Mark Houck, the pro-life father who was acquitted in a lawsuit led by the Biden administration over his activism, announced that he will run for Congress in 2024.
“I am running for Congress to further protect my family, those in the 1st district & the Republic. I will focus on restoring traditional values & principles that are central to the American identity, such as faith, family, & freedom of speech, religion, & the right to bear arms,” Houck stated on his 2024 campaign website.
Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
In January, Townhall reported how Houck was found not guilty of federal charges alleging he violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act over an incident outside an abortion clinic in Philadelphia in October 2021. As Townhall noted, Houck, 48, was accused of shoving a Planned Parenthood abortion escort named Bruce Love in 2021. As a result, Houck was charged with two counts of violating the FACE Act over the alleged “attack of a patient escort.” Reportedly, Houck claimed that the pro-abortion volunteer was verbally harassing his 12-year-old son.
In September, Houck was arrested at his home in Pennsylvania in front of his wife and children. Houck’s wife, Ryan-Marie, told LifeSiteNews that a SWAT team of 25 to 30 agents in 15 vehicles surrounded their home with rifles at 7 a.m. A U.S. district court previously tossed out the case.
The Biden administration sent 30 FBI agents to Mark Houck's house and arrested him in front of his wife and seven children.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 30, 2023
The case had been thrown out of a district court the year prior.
Today, he was found not guilty.https://t.co/s37A5dxB5C
“I have seen first-hand what an out of control government can do to its citizens,” Houck’s website stated. “I will fight to protect all people and their rights under God & our Constitution. My platform is based on common sense.”
According to the Department of Justice, Houck faced up to 11 years in prison and fines of up to $350,000 if found guilty of violating the FACE Act.
“Mark and his family are now free of the cloud that the Biden administration threw upon them. We took on Goliath - the full might of the United States government - and won,” Houck’s attorney, Peter Breen, said in a statement when he was acquitted. “The jury saw through and rejected the prosecution's discriminatory case, which was harassment from day one. This is a win for Mark and the entire pro-life movement. The Biden Department of Justice's intimidation against pro-life people and people of faith has been put in its place.”