Daylin Leach
State Sen. Daylin Leach is known for pushing progressive ideas, and he plans to do the same if elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Congress is just a bigger platform,” he said last week during an interview at his Conshohocken campaign office.
Leach, a lawyer, served in the state House from 2003–09 and has been in the Senate for four years. He lived in the Northeast until he was 11. He moved to Allentown when his mom took a job there. He lives in Upper Merion.
In the run for Congress, he sees economic issues as the centerpiece of his campaign. Among other things, he wants to raise the minimum wage and tie future raises to the inflation rate.
“I think a 12-dollar-an-hour minimum wage is reasonable,” he said.
Leach plans to continue to push back against proposed voter-identification laws, changes to the way states divide their votes in the presidential Electoral College, curbs on early voting and what he sees as unfair redistricting maps. He sees those proposals as an attempt to “rig” elections.
“Our founders would be rolling over in their graves,” he said.
Leach, 52, is one of four Democrats seeking his party’s nomination in the 13th Congressional District. The others are state Rep. Brendan Boyle, former congresswoman Marjorie Margolies and Dr. Val Arkoosh, a health-care reform advocate.
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Margolies last week picked up an endorsement from Joanne Cisco Olszewski, first vice chairwoman of the Montgomery County Democratic Party and a county jury commissioner.
Olszewski linked her party’s recent success in the county to Margolies’ election to Congress in 1992.
“Marjorie’s time in office brought national attention to Montgomery County, which not only brought federal resources into our country, but created a strong foundation upon which to build our party,” she said.
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A Franklin & Marshall College poll released last week showed Gov. Tom Corbett with weak approval numbers.
Corbett, a Republican, will be seeking re-election next year. Up to a dozen Democrats have either entered or are considering jumping into the race.
Only 20 percent of registered voters polled said Corbett deserves re-election. Just 17 percent believe he is doing an “excellent” or “good” job.
The results were based on interviews of 594 registered voters from Aug. 21–26. ••
