It’s Election Day, and polls will be open for a couple of more hours.
Below is some news made in the final days of the campaign.
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Jim Pio, the Republican candidate in the 172nd Legislative District, has been battling with Democratic Rep. Kevin Boyle over sanctuary cities.
Boyle has claimed in his mailers that he is “leading efforts to oppose sanctuary city status” and that he “supports bipartisan legislation to change these laws and end sanctuary city status for violent criminals.”
Pio points out that Boyle did not vote last month on HB 1885, a bill aimed at ending Philadelphia’s sanctuary city policy.
“Rep. Boyle must either support sanctuary cities or he doesn’t care enough to cast a vote. Either way, he is simply lying to voters at the 11th hour by claiming that he is against Philadelphia’s sanctuary city policy. He is lying,” Pio said.
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President Barack Obama endorsed Matt Darragh and Joe Hohenstein, the Democratic candidates in the 170th and 177th legislative districts, respectively.
Darragh said, “I sought the endorsement of Barack Obama because this election is not just about me, it is about standing up to the extreme Republican agenda that obstructs progress, protects special interests, interferes in the personal medical decisions of women and stands in the way of common-sense background checks on gun purchases. President Obama has worked tirelessly to help working families and seniors in Northeast Philadelphia and across the country. I am honored and humbled to be endorsed by a sitting president and someone I have supported and admired my entire adult life.”
Hohenstein said, “I sought out the endorsement of President Obama because I recognize that this election is about more than just me, it’s about taking a stand against a party that has lost touch with reality. The Republican Party’s platform under Donald Trump’s candidacy attempts to play to the worst fears of Americans. I believe the people in my district recognize it is better to act on our hopes to pursue a vision for a more prosperous nation. With President Obama’s endorsement, I believe we will take back this seat from John Taylor on Tuesday.”
The president selected Hohenstein for his endorsement because of his support of solutions to gun violence. Hohenstein supports including background checks for all gun sales, banning assault weapons and closing the so-called “gun show loophole.”
“I hope voters join me and the president in voting up and down the ticket for candidates that will protect the choices of women, stand up to special interests and push for common-sense solutions to gun violence,” Hohenstein said.
Hohenstein has also been endorsed by SEIU, UFCW 1776, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, Equality Pennsylvania, Conservation Voters of PA, Keystone Progress, Clean Water Action, the National Organization for Women and Liberty City Democratic Club.
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Katie McGinty’s Senate campaign released two new ads featuring first lady Michelle Obama. The ads, Leader and What’s Important, highlight what she sees as the values and priorities of Pennsylvania families.
“It’s no secret that Katie is the candidate Pennsylvania families need and deserve,” said campaign spokesperson Dana Honor.
In What’s Important, Obama said, “We need leaders in the Senate like Katie McGinty and other Democrats who share our values and will stand up for us on the issues that matter most — from good jobs, to equal pay for women, to affordable healthcare.”
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The Center for American Homeless Veterans endorsed Katie McGinty, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, naming her a “Champion of Champions” for American veterans.
“In 20 years of making endorsements for federal office, rarely has the Center for American Homeless Veterans found such a decisive and compelling case for the endorsement of a federal candidate,” said CAHV President Brian Hampton. “CAHV gives its unqualified and emphatic endorsement to Katie McGinty to be elected to the Senate, where voters can be assured that she will be a stalwart champion for American veterans.”
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A dozen newspapers have endorsed Katie McGinty, the Democratic challenger to Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey.
Most recently, the Beaver County Times wrote that, “McGinty supports efforts to boost the middle class through an increase in the minimum wage, equal pay for women, affordable college education and investments in manufacturing and renewable energy. She said she is ‘deeply opposed to the idea of handouts,’ but believes that most Pennsylvanians simply want an opportunity to make better lives for themselves and their families. Ultimately, we believe McGinty has a keen understanding of the many issues confronting the nation and is best prepared to move the country forward in a bipartisan fashion.”
The Erie Times-News wrote, “Katie McGinty’s approach to governing is rooted in her personal philosophy that ‘work is a virtue in itself.’ Her platform, be it improved career or technical education, affordable child care or tax reform, are all at their core designed to empower Pennsylvanians and by extension this republic through work.”
The Philadelphia Gay News endorsed McGinty, which wasn’t a surprise, since the newspaper endorsed only Democrats. The paper wrote, “Katie McGinty has a strong pro-LGBT platform and has pledged to champion LGBT issues if elected to the U.S. Senate. Apart from her positions, McGinty deserves our community’s backing especially in light of the context of the race. Incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey has never been a friend to the LGBT community; by removing him from office, we can ensure another voice of fairness in the U.S. Senate, whose support could help advance legislation like the Equality Act, which would federally ban LGBT discrimination. Not to mention, Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation could use some diversity; all 20 members are currently men.”
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State Sen. John Rafferty, the Republican candidate for attorney general, released the following statement regarding potential voter registration fraud in Delaware County:
“As a candidate on the ballot this year, especially running for the Office of Attorney General, I am deeply concerned by the investigation into Democratic field organizers Fieldworks LLC’s efforts in submitting fraudulent voter registration forms. I am also troubled that the Pennsylvania Department of State instructed the counties to register these voters even though these applications were submitted after the deadline to return registration forms.
“As our next attorney general, if my office is made aware of instances of election fraud, we will investigate them thoroughly. We must protect the sanctity of our ballots and the integrity of our elections. The future of our democracy depends upon it.”
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Delaware County officials are concerned that voter registration forms were submitted past the deadline to submit by FieldWorks LLC, and that many were defective. According to U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, “Of the 7,000 (forms) that were jammed down the throats of the commission here, it is estimated that 3,500 have some sort of infirmity.”
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Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship (PS4RS), the grassroots advocacy group that has pushed for improved PSU governance, truth and transparency, is urging its members and all Penn State supporters to back Republican state Sen. John Rafferty in his bid for Pennsylvania attorney general.
Rafferty faces Democrat Josh Shapiro, a Montgomery County commissioner.
“After spending time with both candidates, it was clear that John Rafferty understands the concerns of the Penn State community,” said spokeswoman Maribeth Roman Schmidt.
As a member of the state Senate, Rafferty was involved in the lawsuit against the NCAA to repeal sanctions against the Penn State football team, ensuring that the university’s $60 million fines stayed in Pennsylvania.
He also served as co-chairman of the Senate State-Related Caucus. And he was co-sponsor of The Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth Act (SB-800), which sought to modify the composition of the Penn State Board of Trustees for the purposes of increased efficiency and transparency. ••
