With less than a week to go before the April 22 primary, church worker Mike Waltner (D) has been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, citing his support for single-payer health care. Waltner is one of four Democratic contenders seeking to challenge Rep. Phil English (R) this fall.

“From our perspective, the best health care system would funnel the greatest number of health care dollars to patients,” said PASNAP spokesman Ed Grystar. “We do not need to funnel money to health insurers who skim off huge sums for overhead and profit.”

In addition to Waltner, businesswoman Kathy Dahlkemper, Erie County Councilman Kyle Foust and attorney Tom Myers are running in the Democratic primary. However, any candidate will have an uphill battle against English, who has held onto his industrial northwestern Pennsylvania seat for seven terms.

— Shira Toeplitz