a good chance because I think the voters here know they have been neglected and they now have a chance to pick our next member of Congress."
Boser, assistant chairwoman of Indiana University of Pennsylvania's department of sociology, did not return messages seeking comments about her campaign.
Thompson, a Centre County Republican, previously represented the state's 5th District, but a recent redistricting altered his district into the new 15th.
The redistricting was handed down by the state Supreme Court in order to divide districts in a way that wouldn't give a single political party an advantage in elections.
Thompson is running unopposed in this week's Republican primary.
The winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary will face Thompson in November.
Mirror Staff Writer Sean Sauro is at 946-7535.