DV Journal

Despite a slew of negative television commercials, incumbent Republican state Rep. Craig Williams defeated Democratic challenger Elizabeth Moro, keeping the GOP’s fading hopes of flipping the Pennsylvania House alive.

In the ads, Moro hammered Williams as an anti-abortion absolutist despite his vote against a constitutional amendment to outlaw it.

In unofficial returns, Williams garnered 22,048 votes while Moro stood at 19,823 in the 160th District, which straddles Chester and Delaware Counties.

Williams thanked voters in a Facebook post.

“In the end, my opposition spent more than $1.5 million in TV ads with a lying message. The governor came to our district to repeat the lies and told people specifically not to believe that I’m a nice guy.

“I made a decision to trust that our community knew the truth,” said Williams. “I made a decision to run a campaign that would make you and your (and my) children proud. The vote yesterday by my widest margin yet confirms my faith in our community that you, in fact, can win by being a good person and fighting for the truth. It took bipartisan support to win by that margin.”

Williams is a two-term incumbent. He served in the Marine Corps for 28 years, flying 56 combat missions, was decorated for valor in battle, and retired as a colonel. He served on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, was deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the War on Terror, and served as chief prosecutor with the Marines. He was a federal prosecutor for the Department of Justice.

Williams says he knocked on thousands of doors during his reelection campaign.

“I’m getting a lot of positive responses at the doors relative to my work on the Pennsylvania budget, especially my work on law enforcement and keeping communities safe,” Williams told DVJournal previously. Residents also give him high marks for working with PennDOT to get roads repaired, he said.

“I had town hall [recently] with 1,900 people on the phone talking about road projects in the district,” Williams added.

Moro is a real estate broker. Previously, she had run for Congress before the district was eliminated. She wrote “The Civil Graces Project” and co-founded Neighbors for Crebilly, seeking to preserve Crebilly Farm.

Last year, Williams announced he had secured a $4 million grant to help Westtown acquire Crebilly Farm for preservation.

“I am very grateful to all of you,” Williams added. “Thank you to those who worked so hard with me on the doors, phones, and at the polls. I am humbled and promise to serve with a grateful heart.”

Also, on Facebook, Moro said, “I am grateful to all of those who have supported me during this election and believed in our shared goals of making life easier and more fulfilling for all in Pennsylvania. During this campaign, I met and spoke with voters all over the district, advocating for civil graces and against political division. While I am disappointed in the election results, I look forward to the work we can do in our community together.”

In two other closely-watched House races in the region, the House Democratic Campaign Committee declared victory Wednesday morning in the race between Bucks County Rep. Brian Munroe and Bucks County’s Recorder of Deeds, Republican Dan McPhillips. As of noon Wednesday, however, the Associated Press had not declared a winner.

Democrats have also claimed victory in the Philadelphia race between Sean Dougherty, scion of a well-known Philadelphia political family, and Aizaz Gill, the enthusiastic and community-minded president of the Burholme Town Watch and Civic Association.

State House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) says “crime—and even violent crime—in our communities is out of control.” On Monday he joined with his fellow House Republicans to announce a package of bills to fight crime and improve public safety.

“From rural to urban Pennsylvania, no community has been spared from this crisis. It has exhausted police and prosecutors. It has exhausted local and state resources. And it has exhausted our patience,” Cutler said.

Their bills, sponsored by Rep. Craig Williams (R-Delaware/Chester) and Rep. Valerie Gaydos (R-Allegheny), focus on prevention, policing, prosecution, and punishment.

“Public safety is a human right,” said Cutler. “And one of the main of government is to keep people safe.”  He noted there is an economic impact with “looting and retail theft” as companies increase prices to cover the cost.

Over the summer, Philadelphia police arrested suspects who stole more than $75,000 in merchandise from Luluemon and Givenchy stores, mostly in the King of Prussia Mall. Other thefts were reported in Philadelphia, Ardmore, and Upper Merion dating back to last November. Organized retail crime “has become far too a common occurrence the last few years for retailers in the commonwealth,” Pennsylvania Retailers Association Executive Director John Holub told DVJournal at the time.

In some communities, Butler said Monday, it’s even worse as stores simply pack up and move out.

Williams, a former federal and military prosecutor, is sponsoring a bill to support crime-stopper programs to allow people to report crimes anonymously.

“One of the great fallacies repeated is that crime rates are down. That is absolutely false. What is down is the reporting of crime. The reason for that is people are very afraid of retaliation to have their names associated with the reporting of crime. We all know in our experience that crime is out of control.”

Another issue is retail crime.

“We consumers in Pennsylvania are subsidizing crime,” he said. “You think inflation is out of control. There’s a portion of that that is related to retail theft, to online scamming”

Rising prices are not just from inflation but to help pay for retail theft and fraud. Companies make up those lost revenues “by passing those costs on to us,” said Williams.

The bill would provide a committee to help areas set up crime reporting programs. Some counties already have programs, and the bill would extend them to all 67 counties.

The crime package will also have an illegal immigration component, Williams said. It will encourage cities, towns and counties to honor federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and enforcement.

“Our commonwealth will not be a safe harbor to illegal immigration,” said Williams.

Gaydos’ bill will help communities organize neighborhood watch programs with the support of law enforcement.

While some crimes are down, “what has increased is violent offenses. And that makes up the larger proportion of all offenses,” said Gaydos. She introduced two bills, one for neighborhood watch programs, and one increasing bail rules for violent offenders.

“We all know that people who know their communities the best are the residents who actually live there,” she said. “Vigilant neighbors can serve as the eyes and ears of our neighborhoods, helping to deter and prevent crime before it happens.”

Recently, in her area in the Pittsburgh suburbs, there was an incident involving torture over drugs and a wristwatch.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” she said. “But it’s reaching our suburbs. We must not let that happen.

“Our courts have a constitutional obligation to consider public safety when determining bail for these violent criminals…This is addressing the most dangerous individuals and releasing them on bail has shown that it leads to tragic consequences. Violent offenders should not be permitted to commit further acts of violence.”

Her bill would require courts to consider public safety when setting bail.

“No more revolving doors for violent criminals,” said Gaydos. “Our law enforcement deserves us to have their back so they can protect everybody.”

Cutler said, “The House Democrats have taken a position that is easy on crime, and that is unacceptable.”  They introduced a constitutional amendment that they knew would not pass, Cutler said.

It now requires a unanimous decision from the state Parole Board for a convicted murderer to be released on parole. The amendment, introduced by Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia), would reduce that to a majority.

The Republicans have held hearings on crime throughout the commonwealth to listen to people’s concerns, he said. And the proposed laws, and others in their crime package, stem from those hearings.

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Voters in Pennsylvania’s 160th District, which straddles Chester and Delaware counties, have a choice this November between two-term incumbent Republican Craig Williams and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Moro.

“I’ve knocked on a couple of 1,000 doors already,” said Williams. “That makes well over 10,000 doors knocked in the district since I started running The enthusiasm level is unlike any other election I’ve been in, which has been really constructive.”

“I’m getting a lot of positive responses at the doors relative to my work on the Pennsylvania budget, especially my work on law enforcement and keeping communities safe,” said Williams. Residents also give him high marks for working with PennDOT to get roads repaired, he said.

“I had town hall [recently] with 1,900 people on the phone talking about road projects in the district,” Williams added.

But Williams knows he’s in one of the “top-targeted races in the state as Democrats try to hold onto their majority.” The Democrats won the state House by a one-vote majority in 2022 and are trying to keep and expand it. While conversely, Republicans are trying to regain it.

Moro, a real estate broker, was unavailable for an interview. Previously, she had run for Congress until the district was eliminated. She wrote “The Civil Graces Project” and co-founded Neighbors for Crebilly, seeking to preserve Crebilly Farm.

Elizabeth Moro

Last year, Williams announced that he had secured a $4 million grant to help Westtown acquire Crebilly Farm for preservation.

Williams served in the Marine Corp. for 28 years, flying 56 combat missions, was decorated for valor in battle and retired as a colonel. He served on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, was deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the War on Terror and served as chief prosecutor with the Marines. He was a federal prosecutor for the Department of Justice.

Williams said that his opponent may try to “nationalize” the election, but his constituents know he voted against a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion.

“My district knows that I am the calm voice,” said Williams. “I am the voice of reason. I’m basically the dad of the district, and they trust that I’m doing things right.”

Williams said he’s dedicated to constituent service, fixing roads and helping people with various issues with the state government.  One woman told him she usually votes Democratic, but she plans to split her ticket and vote for him because he helped her get unemployment benefits when she was laid off.

“It’s all about local service,” said Williams. “You can spend $1.5 million trying to beat me, but you can’t beat that kind of experience in terms of a lifetime of service and being committed to helping our local community.”

“I’m really their neighbor,” said Williams. “I live here.”

Following a terrible flood from Hurricane Ida, Williams helped residents and businesses secure federal funding and, with Delaware County, established a Disaster Resource Center in Chadds Ford.

Williams said he plans to continue working on the consumer protection committee and “my aggressive work on public safety if reelected. I passed a gun violence task force that would be ramping up efforts to federally prosecute prior convicted felons in possession of guns.”

That passed the House but is stalled in the Senate. But with the U.S. Attorney, state Attorney General and the SEPTA special prosecutor all working together to prosecute convicted felons possessing guns, Philadelphia will be safer, he said.

Junk fees and artificially inflated costs are “impacting consumers grossly right now,” he said.

Williams also wants to secure more funding for Cheney State University, the country’s oldest historically Black college or university.  Its “infrastructure is deplorable. We’ve got to do something to help them.”

Asked whether his primary run for state Attorney General, where he lost to York County DA Dave Sunday, hurt him in the state House race, Williams said it had helped.

“As a consequence, people know a lot more about me,” said Williams. “My name recognition in the district is through the roof…They learned about my combat service, my record of convictions and the quality of convictions, both in the military and the Department of Justice, and my having served as ethics counsel.”

“And don’t forget, I ran against the establishment,” he added. “That was popular back home.”

Williams’ wife, Jennifer, is also an attorney. They have four children, and Williams has been a Cub Scout and Boy Scouts volunteer and a local baseball, football and track coach.

Moro and her husband, Vince, are the parents of five children. They are restoring a historic Chadds Ford farmhouse, raising sheep and keeping bees. They have preserved their land for endangered and protected species.

They also own Centreville Place: Café + Market in Delaware.

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GOP attorney general candidate Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chester/Delaware) wants primary voters to know he’s a loyal, lifelong Republican.

And based on how often he mentions it in his campaign, he really wants GOP voters to know that his opponent, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, isn’t.

“I’m a Republican. I have been my whole life,” Williams said last month during a televised debate. “My opponent changed his party when he was 37 years old, and I can say that I have never voted for Obama and Joe Biden.”

And Williams’ campaign manager Mark Campbell told DVJournal that Sunday’s “troubling record on public safety, evidenced by York’s murder rate surpassing Philadelphia’s, casts doubt on the authenticity of his 2013 switch to the Republican Party.”

But Sunday, not Williams, received the endorsement of the Pennsylvania state GOP. And then there’s the bigger question: Do Pennsylvania politicians pay a price for being party switchers?

Craig Snyder should know. He worked for one of the Keystone State’s most high-profile affiliation flippers, the late U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.

Snyder says Sunday’s switch could be a problem in the primary.

“Given Pennsylvania’s archaic and unfair closed primary system, the vast majority of the small number of voters who participate in primaries are the hyper-partisans in each of our two major parties. Unsurprisingly, those voters are hostile to party switchers. They prize team and ideological loyalty above all else, and that makes accepting even a convert to the cause unappealing.”

Specter abandoned a long career as a Republican and joined the Democratic Party in 2009 after polls showed, as National Review political reporter Jim Geraghty put it at the time, “former Congressman Pat Toomey would beat him like a drum in a GOP primary.”

Instead, Specter used the backing he got from the biggest names in the Pennsylvania Democratic Party to go on and lose the Democratic primary instead.

“Sen. Specter’s experience with party-switching should serve as a flashing red light to others who might consider the same course. He had the assurances of the president, the vice president, the governor of Pennsylvania, and the mayor of Philadelphia—all Democrats—that he would be unchallenged in the Democratic primary. Of course, that’s not what happened, and it ended a long and historic career.”

Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College, agreed with Snyder’s characterization of primary voters.

“Those voters that engage in party primaries are often the most passionate members of the party, with their party identity often an important aspect of their overall identity,” said Borick. “Thus, a candidate who is a relative newcomer to the party may have a higher bar to get over to win the support of longtime party members.”

“The candidates who do switch parties often have to build a strong case for why they switched parties, especially if it was a relatively recent change, and why they should be trusted. These ‘switchers’ sometimes compensate for their newcomer status by being more intense in their campaign rhetoric to signal their credibility with the primary audience,” Borick added.

Temple University political science Professor Robin Kolodny also mentioned Specter when asked about candidates who change parties.

“The answer is: it depends,” said Kolodny. Who else is running in the primary? What are the dynamics in the region or country about the parties? In Pennsylvania, party switching worked poorly for Sen. Arlen Specter when he switched from Republican to Democrat. In New Jersey, Rep. Jeff Van Drew was just fine when he switched from Democrat to Republican.”

Christopher Nicholas with the Eagle Consulting Group said, “I’d say it depends on their personal story. Both Reagan and Trump changed parties during their careers.”

Sunday told DVJournal he was raised a “blue dog” (AKA “conservative”) Democrat who began to disagree with the Democrats as he worked as a prosecutor.

“When I became a prosecutor—I mean, this was a long time coming for me—I realized that conservative principles were what I believed and would make our community safer and healthier. And just like a lot of people, I evolved in my thinking.”

Quantum Communications CEO Charlie Gerow, a Republican consultant, said switching parties may or may not hurt a candidate.

“It really depends on how long ago they switched parties and what they’ve done since. A very recent switch will hurt a candidate far more than one that happened long ago. More than one switch is a much bigger problem for the switcher,” said Gerow.

But Gerow noted it never hurt Philadelphian Joe Rocks.

Rocks was elected as a Republican to the Pennsylvania House in 1979. He switched parties in 1982 and was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate. He then switched back to Republican and served in the Senate from 1988 to 1990. As a result, he served in all four caucuses in the state legislature.

“Not many can do what Joe Rocks did,” said Gerow.

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On April 23, Pennsylvania Republicans — and only registered Republicans — will pick their party’s nominee for attorney general. Two candidates, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and Delaware Valley state Rep. Craig Williams, hope to get the nod.

The attorney general is arguably the second most powerful state official after the governor. In several recent cases, the Attorney General’s Office became a stepping stone to the governor’s mansion, including for the current governor, Josh Shapiro (D). Former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett also previously served as attorney general.

Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr., a former Montgomery County DA and county commissioner, is a Republican who served as acting attorney general after Democrat Kathleen Kane resigned following a conviction on perjury charges.

“The attorney general election is important mostly because it is a stepping-stone to the nomination for governor,” said Castor. “Most people think the attorney general is primarily a prosecutor. While that is far from the truth, perception is what matters. That is the only state row office which receives broad public attention.”

State Rep. Craig Williams

Sunday and Williams told DVJournal they are focused on the Attorney General’s Office and have no plans to run for governor.

“I think Pennsylvania is at a crossroads,” said Sunday, who has the endorsement of the state GOP. “If we can’t make our communities safer and healthier for our families and children, nothing else matters.”  Sunday is concerned about the world his third-grade son will grow up in.

Williams said, “I am focused on making Pennsylvania a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”

And Williams said that he can win the general election over whichever Democrat wins the primary.

“I have the most breadth of experience,” said Williams, who represents parts of Chester and Delaware Counties. “I have run two times in 2020 and 2022 in the state House elections that nobody thought I could win because of the political climate, be it Trump or abortion. I worked my tail off, and I brought a narrative that was winning, which is one of public service, being a community-minded guy, and being a tenacious fighter. And those narratives brought me home to two victories.”

Williams is a former federal prosecutor who served in Colorado and Philadelphia. Williams also served in the Marine Corps for nearly three decades, flew 56 combat missions, was decorated for valor in battle, and retired as a colonel. While in the Marines, he was a prosecutor and worked on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Williams served as deputy legal counsel to the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the war on terror.

Sunday is a Navy veteran who was deployed to the Persian Gulf and put himself through college and law school while working for UPS. He leads a large office that prosecutes about 9,000 cases annually. Sunday was previously chief deputy prosecutor of litigation. Twice elected district attorney, Sunday said his approach to public safety resulted in a 30 percent decrease in crime during his first term and reductions in the prison population by almost 40 percent since its peak, a reduced supervision caseload. He noted a recent study conducted by Indiana University of Pennsylvania shows offenders in York County have the lowest recidivism rate over five years compared to seven other counties.

“My philosophy of criminal justice is accountability and redemption,” Sunday told DVJournal. A lot of crime

York County District Attorney Dave Sunday

comes from drug addiction and mental illness, he said.

He started the York Opioid Collaborative, working with families, the “faith-based community,” and hospitals to “do everything we can to get people into treatment.”

Williams has used his legislative position to attack crime, including passing a law for a special prosecutor for crime on and near SEPTA and a crime and gun task force. He also led the charge to impeach progressive Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner, whose bail “reforms” and downgrading of gun charges have been blamed for spiking violent crime in the city that spills over to the suburbs.

At their debate, Sunday said he opposes Krasner’s impeachment and would allow the voters to decide the matter.

Sunday’s call for redemption means “emptying jails” and “fewer prison sentences,” Williams said.

Williams pointed out that Sunday was a Democrat until he was 37 and ran for DA in a conservative county, while Williams is a lifelong Republican.

Sunday’s “troubling record on public safety, evidenced by York’s murder rate surpassing Philadelphia’s, casts doubt on the authenticity of his 2013 switch to the Republican Party,” said Mark Campbell, Williams’ campaign manager.

Sunday said he switched from the “blue dog” Democratic party of his working-class family to Republican when he realized the Democrats were no longer in synch with his values. He said he voted for John McCain in 2008.

Castor said he has concerns about the “flexible” scruples of a candidate who changed parties. But “if the ‘party-flipper’ is the party-endorsed candidate, though, (they) can use that as a counterweight. Under these facts, I suspect party-flipping is not a major issue with the party endorsement providing cover.”

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Pennsylvania attorney general candidates York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and state Rep. Craig Williams traded barbs during a televised debate Thursday.

Williams (R-Chester/Delaware) hammered Sunday on various matters, including that he was a Democrat until he changed parties at age 37, while Williams has been a  lifelong Republican. Williams also called him out over his handling of a murder case where a person was wrongly convicted and for the crime rate in York.

As far as the murder case, Sunday told Williams, “Serious lawyers read things called transcripts.” Regarding crime, Sunday said he’d reduced crime. Sunday, who has been the DA for 15 years, was chief deputy prosecutor before being elected. He blamed the city’s proximity to Baltimore for its high crime.

District Attorney Dave Sunday

The state GOP has endorsed Sunday in the race. Asked why Republicans should back him over the party’s pick, Williams replied, “I’m not worried about endorsements because qualifications and winning elections are what matters.”

Williams touted his military experience, both in combat as a JAG officer. He spent 28 years in the Marine Corps, flew 56 combat missions in Desert Storm, and later was deputy legal counsel to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the War on Terror.

“I’ve been fighting for my country my whole life,” said Williams. “Fighting for my community my whole life. Fighting for my state my whole life.”

Asked about Williams’ accusation that Sunday runs the district attorney’s office like a progressive Democrat, Sunday said a group effort with the York police reduced gang violence by 80 percent and homicides by 75 percent.

“I’m a twice-elected DA. I’m a longtime prosecutor, a longtime courtroom prosecutor,” said Sunday. “So, this isn’t for me just coming up with numbers. I have stood in courtrooms, and I have looked at juries, and I have repeatedly asked them to return verdicts that put people in prison for the rest of their lives.”

Wiliams noted the crime problem in Sunday’s jurisdiction. “York is leading the state in murders per 100,000 people. More than Philadelphia, more than Pittsburgh, more than New York City, more than Chicago.”

Asked about a gang shootout at a car wash in York in December and FBI crime statistics showing York is one of the most dangerous small cities in the nation, Sunday said, “York is directly north of Baltimore, and as such, we face challenges that other cities don’t face.”

Both Williams and Sunday would appoint a special prosecutor to fight crime around SEPTA under a law that Williams voted for and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) signed.

However, Sunday does not support impeaching Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and suggested instead working with Philadelphia residents to “elect a real prosecutor into that role.”

Williams was a House impeachment manager and led the charge against Krasner. He said he has no regrets.

“Philadelphia is under siege, and we’ve got a district attorney there who’s not prosecuting crime,” said Williams. “He’s also committed misbehavior in office,” he said, mentioning a case where a police officer was involved in a “lawful shooting,” but Krasner prosecuted the cop in an effort to overturn the law that protects officers for “the lawful use of force.” Krasner appealed his impeachment. The case is pending in the state Supreme Court.

Asked about violent crime in the state, Williams cited the crime and gun task force in Philadelphia formed from his legislation to authorize the police state and federal officials to work together to go after felons with guns. It could be expanded statewide, he said.

“Overwhelmingly, violent crime is committed by a prior felon in possession of a gun,” said Williams.

Sunday said one of the top causes of crime is the lack of prosecution, “That laws that are on the books are currently not being prosecuted.” He said he works with community leaders, the faith-based community, and the police to bring criminals with guns to justice. He has the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police in York County.

Sunday has worked on racial disparities in the justice system.

“During the summer of George Floyd, I spent as much time as was humanly possible to talk to people in my community and not just talk to people, but listen,” he said. “But listening is really the key. “And through that listening, I discovered we have a community that they firmly believe there are disparities in the criminal justice system. And the only way to fix that is by working together and showing them the true outcomes and why things are done the way they (are).”

Asked about election integrity and tweets by Shapiro, the attorney general in 2020, Sunday said a large part of society believes the state’s elections aren’t free and fair. “I assigned detectives to investigate every criminal election complaint,” he said.

Williams said he found Shapiro “uniquely unserious” in his tweets, mannerisms, and treatment of half of Pennsylvania’s voters who disagreed with the election outcome.

Both candidates would use the death penalty and promised to protect consumers against fraud.

If elected, Williams would focus on gun violence, addiction, and fraud against seniors. Sunday said he would fight the scourge of fentanyl, gang violence, and the mental health crisis and protect seniors.

Williams would tackle “official oppression” or government officials who deny people’s constitutional or statutory rights. Sunday would work on the mental health crisis because many people charged with crimes need treatment for mental illness.

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State Rep. Craig Williams, a Republican running for attorney general, attacked one of his primary opponents, former Delaware County District Attorney Kat Copeland, on Saturday.

Williams, who represents parts of Delaware and Chester Counties, is a former Marine who served as a federal prosecutor in Denver and Philadelphia. He was also the chief prosecutor for the U. S. Marine Corps, as well as a Joint Terrorism Task Force member and deputy counsel to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Copeland, who lost to Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer in 2019, was also a federal prosecutor.

Willaims tweeted Saturday morning: “U.S. Attorney @McSwainPA said he had evidence of election fraud that DOJ shut down. AG Bill Barr said that was not true. The President called McSwain a coward. Kat Copeland was Criminal Chief under McSwain and was responsible for prosecuting election fraud. She owes us the truth.”

After losing the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump blamed McSwain for not investigating allegations of election fraud in Pennsylvania. Later, when McSwain campaigned for governor in 2022, Trump told people not to vote for him in the primary.

“One person who I will not be endorsing is Bill McSwain for governor,” Trump said at the time. “He was the U.S. Attorney who did absolutely nothing on the massive election fraud that took place in Philadelphia and throughout the Commonwealth. Do not vote for Bill McSwain, a coward, who let our country down. He knew what was happening and let it go.”

In that primary, Trump endorsed eventual nominee state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin), who lost the general election to then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D).

During the 2022 campaign, McSwain wrote a letter to Trump saying then-U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr had told him not to investigate or prosecute claims of election fraud but to turn over any cases to Shapiro.

“As part of my responsibilities as U.S. Attorney, I wanted to be transparent with the public and, of course, investigate fully any allegations,” McSwain wrote to Trump. “Attorney General Barr, however, instructed me not to make any public statements or put out any press releases regarding possible election irregularities. I was also given a directive to pass along serious allegations to the state attorney general (Shapiro) for investigation — the same state attorney general who had already declared that you could not win.”

However, Barr said that was not true. He told The Washington Post: “Any suggestion that McSwain was told to stand down from investigating allegations of election fraud is false. It’s just false.” Barr added that the assertions “appeared to have been made to mollify President Trump to gain his support for McSwain’s planned run for governor.”

Copeland could not immediately be reached for comment.

“For the other two campaigns, this party endorsement process has been about hiding their candidates from public debate and hard questions,” said Williams. “This is but one of the many hard questions Kat Copeland needs to answer. She was at the heart of this controversy, and she should tell us the truth.”

Republicans statewide are holding straw polls this weekend to indicate their pick in the attorney general’s race ahead of the party’s endorsement vote on Monday.

In addition to Williams and Copeland, York County DA David Sunday Jr. is also seeking the nomination. Sunday, who was the first to declare his candidacy last June, is believed to be the frontrunner.

On the Democratic side, candidates include Stollsteimer, state Rep. Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia), former auditor general Eugene DePasquale, former Philadelphia Chief Public Defender Keir Bradford-Grey, and former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan. The state Democratic Party did not endorse any attorney general candidates at its December meeting.

The primary is on April 23.

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State Rep. Craig Williams says Pennsylvania needs a Marine for attorney general. And he isn’t letting other GOP candidates keep him out of the race.

Williams, who has been widely viewed as a potential candidate for months, is expected to formally launch his campaign on Tuesday.

He is entering a crowded race with two Republicans already in the GOP primary — York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and former Delaware County District Attorney Kat Copeland — and at least five Democrats running as well. Sunday entered the race back in July and has been endorsed by the national Republican Attorneys General Association.

Asked why he was running when Sunday appears to have significant GOP establishment backing, Williams said it was because he could win the general election.

“Looking at the field that’s emerging for attorney general, I do not see or hear a narrative that’s going to win,” said Williams, 59. “And I’m absolutely determined to win this attorney general seat.

“I have the most breadth of experience,” said Williams, who represents parts of Chester and Delaware Counties. “I have run two times in 2020 and 2022 in the state House elections that nobody thought I could win because of the political climate, be it Trump or abortion. I worked my tail off, and I brought a narrative that was winning, which is one of public service, being a community-minded guy, and being a tenacious fighter. And those narratives brought me home to two victories.

“And I’m the only one who can win this race,” Williams added.

He is a former federal prosecutor who served in Colorado and Philadelphia. Williams also served in the Marine Corps for nearly three decades, flew 56 combat missions, was decorated for valor in battle, and retired as a colonel.

While in the Marines, he was a prosecutor and also worked on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Williams served as deputy legal counsel to the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the war on terror.

Williams has traveled to 30 Pennsylvania’s 67 counties so far to talk to people in a “soft launch” of his campaign.

“And I will tell you that my narrative of having been a nearly 30-year Marine Corps colonel, a combat veteran of Desert Storm, where I flew in the F-18, a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice in Colorado and Philadelphia, and deputy legal counsel to the Joint Chiefs, there is nobody in this race with the experience and that wide (variety) of matters,” he said. “And when you couple that experience with the fact that we are living in unbelievably violent times, people want a combat Marine. People want somebody who is going to go out there and fight for them. And I’m hearing that in county after county. We need somebody that’s going to fight, and we need somebody that’s going to win.”

“Time and again, what I’m hearing is you’re the guy that can win,” said Williams.

As for Sunday’s early support, Williams said Sunday announced early because he does not have that much experience and needed to line up support to “deaden that blow” and put forth a storyline that “this decision is already made, and everyone else should just go away.”

“These same people that are throwing their support behind Dave Sunday have been losing campaigns for the last several years,” said Williams. “My campaign will be grassroots.

DVJournal asked Williams what he would do about violence since that is usually the purview of district attorneys, not the state attorney general.

“One thing I will do is go to the General Assembly and get authority for concurrent jurisdiction in these large cities where we’re seeing an escalation of gun violence,” said Williams. “I am the architect of the Gun Violence Task Force in Philadelphia, which gave the attorney General concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute gun crime in Philadelphia. (former attorney general, now governor) Josh Shapiro chose not to use it…I will be mobilizing a task force into Philadelphia.”

“Philadelphia needs a combat Marine right now,” Williams added.

Another Delaware Valley candidate for attorney general is Delaware County Democrat District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. Williams is a strong Stollsteimer critic.

Asked about Stollsteimer touting his reduction of the population in the county prison inmate population by 30 percent and “decriminalizing” small amounts of marijuana, Williams scoffed.

“He cannot ‘decriminalize’ anything,” said Williams. “What he can do is decline to prosecute just like (Philadelphia DA) Larry Krasner. The contrast between me and Jack Stollsteimer could not be any bigger. Jack Stollsteimer is about emptying out the prisons and putting criminals back on the street. I’m making sure we take the fight to violent criminals by way of my prosecution background and my combat experience. And Jack Stollsteimer is going to selectively choose which crimes he does and doesn’t prosecute. That’s a nullification of our legal process in exactly the same way that Larry Krasner has done to Philadelphia. And it’s no way to run the Attorney General’s Office.”

Williams was the manager in Krasner’s House impeachment. That case is now pending before the sate Supreme Court, which is set to hear arguments Nov. 28.

“I come to this fight with the Pennsylvania and United States Constitutions in one arm and my Marine Corps sword in the other,” said Williams. “And I’m going to fight to keep people safe.”

In addition to Stollsteimer, the list of Democratic c candidates includes Kier Bradford-Grey, a former public defender; former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale; former Bucks County solicitor Joe Khan; and state Rep. Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia).

Williams and his wife, lawyer Jennifer Arbittier Williams, have four children and live in the Garnet Valley School District.

Having overseen the Chester County Prison, where two prisoners –including convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante — have escaped since May, Democrats shouldn’t escape their responsibility for this security failure.

That was the message from Republicans holding a press conference Wednesday calling out Democratic county officials, such as the sheriff, district attorney, and the majority commissioners, for their failed oversight of the county prison in the wake of Cavalcante’s escape.

“The residents of Chester County deserve better,” said Eric Roe, the former state representative and a Republican running for county commissioner. “Let me be clear: I am not criticizing the brave men and women of law enforcement who are out there in the heat working tirelessly to find this dangerous and evil man. My frustration is with the people at the highest levels of county government tasked with preventing these escapes, acting quickly in the event of an escape, and keeping our residents properly informed. Several Chester County Prison Board members are on your ballot this November. If you are not happy with the status quo, then I urge you to vote accordingly.”

Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 and has not been apprehended as of this writing. There have been multiple sightings, including on trail cameras in Longwood Gardens. A jury convicted Cavalcante of murder for brutally stabbing his girlfriend in front of her children, and a judge sentenced him to life in prison. Cavalcante is also wanted for a 2017 murder in his native Brazil, officials said.

“The primary role for any government is the safety and wellbeing of its residents,” said David Sommers, a Republican candidate for county commission. “Chester County Commissioners must keep our communities safe. The escape of an ‘extremely dangerous’ inmate from the Chester County Prison is of great concern. It is the duty and responsibility of the entire Chester County Prison Board, of which the three commissioners are members, to run and maintain the correctional facility. Many questions remain unanswered to date. Residents deserve a full explanation of the events surrounding the escape, response time, and subsequent notification to the public.”

The commissioners “must thoroughly search for a new, qualified, vetted, permanent Chester County Prison warden,” Sommers added.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, Cavalcante was still on the run, apparently having burglarized a home or homes to take food and items he needed to survive. Cameras showed him in Pocopson Township and areas near Longwood Gardens. Then Longwood Gardens officials saw Cavalcante walking on their trails.

“On the morning of September 5, 2023, security at Longwood Gardens notified law enforcement that they had received trail camera footage that was taken on their property, which showed an individual appearing to be Cavalcante,” a press release stated. “This area was just south of the original perimeter. Investigators confirmed it was Danelo Cavalcante, and he had a backpack, a duffle sling pack, and a hooded sweatshirt.

“Cavalcante was seen in the trail camera footage walking north at 8:21 p.m. and back south through the same location at 9:33 p.m. Based on that information, the manhunt has shifted from the original parameter to contain him, moving towards the southern end of the established perimeter,” the statement said.

Longwood Gardens closed. Area school superintendents were notified, leading to the closures of schools in Unionville Chadds-Ford and Kennett Area Consolidated school districts. Residents were notified by reverse 911.

Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chadds Ford), whose district includes the affected area, told DVJournal, “I am in touch with both the State Police and the Governor’s Office of Legislative Affairs. My first priority is the safety of my community by capturing an escaped felon. I am told the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Pennsylvania State Police, the state police of Maryland and Delaware, as well as aviation and canine assets from those agencies, are now added to the hunt. That should bring some comfort to my worried district.”

“When this convict is recaptured, then we will have a conversation about the security of the Pocopson facility,” added Williams, a former U.S. Assistant Attorney General and Marine JAG officer.

Commonwealth Foundation Senior Fellow Guy Ciarrocchi, who served as a state deputy attorney general, is livid about the incompetence of county officials.

“We now have the worst of our fears: An escaped convicted murderer is out and running around southern Chester County,” said Ciarrocchi.

Asked why county officials did not fix problems at the prison after a different inmate escaped in May, Ciarrocchi said, “You’re asking one of those commonsense questions that goes above and beyond law enforcement and politics. It’s a commonsense question. If it happened once, why wasn’t it fixed? And that’s a question somebody better answer. And our sheriff ought to answer that. Our commissioners ought to answer it. Our district attorney ought to answer it. But our sheriff and our district attorney are busy running for county judge, hoping people will vote for them because of their party label.”

A county spokeswoman said the matter is under investigation.

Ciarrocchi said the county prison should not house such dangerous prisoners. It is where inmates are “typically car thieves, con artists, welfare fraud, not, not usually physically harmful, violent, violent people go there as a holding cell until they’re being sent to a more secure prison.”

Longwood Gardens cameras caught the fugitive on a trail.

Cavalcante should not have been there, but since he was, prison authorities should have taken more precautions with him.

“We have one job. Hold this man until he’s put into a maximum security prison. And they failed in that basic duty. This is, this is a horrific failure of leadership. And then it was compounded by not really getting the public engaged so that we could be vigilant to help capture him and protect loved ones in our businesses,” said Ciarrocchi.

Ciarrocchi said, “This was a convicted murderer who is also standing on murder charges in Brazil. He should be the one person that everybody is paying attention to, and he is the one that they should have been building security around…To let him go, uh, is a gross failure in duty. And to let him go this many days and not engage the public is far worse. So that’s what appears to have happened.”

The district attorney’s office said hundreds of law enforcement officers are working around the clock to find Cavalcante. Helicopters, drones, and K-9 units are aiding the search.

Residents should keep their doors and windows locked and be aware of their surroundings.

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Danelo Cavalcante is asked to call 9-1-1 immediately. Officials said there is a $10,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to his capture.

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The state legislature may yet rid Philadelphia of progressive DA Larry Krasner.

The House impeachment managers filed an appeal to the state Supreme Court asking it to overturn a Commonwealth Court decision to stop the impeachment. The House voted to impeach Krasner in November 2022.

Under Krasner’s watch, murders and carjackings have skyrocketed in the City of Brotherly Love. Retail theft has jumped due to a non-prosecution policy that has businesses abandoning the city after seeing their bottom lines plummet.

But policy questions are not what is alleged by the impeachment managers. Rather, they allege actual criminal conduct.

Former federal prosecutor and Marine JAG state Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chadds Ford), the lead impeachment manager, talked to the DVJournal Wednesday about the charges against Krasner.

The seven articles of impeachment ranged from lying to a grand jury, lying to the state Supreme Court, failing to inform crime victims, and lying to a federal court.

“We’ve been saying from the beginning that this conduct is unlawful,” said Williams. “Not just that we think that Larry Krasner has not done a fine job as the district attorney, but he has conducted himself in unlawful ways.”

One case that the House managers document in the impeachment appeal is about a Philadelphia police officer, Ryan Pownall, that raised concerns about “prosecutorial misconduct,” including hiding information from a grand jury and a trial judge.

Justice Kevin Dougherty, who recused himself from the appeal, wrote that in the Pownall case, prosecutors had engaged in conduct “worrisome coming from any litigant” but “even more concerning” coming from a prosecutor. There was an “intentional, deliberate choice not to inform the grand jurors about the justification defense” available to Officer Pownall. Further, the prosecution appeared to be “driven by a win-at-all-cost office culture” that treats police officers differently from other defendants.

“It is a crime in the state of Pennsylvania to use your official office to suppress or oppress someone’s legal rights,” said Williams. “It’s called official oppression under Title 18, or conspiracy to do that, or solicitation to do that. In other words, telling one of your subordinates to go do certain things.”

Another case the impeachment managers cite is a federal death penalty case where the prosecutors withheld information from the judge and the victim’s family, said Williams.

“Using your official office to oppress someone else’s legal rights in Pennsylvania constitutes a crime under Title 18, and that’s what I intend to prove,” said Williams.

If the Supreme Court rules in their favor, the next step is to have a trial before the state Senate. And if two-thirds of the Senate votes to convict Krasner, he would be removed from office.

The DVJournal asked Williams what would happen if Krasner refused to leave office. Williams said they would file for a writ with the court to make him go.

“That would be the ultimate act of civil disobedience.”

Many people note Krasner was twice elected to office and question whether the legislature should be getting involved.

“So is that to suggest that once somebody’s elected to office, they can’t commit a crime or they can’t misbehave while in office?” asked Williams. “I think the answer to that’s clearly no. I mean, we, we’ve tried plenty of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia officials for their illegal activity. So being elected to office is not some sort of cloak of immunity.”

Krasner has yet to respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

But lawyers for Krasner had previously filed documents contending the impeachment was unconstitutional and denying any charges the House brought against him.

Krasner is a former defense lawyer whose progressive policies align with a group of other district attorneys whose campaigns were also funded by money from Democratic mega-donor George Soros. When the impeachment articles were introduced by state Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia), Krasner claimed the action was “devastating to democracy, and it shows how far toward fascism the Republican Party is creeping.”

White justified impeachment by saying at that time, “The information contained in the most recent preliminary report was so egregious to me I felt compelled to drop these articles of impeachment,” referencing an interim report that outlined findings but did not include a recommendation of impeachment. “Mr. Krasner has proven himself derelict in his duties as the Philadelphia district attorney by inappropriately using prosecutorial discretion to act against the public’s interest.”

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