Springfield Township resident Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh announced on April 5th that she is joining the crowded field running in the 2022 Democratic Party primary for the United States Senate. The primary election will be held on May 17, 2022.

Dr. Arkoosh was appointed to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2015, was elected to a full term the same year, and was re-elected in 2019. She has served as the chair of the board since 2016. Arkoosh ran for Congress prior to being appointed to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and lost in the primary.

Current Senator Patrick Toomey, a Republican, announced earlier this year that he was not going to seek re-election. There are currently 11 Democratic candidates who have filed to run and five Republicans. They are:

Democratic Party
John David McGuigan (website)
Brandaun Lefred Dean (website)
Kyle Christopher Norton (Twitter)
Dr. Larry E. Johnson
Malcolm Kenyatta (website)
Alexandria Gloria Khalil (website)
Alan Michael Shank (website)
Sharif Street (website)
Dr. Kevin Baumlin
Valerie Arkoosh (website)
John Kart Fetterman (website)

Republican Party
Everett Stern (website)
John DeBellis (website)
Martin Rosenfeld (website)
Sean Gale (website)
Jeff Bartos (website)
Kathy Barnette (declared, but not included on FEC filing list as of April 6) (website)

Photo: Val Arkoosh