The primary is six weeks away, and Republican legislative candidate Patrick Gushue is trying to make sure he has the money to reach voters.
Gushue, who faces Burholme Civic Association president Aizaz Gill in the April 23 primary in the 172nd district, held a recent fundraiser at the former Moonstruck restaurant in Fox Chase.
Gushue is a 2011 Father Judge High School graduate who spent eight years in the U.S. Army, including serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He graduated from Gwynedd Mercy University in 2022 with a degree in business management. He’s pursuing a master’s in public administration at Penn’s Fels Institute of Government.
The 172nd consists of the 63rd Ward and portions of the 56th and 58th wards. Ward leaders are supporting Gill.
Gushue turned in 487 nominating petitions, with the help of his three-person campaign team of former City Council and state Senate candidate Sam Oropeza, Ross Shaffer and Alec Shaffer. He’s been knocking on doors and handing our campaign literature since then.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Kevin Boyle filed to run for an eighth term. Lawyer Sean Dougherty entered the Democratic primary after a video surfaced of Boyle yelling and cursing at a bartender and patrons at the Malt House in Rockledge and threatening to shut down the bar.
Gushue would like to help veterans, including ones who are disabled or homeless, access benefits. He believes his time in the military will help him if elected, citing his integrity, work ethic and leadership.
“I’ve been a leader in hostile situations,” he said, referring to his deployment to Afghanistan.
Gushue is the son of two Philadelphia police officers, Eileen and Shawn, who is retired. He said an already understaffed department will need support from the state to hire more officers as veterans retire. He said he would have voted to impeach District Attorney Larry Krasner (Boyle did not vote on the resolution) and supports Act 40, which would require a special prosecutor – not Krasner – to prosecute crimes near SEPTA.
“It’s a pivotal first step to hold people accountable,” he said.
Gushue favors infrastructure improvements in public schools, more school partnerships with the building trades (like at Father Judge) and Lifeline Scholarships, which would go to families of students in low-achieving school districts.
“I think that’s a great program,” he said.
Gushue also wants to help remove any barriers that exist that make Pennsylvania 42nd of 50 states in entrepreneurship.
The Gushue campaign believes it needs up to $25,000 for campaign expenditures such as lawn signs, poll workers and mail-in voting outreach. ••
