U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, has conversation with guests at the Lycoming County Patriots 'Freedom Festival' Saturday in Montoursville. MARK MARONEY/Sun-Gazette

Republican candidates stumped for votes ahead of the November general election, bringing messages their party came with freedom from big government overreach.

Lt. Gov. candidate Carrie DelRosso, running mate of Republican gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Doug Mastriano, predicted a red wave only if voters turn out at the polls.

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-9th Congressional District, said he looked forward to serving a vast part of Lycoming County, including Montoursville, Hughesville and Muncy.

Jamie Flick, candidate for state representative in the 83rd district, gave personal account of how he adopted a “Fresh Air” child from Brooklyn in an anti-abortion message.

State Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township, cited how Democrats are using the word “extreme” to label Republicans and Marcie Lynch Assetta, campaign

director for U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard, representing the 15th district, said Thompson would remain a conservative voice for the constituents, including portions of Williamsport and Lycoming County.

“A red wave is coming in the November election, but we need you,” said DelRosso, a state House of Representatives member from Allegheny County who grew up in Scranton.

As a small business owner, DelRosso said she ran to stop government overreach.

A self-described “baseball mom,” DelRosso said she and Mastriano are upset that hard-working Americans “are getting the tar beat out of them right now with inflation.”

“Josh Shapiro will be an extension of Gov. Tom Wolf,” she said.

She then referred to Wolf shutting down the state during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When we do win, Doug will be a fantastic governor,” DelRosso said, adding he would initiate a plan for restoring Pennsylvania’s energy independence, a goal to stop inflation.

To do that, the Mastriano-DelRosso administration would get rid of the state gasoline tax “because we’re getting killed at the pump.”

DelRosso said supply chain lines need to be put back online so parents can get their baby formula.

She pointed out what she said were stark contrasts between the two parties.

“If you are a Democrat you don’t want to talk about gas prices, you want to talk about these social issues that are indoctrinating our children in our schools right now, and we’ve got to put a stop to it,” she said. “We’ve got to put a stop to the fact that our school districts are not putting our return of investment in our kids,” she said, citing the example of property tax increases.

“What are we getting?” she asked. “Kids who don’t know how to work.”

DelRosso told the crowd she was a fighter and would stand up for what she believes in.

“Sometimes,” she added, “I don’t make friends doing that, but my job is not to make friends … my job is to make Pennsylvania the best state in the whole entire country.”

What DelRosso and Mastriano are doing to curry favor with Republicans, independents and Democrats, alike, is go to events such as the Freedom Festival to raise campaign awareness because she noted Shapiro has $13 million and “he’s killing us on mass media.”

“So call your friends who own businesses and we will set up a fundraiser, a meet-and-greet. We need your help because if we don’t win, I will tell you this — their initiative on the other side is to continue to shut us down,” she said.

Meuser and Thompson’s campaign liaison were critical of the Democrats. Meuser’s primary message was the vote was a privilege and freedom afforded to Americans and an opportunity for the GOP to pick up the House and Senate and return the nation’s policies, and the economy back to how it was during former President Donald J. Trump’s term.

Meuser said he and his team would be available to the people of the 9th district, focused on the programs and activities in eastern Lycoming County and indicating his Dallas office was a short drive east on Route 118 from Hughesville.

In the new year, Meuser will be picking up about half of Lycoming County, along with Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties.

Assetta mentioned the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court and how the congressman was supportive of the decision on abortion returning to the states.

Thompson’s position on life has always been clear. His belief is that every child, every human life, is sacred and has a purpose in this world. The Supreme Court decision returns the authority to regulate abortion to the states, through the people and their elected officials.

Flick gave a personal account of what freedom meant to him with an anti-abortion themed message.

Flick spoke about his adoption of Secoy Roberts, a 6-year-old Fresh Air child from Brooklyn, New York, and how he became his legal guardian — a message of adoption over abortion.

Roberts immediately took a liking to South Williamsport, Lycoming County residents and felt safe and one of their own.

“Secoy felt that the community had opened its arms for him,” Flick said.

He will graduate from boot camp in the Army as an infantry cavalry scout, and Flick also said he is planning to adopt Secoy’s younger brother.

Hamm said under the Democrats controlling the governor’s mansion for the past eight years and White House since 2020 “everything is skyrocketing except pay checks.”

He said the Democrats have reverted to labeling Republicans as “extreme,” but he added a touch of levity by using comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s sketch “You may be extreme if you …”

He touched on abortion, local police department support and jobs.

“You may be extreme if you believe in the smooth functioning of our economy over job- killing regulations, job killing red tape and bureaucrats stifling innovation and job creation,” Hamm said.

“You may be extreme if you care about a clean environment but understand that the climate is constantly changing and that it is being used to justify a massive expansion of government intervention into the environment,” Hamm said.

“You may be extreme if you want the core causes of gun violence such as mental health to be addressed instead of trying to take the rights of law-abiding gun owners away,” he said.

“You might be extreme if you call mothers ‘mothers’ and not ‘birthing persons,’ and you might be extreme if you think people should be able to express their non-woke opinions without being canceled.”