Chris Deluzio

Christopher R. Deluzio(born July 13, 1984) is an American attorney, politician and former U.S. Navy officer who is currently the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Background

Chris Deluzio serves as Counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, where his work focuses on election security and voting. He also serves as the Legal and Policy Scholar of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security, supporting the Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania’s Election Security.

Mr. Deluzio received his J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown Law. Prior to that, he obtained a B.S. with merit from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Following graduation from Annapolis, he served as an active-duty naval officer. Mr. Deluzio’s military service included multiple deployments, including a tour of duty with Army Civil Affairs in Iraq.

Policy Director at Pitt Cyber

Chris Deluzio served as policy director at Pitt Cyber (Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security) at the University of Pittsburgh.^[1]

Pitt Cyber Bio

From the Pitt Cyber website:^[2]

"Christopher R. Deluzio is the Legal and Policy Scholar of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security. In that capacity, his work focuses on supporting the Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania’s Election Security. He also serves as Counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, where his work focuses on elections and voting.

Deluzio was previously a litigation associate in private practice with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. His practice focused on complex commercial litigation, criminal and regulatory defense, and internal investigations, and he represented clients in a variety of industries. Mr. Deluzio also maintained a pro bono practice of representing indigent defendants in criminal matters in federal court. He previously served as a law clerk to Judge Richard J. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Deluzio received his Juris Doctorate magna cum laude from Georgetown Law in 2013. There, he was elected to the Order of the Coif, served as an executive articles editor of the Georgetown Law Journal, and was selected as the Top Oralist in the Robert J. Beaudry Moot Court Competition and the Thurgood A. Marshall Memorial Moot Court Competition.

Deluzio received a Bachelor of Science degree with merit from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Following graduation from Annapolis, he served as an active-duty naval officer. His military service included multiple deployments, including a tour of duty with Army Civil Affairs in Iraq.

Pennsylvania’s Elections: Threats, Strengths, and What Might Lie Ahead

Pitt Cyber policy director Chris Deluzio spoke with a panel of elections experts about the challenges facing Pennsylvania’s elections and opportunities looking forward. They discussed post-election audits, trust in elections and democracy, and other election-related issues facing the Commonwealth.^[3]

PANELISTS

Kathy Boockvar, Vice President of Election Operations, Center for Internet Security
Alexa Grant, Associate Director, Common Cause
Liz Howard, Senior Counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice
David Thornburgh, President and CEO, Committee of Seventy

'An Examination of the Use and Security of Ballot Marking Devices'

Chris Deluzio tool part in a panel discussion on June 22, 2021 titled "The Price Tag: The Cost Of Running Elections On Universal-use Ballot Marking Devices (BMD)" as part of a larger virtual forum hosted by Free Speech For People and Coalition for Good Governance "featuring experts in election administration and computer science to explore this rapidly expanding election technology."^[4]

"This panel explores the costs involved with running elections on universal-use Ballot Marking Devices for all voters. There has been robust debate – and conflicting information – on the true and accurate costs associated with adopting universal use BMDs. This panel features experts that have analyzed the costs of purchasing BMDs for all voters, as well as the ongoing and hidden costs involved with this election model. The panel will also provide comparisons to using pre-printed ballots and ballot-on-demand.

Moderator: Dr. Virginia Martin, former Commissioner of Elections, Columbia County, NY

Panelists: Chris Deluzio, Policy Director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security (Pitt Cyber)

Jeanne Dufort, Coalition for Good Governance

Eddie Perez, Global Director of Technology Development & Open Standards for the OSET Institute

Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, President, North Carolina State Chapter of the NAACP & Board Member, Guilford County, North Carolina Board of Elections

Algorithmic (In)Justice Panel Discussion

Chris Deluzio took part in a panel discussion April 1, 2021 titled "Algorithmic (In)Justice Panel Discussion" hosted by by Black Action Society (BAS) and Pitt Science Policy Group (PSPG)^[5]

"How do we prevent systematic bias, discrimination, and racism to exist in modern technology? Join BAS and PSPG as we discuss actionable policy with a panel of community leaders, industry experts, and academic experts from the fields of health, law, and policy. These discussions should leave attendees with a deeper understanding for how technology, in general, can further marginalize minorities and what steps can be taken to prevent such consequences of unregulated technology.

Featuring:

Vincent Southerland - Executive Director, Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at New York University and Co-Author of the book "Carving Out a Humanity: Race, Rights, and Redemption"

Chris Deluzio - Policy Director at University of Pittsburgh's Insitute (sic) for Cyber Law, Policy and Security (Pitt Cyber)

Chole Autio - Policy Manager at Intel Corporation focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Privacy

Selena Smith - Associate Director of the Ubran (sic) Health Program at the University of Illinois -Chicago and part of the American Public Health Association's Black Caucus of Health Workers (APHA BCHW)

Congressional Progressive Caucus

Chris Deluzio (PA-17) was in 2023, a new member and Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Trump Supporters are 'budding blood-and-soil fascists'

Chris Deluzio bashed Trump supporters in 2020:^[6],^[7]

During an interview in 2020, Deluzio said that his work on voting issues at the University of Pittsburgh involved "making sure this maniac in the White House and his, you know, horde of budding blood-and-soil fascists, don’t suppress the vote."

"Day-job work right now is very focused on election protection,” Deluzio said of his work at Pitt. “And that’s, broadly speaking, making sure this maniac in the White House and his, you know, horde of budding blood-and-soil fascists, don’t suppress the vote. And that is basically keeping me and everyone else who’s doing that work very busy, in Pennsylvania and everywhere else."

Endorsements

Endorsements from Chris Deluzio's campaign website:^[8]

Socialist connections

JStreet PAC endorsement

In 2024 JStreet PAC endorsed Chris Deluzio.^[9]

In conversations with J Street, Deluzio made clear his strong support for Israeli security and Palestinian self-determination, in addition to backing a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis that would block its path to a bomb and avoid a potentially catastrophic war of choice.^[10]

Food & Water Action 2024

These candidates have committed to fighting for our shared vision of clean water, trustworthy food, and a livable climate.

Lateefah Simon - California, District 12, Sue Altman - New Jersey, District 7, Luz Rivas - California, District 29, Summer Lee - Pennsylvania, District 12, Josh Riley - New York, District 19, Jan Schakowsky - Illinois, District 9, Ruben Gallego - Arizona, U.S. Senate, Bonnie Watson Coleman - New Jersey, District 15, Ro Khanna - California, District 17, Chris Deluzio - Pennsylvania, District 17, Laura Friedman for Congress - District 30 California.^[11]

Food & Water Action 2022

Food & Water Action supported or endorsed these candidates in 2022.

Supported Christina Bohannon Iowa – Congressional 1. Endorsed Summer Lee Pennsylvania – District 12. Endorsed Jamie McLeod-Skinner Oregon – District 5. Supported Chris Deluzio Pennsylvania – Congressional 17. Supported Gabe Vasquez New Mexico – Congressional 2. Endorsed Maxwell Frost Florida – Congressional 10. Endorsed Rep. Jamaal Bowman New York – District 16. Supported Nikki Budzinski Illinois – Congressional 13.

A voting rights attorney and labor activist, Chris Deluzio brings to Congress his experiences protecting our elections and successfully organizing for the University of Pittsburgh Faculty union.

In Congress, he will fight egregious corporate power and stop corporations from buying political influence. To reach his vision for a world free of carbon emissions, he is committed to ramping up investments in clean energy sources.^[12]

Sanders delegate

Chris Deluzio was a Bernie Sanders delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. He has spoken in favor of Medicare for All.

"Why we can’t wait for Medicare-for-All"

An op-ed "Why we can’t wait for Medicare-for-All" was published in the Pittsburgh City Paper, August 19, 2020, by 6 Members of Pittsburgh's DNC delegates.

Together, we are committed to ending the presidency of Donald Trump and electing Joe Biden. Once elected, we will push the Biden/Harris administration just as hard to ensure universal health care becomes a reality in this country and to make our laws recognize that health care is a human right. The American people deserve nothing less.

The authors are all Pittsburgh-area delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, and include Corey Buckner, Chris Deluzio, Sara Innamorato, Summer Lee, Jake Pawlak, and Anita Prizio.^[13]

Pittsburgh for Bernie Sanders

Pittsburgh for Bernie Sanders Carolyn Speranza. ·

May 18, 2020

VOTE for Carolyn Pandolfo, Anita Prizio, Tia Gore, Alicia Salvadeo, Carl Davidson, Chris Deluzio, Andy Bosh (Andrew J. Bosh), Jon Price and Lorianne Stangl Burgess (alternate) and send these Bernie delegates from Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district to the National Democratic Convention, ensuring strong positions on Medicare for All, Racial Justice, College Debt Forgiveness, and the Green New Deal getting into the presidential Democratic Party platform.

Common Defense connections

Veterans for Harris/Walz

Rep. Pat Ryan, Sgt Major John L. Estrada, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Rep, Mikie Sherrill, Rep. Chris Deluzio, Ray Mabus, Russell Ellis, Travis Akers, Fred Wellman, Malcolm Nance, Dan Barkhuff, Ken Harbaugh, Mike Smith.

Common Defense endorsement, 2024

Common Defense May 17, 2024.

🚨 NEW ENDORSEMENT!

We're proud to announce our endorsement of former member and U.S. Navy veteran, Chris Deluzio, as he seeks re-election in Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional district.

Building on the resounding successes of our endorsed candidates in the 2022 Midterm Elections, Common Defense reaffirms its commitment to supporting leaders like Rep. Deluzio, who embody the values of our progressive veteran community. Rep. Deluzio has represented his district with unwavering dedication and advanced a policy agenda rooted in fairness and equality.

Join VETS FOR Chris Deluzio and volunteer for his campaign:

Common Defense webinar

On April 27, 2023, Chris Deluzio was a guest on a Common Defense webinr afddressing Republican party budget cuts.

"Common Defense, the nation’s largest grassroots veteran organization, coordinates grassroots campaigns on climate, voting rights, and anti-militarism – such as their End the Forever Wars campaign. Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans are using the threat of default to force through draconian cuts to veterans healthcare. Common Defense and our veteran members across the nation are appalled at the brazen attempt by House Republicans to gut vital care that veterans depend on."^[14]

VOI

Chris Deluzio is a 2020 graduate of Common Defense's Veterans Organizing Institute.

Common Defense has endorsed democratic socialist candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Kaniela Ing, and runs an organizing program called the Veterans Organizing Institute, which some members of DSA's VWG have attended. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have both signed Common Defense’s pledge to “end the Forever War.”^[15]

VOI Elected Alumni

Chris Deluzio, Stacey Travers, Bridget Bellavigna, Signa Oliver.

Common Defense comrades

Common Defense endorsement, 2022

Common Defense endorsed Chris Deluzio in 2022.

Chris Deluzio is a member of Common Defense.

References

[1] Pitt Cyber Announces Legal and Policy Scholar Christopher R. Deluzio (accessed July 3, 2024)

[2] Extended Chris Deluzio Bio (accessed July 3, 2024)

[3] Protecting Democracy and Securing Our Elections: A Series (accessed July 3, 2024)

[4] An Examination of the Use and Security of Ballot Marking Devices (accessed July 3, 2024)

[5] Algorithmic (In)Justice Panel Discussion (accessed July 3, 2024)

[6] Chris Deluzio (accessed July 3, 2024)

[7] Deluzio's comments about 'blood and soil fascists' backing Trump spark controversy in House race (accessed July 3, 2024)

[8] Endorsements (accessed July 3, 2024)

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