District 1199C called the candidate a tireless advocate for the community.
District 1199C, an affiliate of the AFSCME National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (AFL-CIO), has endorsed Democratic candidate Michele Lawrence in the 2nd Congressional District in the May 15 primary.
“We are proud to stand with Michele Lawrence for Congress,” said Chris Woods, executive vice president for District 1199C. “She is a tireless advocate for the community, a leader in the corporate world and a woman of faith. Her track record is one that our community can stand on. She will deliver for Philadelphia. The health of our city depends on choices we make.”
Lawrence said, “Ensuring access to quality and affordable health care, is among my core platforms in this campaign. To have the support of an organization that represents 12,000 workers who actually provide health care for our community is an honor and one that I do not take lightly. Chris Woods is a young, yet influential labor leader in Philadelphia, and I am truly grateful for his blessing and assistance in helping me be elected to Congress.”
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State Sen. Scott Wagner has a lead in the Republican primary for governor, according to a Susquehanna Polling & Research survey conducted for WHTM-ABC27 in Harrisburg.
The poll used a random sample of 545 likely Republican primary voters. The poll has a margin for error of 4.2 percent.
The poll numbers show Wagner at 37 percent, Allegheny County businessman Paul Mango at 23 percent and Allegheny County lawyer Laura Ellsworth at 18 percent, with 22 percent undecided.
The Ellsworth campaign welcomed the news.
“We think Laura is peeling away votes from both Wagner and Mango and that she’ll draw in the majority of undecided voters as her message finally gets through,” said consultant Mark Harris.
Wagner and Mango have spent a combined $20 million, with much of it going toward televised ads attacking each other. Ellsworth recently spent $500,000 for a statewide advertising spot stressing her focus on issues such as job creation and responsible state budgeting.
“Voters have said over and over that they’re sick of negative politics. We’re testing that theory, and it appears that Pennsylvania voters are ready for a candidate who talks about actual issues,” said Ellsworth spokeswoman Brianna Buczkowski.
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Beaver County Commissioner Dan Camp endorsed Ellsworth, abandoning his prior support for Mango.
“Laura’s solutions-driven message and high-road campaign makes her the candidate Republicans need if we’re to unseat liberal Democrat Tom Wolf in November,” Camp said. “Simply put: We need to put forward our strongest candidate.”
Camp, who chairs the Beaver County Board of Commissioners, said he had been disappointed by Mango’s campaign attacks on Wagner.
“Unlike Mango, Laura has voted in most Republican primaries, and she’s been active in the party and community,” Camp said. “She’s a proven leader with the ability to work across the aisle to reverse the damage Gov. Wolf has done.”
Camp cited the Susquehanna poll that showed Ellsworth surging in the last few weeks following her first televised ads in the primary contest.
“It’s clear to me that when voters hear Laura’s message, it connects. She’s the only candidate in the field who can deliver a Republican victory in November,” Camp said. ••
