Race to watch: What voters need to know about Pa. state Rep. Craig Williams and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Moro

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All 203 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are up for election in November. The margins in the lower chamber are razor thin. Democrats hold a one seat majority.

The state House is responsible for drafting laws and assisting the governor with establishing a budget. Each member is elected to serve a two-year term.

Following the implementation of a redistricted legislative map, Democrats seized control of the state House in 2022 for the first time in more than a decade.

While most of the state’s legislative races are effectively decided during the primary, several toss up races will likely determine the balance of power in the state House.

The 160th District, which spans parts of Chester and Delaware counties, is seen by both parties as a competitive race. Incumbent Republican state Rep. Craig Williams is facing off against Democratic challenger Elizabeth Moro.

Republican Craig Williams

Williams, 59, has represented the district since 2021. He grew up as a self-described “military brat.”

His family settled down in Alaska in the 1970s. Williams graduated from Duke University in 1987 where he received a bachelor’s degree in public policy.

After college, Williams immediately joined the United States Marine Corps where he made a name for himself as a combat pilot in the Gulf War. Williams attended law school at the University of Florida while enlisted and later became the top prosecutor on a Marine base. He left active duty in 2000.

Under the George W. Bush Administration, he worked as deputy legal counsel for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Williams was also a prosecutor on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He later served as a federal attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice — where he met his wife, Jennifer.

“As most people will know — once you fall in love with a Philadelphia girl — there’s not much conversation left about where you’re going to live,” Williams said. “So, we moved to Delaware County probably about 20 years ago and I’ve been here since then.”

As a federal attorney in Denver and Philadelphia, Williams spent his time prosecuting drug and gun crimes and fighting public corruption. He said that experience taught him about the importance of collaboration.

“I found, believe it or not, that that applies equally to politics,” Williams said. “One thing that Democrats would say about me is that I work hard with them to solve problems — that I don’t bring to the conversation at the outset a kind of natural combativeness. In other words, I’m constantly trying to solve problems.”

In 2008, he made an unsuccessful bid for Congress against former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak. From 2009 to 2020, Williams worked as assistant general counsel for the energy company PECO. He was elected to the state legislature in 2020.

“As I have said my whole life, God writes straight with crooked lines, and these crooked lines landed me in the state House, where I’m enjoying myself a great deal,” Williams said. “I love serving my immediate community and it fits me very well.”

The Concord Township resident said his most important role is as a district leader. When the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept across the region, Williams said it was important to him to be on the ground with his constituents, helping them get their homes in order and small businesses restored.

Williams is fired up about inflation and its effect on families. He decries government overspending. If elected to another term, he said he wants to get it under control.

“The other way you get this economy booming is to take full advantage of Pennsylvania’s natural resources the same way we did in the 70s, 80s and 90s in Alaska, where every Alaskan was being paid a dividend for the development of Alaska’s oil,” Williams said. “We can do that. We can do programs like that in Pennsylvania with the resources we have.”

His No. 1 campaign promise is combating crime. He spearheaded efforts to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled in Krasner’s favor. Williams lost in the Republican primary to become Pennsylvania’s next attorney general in May 2024.

He said his passion project is addressing addiction in the Commonwealth.

“I lost my brother in 2020 to an overdose,” Williams said. “And I know what that feels like, I know what it’s like to struggle with a family member who themselves is struggling and I want to be a voice for them.”

His opponent in his previous state house bid bashed his stances on several issues, including his voting record on abortion.

Democrat Elizabeth Moro

Moro, 51, is a small business owner and real estate broker. She was born and raised in Port Huron, Michigan. As one of 12 children, she said it was a necessity to be unique and stand out in a big family. Her father was a radiator repairman and a Korean War veteran. He would come home each day from work and watch the news, which is and that’s how Moro said she got interested in politics.

She graduated from Western Michigan University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy and women’s studies. She spent five years as a program coordinator at the Fetzer Institute.

“For most of my life, I always tried to find a way to serve but did not always feel like that was an appealing place because it can be nasty and I’m not that kind of person,” Moro said. “But in 2017, after the 2016 election, we marched in Washington and I really felt the call to run for U.S. Congress.”

Her bid for Pennsylvania’s old 7th congressional district in 2018 was cut short. The district was redrawn and merged with another area. Party leaders asked her to step down in favor of another candidate. Moro obliged.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she wrote a book. The Civil Graces Project is about what “unites” people. After her book hit the stores, Moro opened Centreville Place: Cafe + Market — which has served as an extension to the message that she wants to convey. Since opening in November 2021, many people have stopped by — including First Lady Jill Biden, Moro said.

Moro was working at her cafe when members of the local Democratic party approached her to run for the 160th District. The Pennsbury Township resident decided to answer the call.

“The last time the Republicans held both the House and the Senate,” Moro said. “They were trying to pass 22 referenda to end up on the ballot to bypass the governor — and one of those issues was whether or not we would have access to reproductive freedom.”

As a mom, threats to abortion rights frighten her, she said. Like Williams’ previous state house opponent, Moro bashed Willaims’ voting record on abortion and gun laws. She said protecting reproductive rights, shielding against threats to democracy and addressing the economy are her top platform issues.

“The average American citizen is out there trying to buy groceries from corporate giants that really have monopolies and we have to be able to stand up to those types of things,” Moro said.

She said as the owner of a small business, she feels the rising costs of food each day. Moro  worked to help save Crebilly Farm in Westtown Township from development. She considers her run at the state House to be an extension of that act of service.

She welcomed her fellow community members to contact her directly if they’d like to speak more.

“I have hopes and dreams for our future and so I’m dedicated to ensuring the future of our democracy, to ensure voters rights, to ensure reproductive rights — that we have the ability to direct our destiny in the way that we dream and that this generation of Americans should not have fewer rights,” Moro said.

Moro is also campaigning on increasing education funding and reducing the cost of health care for Pennsylvanians.