Congressional candidate Aaron Bashir told supporters at a fundraiser last week that the city and country have many challenges.
Bashir, speaking on Thursday night, spoke of the city’s 414 murders (that figure has since climbed to 416). Earlier in the day, Bashir was at a news conference that featured the family of one of those victims, Jailene Holton, killed in June inside a Welsh Road bar, allegedly by a man firing a gun from the parking lot.
Bashir also alluded to crimes such as shootings, robberies and stolen catalytic converters. High crime rates, he said, are in big cities run by liberals, singling out District Attorney Larry Krasner.
The candidate also pointed to low reading and math comprehension levels in Philadelphia public schools, high gas and grocery prices and inflation and an open-border policy that is bringing more deadly fentanyl into the country. He thinks it was wrong for President Joe Biden to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline on his first full day in office.
“Our country is obviously not on the right track,” he said. “Our country is in crisis.”
Bashir’s fundraiser took place at Cafe Rokhat, 2481 Grant Ave.
Among those in attendance were City Council at-large candidates Drew Murray and Jim Hasher and legislative candidates Mark LaVelle and Al Taubenberger.
Bashir is challenging Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle, who has a huge fundraising advantage over the challenger. ••
