New State House Speaker Bryan Cutler Says Western Pa. Has Republican Legislators Likely To Move Up In House
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With the resignation of House Speaker Mike Turzai of the North Hills last month, the state House of Representatives has elected a new House Speaker.
And unlike Turzai, he does not come from this region.
At age 45, state Rep. Bryan Cutler is among the youngest to be elected House Speaker.
The native of Lancaster is a conservative Republican, but he says he always looks for Democrats to work with in Harrisburg.
"My whole approach up there during my entire tenure has really been the same," Cutler told KDKA political editor Jon Delano on Monday. "I try to find those areas where there's some commonality and some common ground. I always try to find a Democrat to work on major issues with."
His election as House Speaker leaves this region without a Republican in the top five House majority positions.
Delano: "Do you think southwestern Pennsylvania has lost political clout in the state House?"
Cutler: "No, I actually don't."
Cutler says his leadership team reaches out to members from this region, and he says this area has a number of young Republican legislators likely to move up in the House.
As for his agenda in the remaining weeks, the new Speaker points to the budget and the ongoing pandemic, but he says tweaking the election reforms made in the primary is also key.
"Both sides would agree that the legitimacy of our elections is very important, and we need to ensure that every vote is counted, while also maintaining election security," Cutler said.
While his predecessor was sometimes contentious with Gov. Tom Wolf, Speaker Cutler has a different approach.
"One of the things that I personally enjoy with my relationship with the governor is the ability to talk through issues," says Cutler. "We've tackled some tough issues, and we do not agree on everything. But we can always succinctly share each of our sides, and once a decision is made we move on."
