Hohenstein said he is running to bring fair funding to Philadelphia public schools, deliver greater access to health care and help end the drug crisis.
Numerous Democrats gathered last week in Campbell Square, 2535 E. Allegheny Ave. in Port Richmond, to endorse Joe Hohenstein in the 177th Legislative District.
Hohenstein faces Republican Patty-Pat Kozlowski.
Former City Controller Jonathan Saidel was the emcee.
Others on hand included state Sen. Tina Tartaglione; state Reps. Jared Solomon and Mike O’Brien; city elections commissioner Lisa Deeley; ward leaders Tim Savage, Tom Johnson, Peg Rzepski, Connie Dougherty, Harry Enggasser, Bob Dellavella and Pete McDermott; legislative candidates Mary Louise Isaacson and Malcolm Kenyatta; and former 177th candidates Sean McMonagle, Dan Martino, Sean Kilkenny and Maggie Borski.
Hohenstein, an immigration lawyer, was joined by his parents. He said he is running to bring fair funding to Philadelphia public schools, deliver greater access to health care and help end the drug crisis. He predicted a “big blue wave” on Nov. 6.
A Northwood resident, Hohenstein was happy to see other neighborhoods in the district represented by former rivals Kilkenny (Mayfair), Borski (Bridesburg), Martino (Olde Richmond) and McMonagle (Port Richmond).
McMonagle, an aide to City Councilman Mark Squilla who dropped out of the race because of an error in his nominating petition packet, said the 177th should be a Democratic seat. He said it’s “a little stretch” to call Kozlowski a candidate, later adding that he thinks her campaign lacks substance.
“Joe’s the only candidate,” he said.
O’Brien said “Democrat dollars” made Campbell Square such a nice park, adding that a Hohenstein victory will put the party a step closer to the majority.
Deeley said Hohenstein, Isaacson and Kenyatta will raise the bar in the state House.
“Joe is the best candidate for this position,” she said.
Solomon, who joined Rzepski and Dougherty in endorsing Hohenstein in the primary, said Hohenstein will take care of the community, if elected.
Borski, whose dad, Bob, a former congressman, attended the event, promised to back Hohenstein on the night of the primary.
“He is the only option,” she said.
Kilkenny also agreed to back Hohenstein that night, even though he sent campaign mailings calling him a “lawyer to terrorists.” Kilkenny said Hohenstein will protect working families.
Martino had planned to not endorse either candidate because Hohenstein had asked him to leave the race and told his mom he had run a poor campaign. But he’s a Democrat because he believes the role of government is to reduce desperation in people’s lives.
“I’m convinced Joe is the man for the job. Go Joe,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Hohenstein was endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association and CeaseFire Pennsylvania.
Alex Bonner, director of government affairs for PSNA, said, “Joe is a candidate who will listen to the voices of nurses throughout Pennsylvania and work in a bipartisan fashion to enact laws that promote safe staffing, nurse delegation and environmental health. He understands that when we protect nurses, we also ensure the safety of their patients and all of our family members.”
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Congregations of Shaare Shamayim, 9768 Verree Road, will host a political candidates forum on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m. A free brunch will be available. Candidates from the city and nearby suburbs are welcome to attend.
There will also be a candidates forum on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Bakers Bay clubhouse, 5100 Convent Lane (at State Road) in East Torresdale. The public is welcome. Refreshments will be served.
Ruth Horwitz will moderate both events.
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Former President Barack Obama last week took to Twitter to endorse numerous Democratic candidates across the country.
Among those whom Obama backed were state legislative candidates Daryl Boling (152nd district), Mike Doyle (170th) and Joe Hohenstein (177th).
Obama tweeted, “Today, I’m proud to endorse even more Democratic candidates who aren’t just running against something, but for something — to expand opportunity for all of us and to restore dignity, honor, and compassion to public service. They deserve your vote.”
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Commonwealth Commonsense released the first results of its “Keystones to Good Government” General Assembly candidate survey.
Democratic legislative candidates Daryl Boling, Mike Doyle and Joe Hohenstein are the only local candidates who have responded so far.
Candidates were asked if they support mandatory electronic filing of campaign finance reports, stricter limits on gifts from lobbyists to elected officials, creating a nonpartisan redistricting commission, ending closed primary elections and establishing campaign contribution limits in Pennsylvania elections.
Boling and Doyle chose “strongly agree” on all five issues.
Hohenstein chose “strongly agree” on four of the issues and was neutral on closed primary elections.
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Republican gubernatorial nominee Scott Wagner last week announced a plan to grow the agricultural industry.
The plan calls for rebranding the ‘PA Preferred’ program to ‘Homegrown PA’ to better market local Pennsylvania goods. It calls for investments in workforce training, research and transportation as well as addressing what Wagner calls the “restrictive” regulatory environment in Harrisburg.
“Those who work in Pennsylvania’s №1 industry need to be treated as customers, not criminals,” Wagner said. “We need someone in the governor’s office who will take the lead on agriculture issues and fight for our farmers. It is time to look to the future of agriculture. As governor, I will ensure Pennsylvania’s agribusinesses have the branding, research, and workforce development opportunities they need to compete and succeed now and in the coming decades.”
Jeff Bartos, Wagner’s lieutenant governor running mate, added, “Pennsylvania has a storied agricultural tradition, and it will be our job to ensure Pennsylvania’s vital agricultural industry has the tools and workforce it needs to flourish. Our plan addresses the most fundamental challenges facing the agriculture industry today, including overregulation, decaying infrastructure and an aging workforce.”
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The National Rifle Association and the Firearms Owners Against Crime endorsed Scott Wagner for governor.
“Scott Wagner is a staunch supporter of our Second Amendment freedoms and he will fight to protect our fundamental right to self-defense,” said Chris Cox, chairman of the NRA’s Political Victory Fund. “Scott Wagner is the only candidate in this race who will fight to protect our constitutional rights. The NRA encourages all members, gun owners and sportsmen to vote Scott Wagner for governor in November.”
FOAC President Kim Stolfer added, “Scott Wagner’s record on the Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 21 (Pennsylvania Constitution) demonstrates his strong commitment to upholding all citizens’ Constitutional Rights. The rights of law-abiding citizens are under attack, and we need a governor who will stand up for us.”
Wagner supports increased schools safety and mandatory death sentences for school shooters and has vowed to reverse Gov. Tom Wolf’s moratorium on the death penalty during his first day in office.
NextGen Pennsylvania State Youth Director Jarrett Smith criticized the NRA’s endorsement.
“Young Pennsylvanians deserve a representative who will stand up to the National Rifle Association and fight to protect our classrooms from gun violence. Since the Parkland shooting, youth voter registration in Pennsylvania has spiked by 10 percent and we’re ready to make our voices heard this November. Young people recognize that we have the power to elect a candidate for governor that will fight for our safety — and that candidate is not Scott Wagner.”
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The National Republican Senatorial Committee criticized U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. for voting against Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.
Back in July, before Kavanaugh was announced, Casey said he would vote against any nominee put forward by President Donald Trump.
“Bob Casey’s vote against Judge Brett Kavanaugh cements his place as a member of the resistance and, above all, a loyal partisan,” said NRSC spokesman Bob Salera. “Casey promised to be a moderate to get elected, but Pennsylvanians can now see the real Bob Casey — a liberal, partisan Democrat.”
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Val DiGiorgio, chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, wrote a letter to School District of Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite to complain about a handout he said was distributed by Central High School social studies department chairman Thomas Quinn to students.
DiGiorgio, a 1985 Central graduate, wrote, “I am deeply disturbed that liberal indoctrination is allowed to be perpetuated in the halls of our public school.”
The flier urged people to vote for 19 reasons, including to support immigrants, refugees, Black Lives Matter and reproductive justice, fight climate change and to stop Republican voter suppression and the Trump “regime.”
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Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Robert Torres last week announced new procedures for some overseas voters who request ballots by electronic delivery for the Nov. 6 election.
The help desk is available at STSVCSURE_Helpdesk@pa.gov or 866–472–7873. ••
