I’m Lucia Simonelli.
I’m running for Congress because the systems meant to support working families are broken — and fixing them requires competence, fairness, and responsibility.
I’m not running to perform politics.
I’m running to do the work.
"Democracy thrives when the people own the process."
I was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, to a working-class family. Living without healthcare or financial security taught me early on that hard work doesn't always pay off when the system is unfair. I believe that a fairer society is possible, a society in which everyone can live with dignity and opportunity. And I believe that good policy is the recipe.
Families are paying more for housing, food, healthcare, and energy not because they’re failing, but because the systems we rely on are outdated, mismanaged, and distorted by special interests.
I grew up in a working-class family in Montgomery County without healthcare or financial security. I learned early that hard work doesn’t always lead to stability when the system is unfair.
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That experience shaped how I see government:
not as a stage for ideology, but as infrastructure that must be competently designed and responsibly maintained.
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Good policy isn’t abstract. It’s how we make life livable.
"When the system fails, people pay the price."
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Unrigging the System
Fairness
Access
Everyone deserves fair rules, fair processes, and fair outcomes.
That means fair elections, due process for all, accountable governance, and an end to systems that reward the powerful at everyone else’s expense.
Healthcare, education, and basic stability should be rights — not privileges.
Access is inseparable from affordability, and affordability depends on systems that are designed to serve people, not extract from them.
Artificial scarcity is created by broken systems. Affordability crises are not personal failures — they are policy failures. Fixing them requires modernized infrastructure, responsible planning, and evidence-based governance.
WHAT I BRING
I hold a PhD in mathematics. I’ve spent years as a researcher, educator, and scientific advisor in the U.S. Senate, working on
energy and climate policy.
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That work taught me how policy actually gets made — and how often evidence is ignored in favor of power, profit, and politics.
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I believe government works best when:
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Decisions are grounded in facts and evidence
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Systems are designed for long-term outcomes, not short-term wins
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Fairness is engineered, not assumed
This campaign is about bringing competence back into government.
WHY THIS RACE MATTERS
Healthy primaries strengthen democracy.
Top-down endorsements, consultant-driven narratives, and performative politics have eroded trust in our democratic process.
Primaries should offer real choice — not coronations.
This race is about restoring fairness to the process itself, listening seriously to constituents, and proving that competence and integrity still matter in public life.
OUR CORE VALUES
These are issues I care deeply about, and I'd like to know which matter most to you. If you're a resident of PA-01, please cast your vote at the bottom of the page. We hope to organize a series of discussions to learn more about some of these issues and the policy ideas to address them.
Access
Access means lowering the cost of housing, food, healthcare, and electricity by fixing the broken systems that drive prices up and wages down. Affordability depends on accountability, fair competition, and modern infrastructure — from updating our electricity grid and permitting process to ensuring global relationships work for working families, not monopolies. Access also includes protecting Social Security and supporting the arts and independent public media, which are essential to a healthy, informed society.
Science
Science is our superpower — it should guide public health, national security, and long-term competitiveness, not be bent by politics or corporate influence. Strong science policy means investing in research, protecting its independence, and ensuring Congress has objective, expert guidance when making decisions about emerging technologies and public health. When science leads, we innovate responsibly, prepare our workforce for the future, and make decisions grounded in evidence rather than ideology.
Fairness
Fairness means giving people what they’re owed — fair elections, due process, and institutions that work for the public, not billionaires or special interests. That includes reforming campaign finance, banning congressional stock trading, and restoring full funding and staffing to the Department of Veterans Affairs so veterans receive the care they earned. Fairness also requires leveling the playing field for those without built-in power, through transparency, accountability, and policies that put principle over profit.
Opportunity
Opportunity means ensuring everyone can build skills, contribute meaningfully, and live with dignity — whether through trade schools, community colleges, or advanced technical education. It also means reforming a criminal justice system that prioritizes rehabilitation over revenue and treating immigration as a strength, not a political weapon. A just opportunity framework requires accessible education, a fair and well-resourced immigration process, and policies that recognize people as assets to our society, not obstacles.
Balance
Balance means restoring checks and balances, fixing a tax code that favors the wealthy, and taking climate responsibility seriously. Future generations deserve a functioning democracy, sustainable public finances, and an environment we didn’t exhaust through short-term thinking. That means tightening the tax code before cutting essential programs and ensuring those who benefit most from our economy contribute fairly to the systems that made their success possible.
Safety
Safety means treating healthcare as a right, protecting our most vulnerable, and ensuring communities have the support they actually need to be safe. That includes equipping law enforcement with appropriate training and resources while addressing the systemic injustices that put marginalized groups at greater risk. A society that puts people before profit — especially in healthcare — is not only more just, but fundamentally safer for everyone.