DV Journal

Incumbent state Rep. Chris Quinn (R) faces a tougher race this year after redistricting cut out a swath of the 168th District and made it bluer, a win for Democrats in the legislature.

Thornbury, Upper Providence, Marple, Media, and Chester Heights were eliminated from the lawmaker’s district, which now includes Radnor, Newtown, Edgmont, and parts of Middletown Township. Quinn, a former Middletown councilman, is seeking his fourth term.

Quinn told DVJ in a recent interview that former constituents were outraged when they learned he will no longer be their representative.

“How can we fight this?” they asked Quinn said. “What can we do? It made me feel good. It’s a tougher district for me, but I believe the voters if they’re paying attention, they know I’ve done a lot.”

The Republican lawmaker’s opponents in this year’s race are Radnor Township’s 4th Ward Commissioner Lisa Borowski (D) and little-known Libertarian candidate Jimmy Mitchell.

Borowski declined to respond to DVJ’s multiple requests for an interview. Her campaign website is here.

Regardless of the new lines, inflation remains a huge issue among Quinn’s constituents.

“I think, truthfully, when your gas prices have gone up significantly and you’re looking at empty shelves, those are big issues,” Quinn said.

Quinn, who worked in global electronics manufacturing before starting his own insurance agency in 2002, touts himself as an “old-style compassionate conservative” who has authored legislation since first being elected in 2016.

He supports a recent proposal to eliminate Pennsylvania’s closed primary elections that would open up voting for 1.3 million voters who are not registered with either of the main two parties.

The Keystone State is one of nine states with completely closed primaries, which Quinn called “fundamentally undemocratic.”

Quinn also touted the signing of Deana’s Law, which cracks down on the state’s worst drunken-driving offenders.

It was named in honor of Deana Eckman, who was killed in a head-on crash with a repeat DUI offender in February 2019. The law requires consecutive sentences for those convicted of third and subsequent DUIs.

“[The driver] should have been in jail, but because of a broken system, he was out on the road,” Quinn said.

Quinn believes those bills are just a start for him. If re-elected, he said he would be in a prime position, on all the right committees – appropriations, commerce, consumer affairs and insurance – to get even more bills through the legislature.

“I have always tried to rise above partisan politics,” he said. “It’s our job to figure out how to work in the middle. If you look at me as an individual, I’ve been a problem-solver. It’s really been about, ‘How do I get legislation done?’ I’ve figured out how to work across the aisle, how to work with the right and with the left and move bills.”

On issues important to Republicans, like an assault-weapon ban, Quinn is more moderate and supports universal background checks for all firearm purchases.

The father of three daughters said the constant threat of deadly school shootings has exacerbated mental health issues for students who were already traumatized by losing out on time with peers during the COVID-19 shutdowns.

“I don’t understand why someone needs to have an assault rifle,” Quinn said about the preferred weapon of choice for many school shooters while also cautioning that Democrats “want to say that any gun that’s black is bad and evil.”

When it comes to crime, Quinn is on the fence about the attempted impeachment of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who was elected to a second term in 2021.

The lawmaker did not initially support the impeachment effort but was struck by Krasner’s refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by a state legislative committee seeking his ouster.

He claimed the district attorney’s policies have found support among jailbirds who allegedly tattooed Krasner’s name on their arms.

“When I look at Larry Krasner, I think he’s doing a horrific job. I think he’s doing a huge disservice to the residents of Philadelphia,” Quinn said. “The fact that he wants to disobey the law of the land, I went from, ‘Guys, do we really want to do this?’ to ‘Is there something there?’ Larry Krasner has a revolving door. I’m not a Larry Krasner fan.”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

A recent CNN poll found 75 percent of Democrats said they did not want President Joe Biden to run for re-election in 2024. The Delaware Valley’s state Sen. Katie Muth apparently is one of them.

Asked about the prospect of another Biden run Muth replied: “He wasn’t my Democratic candidate of choice. I’d like to see what my options are.”

The exchange was caught on videotape, along with other Pennsylvania Democrats declining to answer questions about their support for a Biden 2024 campaign and distributed by a Republican group.

It is no secret progressives like Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery) have been less-than-thrilled with Biden’s performance, and polls show most voters agree. In the Gallup poll released last week, Biden’s approval hit a new low with just 38 percent job approval. That was down from 57 percent approval in January 2021.

In the video, released by the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), Radnor Township Commissioner Lisa Borowski, who is running against incumbent state Rep. Chris Quinn (R-Media), scurried away as she is asked whether she would support Biden if he runs again.

And Allegheny County Democratic state Sen, Lindsey Williams also walked off without responding.

Neither Borowski nor Muth responded to requests for comment.

“Joe Biden’s agenda has devastated Pennsylvania’s economy, and Pennsylvania state Democrats have been in lockstep with his policies at every turn,” said RSLC Deputy Communications Director Mason Di Palma. “It’s too little too late for these candidates to try to separate themselves from the president’s failing policies, and Pennsylvanians will see right through their pathetic attempts to save their seats.”

Previously, DVJournal reported Delaware Valley Democrats, including Muth, declined to answer when asked whether they would want the unpopular president to come and campaign with them.

It is a sensitive issue for Democrats. During a debate on Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) dismissed the 2024 question saying she did not believe the 79-year-old Biden would run again. Less than 24 hours later, and after pressure from the White House, the veteran Congressional Democrat took to CNN to offer a complete mea culpa.

“Mr. President, I apologize. I want you to run,” Maloney said, looking into the TV camera. “I happen to think you won’t be running, but when you run or if you run, I will be there 100 percent. You have deserved it. You are a great president and thank you for everything you’ve done for my state, and all the states, and all the cities in America. Thank you, Mr. President.”

A writer at the progressive website Mother Jones called it a display of “frightened fealty, wrapped in a groveling non-apology.”

Muth and Maloney are hardly alone. Axios has launched a tracker on the Biden 2024 question and Democrats who dodge it, featuring two prominent names from Pennsylvania politics: U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and candidate for governor Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

With the inflation rate rising to 9.1 percent in June, the highest in 40 years, Democrats are in a quandary because many experts link the increasingly high cost of living to the Democrat-backed surge in government spending. A recent study showed inflation will cost families $4,400 this year.

Republican consultant Charlie O’Neill said, “Democrats and Republicans seem to have one thing in common these days. Both can’t stand Joe Biden.

“But unfortunately, Sen. Muth and the rest of the Democrat Party did nominate, vote for, and continue to support Biden’s far-left policies,” said O’Neill. “Muth and Democrats own the out-of-touch and out-of-control spending, which has led to a recession. Even after billions of dollars in federal infrastructure promises and one of the nation’s highest gas taxes, bridges are collapsing, and potholes remain unfilled. It’s not just a Biden problem; it’s the entire extremist Democrat Party.”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal