Joe Sestak, a former congressman who is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, is calling for more investment in infrastructure.
“Over 66,000 of America’s bridges are structurally deficient, requiring significant maintenance or replacement,” Sestak said. “Pennsylvania was one of seven states with a third of their bridges officially reported as deficient.”
Sestak claims that, for every $1 billion invested in infrastructure, between 27,000 and 37,000 jobs are created, and that nine out of 10 of these jobs will be good-paying, middle-class jobs.
The candidate is advocating for a national infrastructure bank to finance surface, water and airway projects, using public loan guarantees to attract private capital to support market-based investments in partnership with local, state and multi-state entities.
In his view, increasing the number and magnitude of public-private partnerships will be necessary to rebuild America’s infrastructure.
“I believe we should have a government that can do things increasingly in conjunction with private industry, so long as there are benchmarks for accountability along the way,” he said. “We have an annual additional need of $157 billion in transportation investment, and when it comes to our roads, bridges, waterways, seaports, airways and rail lines, we are all in this together.”
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Meanwhile, Sestak trails Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, according to the Harper Poll.
Toomey holds a commanding lead of 53 percent to 32 percent.
The incumbent also leads two other potential Democratic candidates. He is up, 55 percent to 30 percent, over Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. He leads Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro, 55 percent to 27 percent.
Voters have a favorable opinion of Toomey, 54 percent to 32 percent. He is rated favorably by Republicans (72 percent), self-identified conservatives (73 percent) and independents (54 percent). Moderates give him a 49-percent favorable rating. ••
