DV Journal

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey appeared at a campaign event Tuesday with Indivisible Philadelphia, an organization that wants police funding “allocated to better-qualified resources that will actually help people and take police knees off the necks of Black and Brown communities.”

On Wednesday, the 1,300-member Delaware County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 27 returned the favor by endorsing Casey’s Republican opponent, Dave McCormick.

“Last night, our current senator, Bob Casey, attended an event with an anti-police organization, Indivisible Philadelphia. Subsequent to that event last night Indivisible Pennsylvania announced they’ve endorsed Sen. Bob Casey,” said FOP President Chris Eiserman.

“This is a group that said. ‘We won’t stop until they defund the police,’” said  Eiserman. It wants “fewer officers on the street. They have advocated to end cash bail.  This is a group responsible for bailing out some of the most violent offenders Pennsylvania has to offer.

“At a time when there were four shootings in four days on our local public transit system, law enforcement across the commonwealth is understaffed,” he said. “Casey’s decision to align himself with these defund the police activists is alarming and extremely dangerous. Pennsylvanians deserve better.”

Eiserman serves as deputy chief for Folcroft Borough. He was joined Wednesday by Folcroft Officer Chris Dorman, who was shot seven times on June 24, 2016.

“It was a 911 call about a suspicious person smoking and selling marijuana,” said Dorman, 33. “We located them in the area.” The suspect fired at Dorman, hitting him in the face, chest, hand, back, and both legs, Dorman told DVJournal. Yet he continues to serve.

Polls show Casey and McCormick locked in a single-digit race. Those same polls show former President Donald Trump with a narrow but consistent lead over President Joe Biden in the presidential race. A strong showing by Trump is likely to boost McCormick’s campaign, and Trump has made law and order a central issue in his reelection bid.

In Delaware County, Eiserman called out Casey for not backing the call to strip power from prosecutors who are not enforcing the law.

“We all know that [Philadelphia District Attorney] Larry Krasner’s progressive approach of letting criminals back on the street isn’t working. And yet Bob Casey supports Soros-funded prosecutors in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, who have let crime get completely out of control,” said Eiserman. “Casey voted against $300 million to anti-narcotics and opioid (funds) for customs and border protection. He voted against Kate’s Law twice, which would have set a mandatory minimum for deported felons who illegally reenter the U.S.”

Kate’s Law was named for Kate Steinle who was killed in 2015 by an illegal immigrant later acquitted of murder by a San Francisco jury after claiming the gun fired accidentally. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) reintroduced Kate’s Law last year.

“Casey says there’s systemic racism in our police,” said Eiserman. “He thinks we are the problem, not the violent criminals making Pennsylvanians less safe.”

Casey co-sponsored a bill that would end qualified immunity for police officers, a policy that protects cops from being sued for actions “taken in the line of duty,” said Eiserman. “His bill would also defund local police departments from federal grants if they don’t implement the Biden administration’s preferred policing policies.”

“Thankfully, Pennsylvania has a law-and-order Senate candidate who will work with the police and not against us: Dave McCormick,” said Eiserman. “Dave’s a combat veteran who takes threats to Pennsylvanians’ safety seriously.”

“Dave knows it’s time to respect law enforcement and keep violent criminals off our streets,” said Eiserman. McCormick would also work to secure the southern border and keep “dangerous drugs like fentanyl and crime from destroying Pennsylvania families.”

Forty-seven sheriffs have endorsed McCormick, said Eiserman.

Afterward, Eiserman told DVJournal, “We need a senator that’s going to support law enforcement. There were over 370 officers shot in the line of duty last year.” And “right now, we’re at 70 this year.”

“The FOP is trying to pass the Protect and Serve Act (HB2743), which makes it a federal crime to attack a police officer,” said Eiserman. The group tried to meet with Casey about it, but he was unavailable to see him. They met instead with a staffer who would not tell them the senator’s position on the bill. He noted, however, that Casey supported bills to protect journalists and poll workers.

“Look at the numbers,” he said. “In the last two months, we had two officers in East Lansdowne shot, and one in Chester City shot.”

Casey’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

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

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick got good news when the group Americans for Prosperity Action announced it is spending “seven figures” to air ads in Pennsylvania and Nevada for U.S. Senate candidates. The spots began on Monday.

In Pennsylvania, the ads tout McCormick, 58, who is challenging Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) as “A leader we can trust.” Another ad hits Casey, saying, “Bob Casey failed Pennsylvania” and “He deserves a pink slip, not another term.”

“Pennsylvanians need a new leader in the Senate. Dave McCormick understands where inflation comes from runaway government spending. He’s ready to be part of the solution by putting an end to Washington waste,” said Ashley Klingensmith, AFP Action senior advisor for Pennsylvania.

The $1 million ad buy to benefit McCormick includes spots on connected TV (streaming) and the internet, including on sites like YouTube, said Christine Ravold, AFP Action spokeswoman.

Casey, 63, is already fundraising off the ads. In a fundraising email, he asks donors to send him money because billionaire Charles Koch funds AFP Action.

Asked about that, Ravold acknowledged her organization was funded by Charles and his late brother, David Koch.

“However, we receive donations from many individuals across the country who are committed to reigniting the American Dream,” she said.

McCormick is an Army veteran who attended West Point after graduating high school in Bloomsburg and served in the 82nd Airborne Division. He owns the family Christmas tree farm there and lives in Pittsburgh, where he spent his younger childhood. McCormick, who holds a Ph.D. from Princeton, was Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs under President George W. Bush.

He is also a successful businessman. Before leaving for a political career, he was CEO of Bridgewater, a hedge fund.

Casey is the son of the late Bob Casey Sr., who was governor of Pennsylvania. A Scranton native, Casey was the state’s auditor general and treasurer. After graduating from Holy Cross College, he earned a Catholic University of America law degree.

In 2022, McCormick ran in the Republican U.S. Senate primary but narrowly lost to Dr. Mehmet Oz. Democrat John Fetterman easily defeated Oz in the general election.

“Sen. Casey is hoping that his terrible record of representing Pennsylvania voters will go unnoticed, but the fact is Pennsylvanians are reminded every day at the grocery store and the gas pump,” said Klingensmith. “The Keystone State is full of economic potential, but the American Dream is out of reach for so many because Casey continues to vote against the interests of Pennsylvanians. Dave McCormick’s experience positions him to better advance economic opportunity for Pennsylvanians from Pitt to Philly and everywhere in between.”

In Nevada, AFP Action is supporting Republican Sam Brown for the Senate. Brown is challenging incumbent Jacky Rosen.

Republicans hope to retake control of the Senate this year. Democrats must defend 23 seats, including in states that are Republican or lean Republican, like Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia, where Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced he won’t be seeking another term.

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

What a difference an election year makes.

Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has been an outspoken advocate of climate policies designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions. In 2022, he praised President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, saying the $369 billion in green spending “may have been the last chance” for federal action on climate change. Casey voted against a 2021 amendment to reverse Biden’s shutdown of the Keystone XL pipeline, and he’s even floated bringing back the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps to promote “climate change mitigation.”

But with a competitive general election looming in November and a well-funded GOP challenger, Casey signed a letter last week announcing his opposition to the Biden administration’s decision to pause liquid natural gas (LNG) exports.

“Pennsylvania is an energy state,” Casey and fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman wrote. “As the second largest natural gas-producing state, this industry has created good-paying energy jobs in towns and communities across the commonwealth and has played a critical role in promoting U.S. energy independence.”

Fetterman and Casey worry the LNG pause might impact “thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry.” They vowed to push the administration to reverse the decision if it “puts Pennsylvania energy jobs at risk.”

It’s surprisingly strong language for Casey, who voted for Biden’s agenda 99.3 percent of the time last year, according to FiveThirtyEight.com.

Environmental groups were not pleased with the two Democrats’ statement.

“They are being hypocritical, and also they are sticking their head in the ground by ignoring/denying the climate impacts that are being caused by LNG exports and the fracking that fuels it,” said Tracy Carluccio of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) “They are also acting unproductively oppositional to President Biden who also said this pause will examine the community and economic impacts of these DOE authorizations for LNG export and that is inexcusable.”

Only one other Senate Democrat, green activist bête noire Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), openly criticized the Biden policy. Manchin chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and vowed to do everything possible to “end this pause immediately” if it’s proven the Biden administration was pandering to “keep-it-in-the-ground climate activists.”

Manchin isn’t seeking reelection, and there’s been talk that he may run for president as a centrist third-party candidate.

It’s a much different scenario for Casey, who is up for reelection this fall. His likely Republican opponent, Dave McCormick, wasted no time decrying Biden’s LNG pause.

“America and PA lead the world in Liquified Natural Gas, creating jobs for our people & allies for our country,” McCormick posted on social media hours after Biden’s announced the LNG pause last month. “Why is Bob Casey standing with [Biden] on this?”

Almost a week later, Casey announced his opposition.

Fetterman’s commitment to green energy shifted further. After twice signing the No Fossil Fuel Pledge, the alleged progressive said in 2022 that he supports fracking “as long as it’s done environmentally sound.” His Senate campaign claimed he never “supported a fracking ban” and wanted to “preserve the union way of life” for natural gas workers. However, Fetterman said in 2018, “I don’t support fracking.”

Environmental groups, including Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, Sierra Club of Pennsylvania, and PennFuture, declined to comment about the pro-fossil-fuel stance of their political allies. Instead,  Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter Director Tom Schuster said he was confident the federal review would prove LNG projects don’t “serve the public interest and will cancel them.” PennFuture said the pause was “a win for Philadelphia and Chester.”

Energy groups praised Casey and Fetterman for their willingness to break with Biden.

“The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association agrees with the criticism by Sens. Casey and Fetterman of the effect on Pennsylvania jobs of President Bidens’s LNG export pause,” Kevin Moody, PIOGA General Counsel, told DVJournal. “But just as significant, and perhaps even more so, are the adverse effects on our national security and our ability to provide Europe and Asia with the LNG they need and will get from somewhere else.”

Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association President and CEO David Taylor called it electoral politics.

“I think the Biden administration just took a position so extreme that people had to protect their backsides and jump up and say, ‘No, I’m not, I’m not in favor of that,’” he told DVJournal.

Taylor still wondered if Casey’s recent public stance was sincere, given his record.

“[He] worked closely with Joe Biden …certainly in the Democrat primary in 2019 and 2020 [he] was all in for Joe Biden,” Taylor said. “If he’s looking to differentiate himself from [Biden], that may be an exceedingly difficult challenge.”

Carluccio suspects the move could hurt Casey at the ballot box this fall, particularly among environmentally conscious voters in the Delaware Valley.

“Those folks vote,” she said. “More and more people, as they become convinced that fracking is not what it’s made out to be…are going to speak through their vote.”

The U.S. Senate Energy Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on Biden’s LNG export pause.

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

President Joe Biden supports the mammoth $118 billion border and foreign aid deal released by the U.S. Senate Sunday night. And despite complaints from some progressives that it’s “a new version of a failed Trump-era immigration policy,” Delaware Valley Democrats say they’re on board, too.

“Now we’ve reached an agreement on a bipartisan national security deal that includes the toughest and fairest set of border reforms in decades. I strongly support it,” Biden said in a statement.

The bill, which approves $60 billion in aid for Ukraine and another $14 billion for Israel, is poised for its first vote in the Senate on Wednesday. On immigration, it would raise the standard for claiming asylum, end “catch and release,” and add money for 50,000 detention beds for migrants awaiting review.

It was negotiated by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.)

But in Pennsylvania, attitudes toward the legislation fall along partisan lines.

“The bipartisan bill released last night takes critical steps towards securing our border and stopping fentanyl while providing key assistance to Ukraine and Israel,” said Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) via social media. “It’s time to put politics aside and get this done.”

His likely Republican opponent, Dave McCormick, posted his opposition. “This is not a compromise; it’s a capitulation. This bill does not secure the border — it allows 4,000 migrants to cross illegally every. single. day.”

McCormick was referencing a provision in the legislation that mandates the Department of Homeland Security turn away all would-be migrants at the border if encounters reach a weekly average of 5,000 per day. The bill also grants the president the authority to invoke that measure at 4,000 encounters per day.

Like many of his fellow Republicans, McCormick argues there’s no reason to allow that level of undocumented migration — about 1.4 million per year — before shutting down the border.

“To protect Americans and fight the scourge of fentanyl, we need to CLOSE the border to illegal immigration. I oppose this deal,” McCormick wrote.

Progressive Sen. John Fetterman posted on social media that he had former Republican Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson as a professor.

“Back in 1998, Sen. Simpson said that we’ll never have any meaningful immigration legislation because it will forever be a useful political weapon. Here we are more than a quarter century later. I hope my Senate Republican colleagues don’t prove him right. Let’s PASS THIS BILL.”

The three Democrats in the Delaware Valley federal delegation also support the package.

“Our border and immigration system is dysfunctional and has been under both parties,” Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery/Berks) posted on social media. “It’s time to start talking solutions. So far, House Republicans are unwilling. I pray they change their minds soon — for the sake of our communities and for the sake of those seeking refuge.”

Republican David Winkler, who is running against Dean, said he is “deeply disappointed” in the “lack of seriousness” from Democrats on the border, and he cites the lack of a border wall mandate in the bill.

“We should propose a bill that focuses on strengthening border security by implementing physical security measures, utilizing advanced technology, and increasing staffing.”

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester/Berks) supports the bill. She visited the border last Thursday and Friday. Houlahan also penned a letter asking her colleagues to send more aid to Ukraine.

“I’m calling on Speaker [Mike] Johnson to change his deeply cynical position that “now is not the time” for immigration reform—I couldn’t disagree more. Most people in communities across America couldn’t disagree more. No solution will be perfect, but we cannot let that keep us from making progress for both the American people and those who seek refuge here,” Houlahan said in an op-ed in Newsweek on Monday.

Her request is falling on deaf ears. Speaker Johnson and other key House leaders signed a letter Monday declaring the bill dead on arrival in the House.

“It fails in every policy area needed to secure our border and would actually incentivize more illegal immigration,” they wrote. “The so-called ‘shutdown’ authority in the bill is anything but, riddled with loopholes that grant far too much discretionary authority to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – who has proven he will exploit every measure possible, in defiance of the law, to keep the border open.”

Neil Young, the Republican running against Houlahan, said he agrees with Johnson.

“Senate Republicans who voted in favor of this bill should be made to account for their vote and primaried if necessary. The American people do not want a quota system on how many people should be allowed into this country illegally.

“We deserve leaders who will vote to protect our borders from all threats, be they drug, crime, or illegal immigrant-related,” said Young. “In addition, for them to also tie this nonsense to yet another $60 billion foreign aid handout to Ukraine is doubly insulting. Last year’s HB2, which Speaker Johnson passed, was the blueprint for how to handle this, and the Senate still failed to deliver meaningful border security. The American people are smart enough to know that this current administration is responsible for our crisis at the border, and no amount of media spin can change that.”

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks/Montgomery) did not respond to requests for comment, nor did Ashley Ehasz, the Democrat making her second attempt to unseat him.

A new Franklin & Marshall College poll shows there hasn’t been much change since October in voters’ attitudes about the race between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Republican challenger Dave McCormick.

Casey leads McCormick 47 percent to 35 percent in a head-to-head match-up for U.S. Senate. In October, the F & M poll showed Casey at 46 percent to McCormick’s 39 percent.

Another poll, the Susquehanna P & R,  conducted on Jan. 15 and 21, was closer. It had Casey at 45.9 percent and McCormick at 42.1 percent. That poll has a plus or minus 3.7 accuracy rate.

“There really isn’t that much difference between the polls–the numbers for Casey are virtually identical and Susquehanna has McCormick a tad higher than us. Could be the result of sampling variation, could be the result of question wording or order. What’s probably more important for McCormick is that 55 percent of voters said they didn’t know enough about him to have an opinion. He’ll definitely need to change that to be competitive,” said Berwood Yost, director of the Floyd Institute of Public Policy Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College,

President Joe Biden is barely ahead of former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, 43 to 42 percent, virtually a tie. Biden has a larger lead of 42 percent to 37 percent if a third-party candidate is added.

The poll claimed that more voters think Biden has better judgment than Trump, is more trustworthy and shares views closer to their own. But more voters believe that Trump can better handle the economy and serve as commander-in-chief.

And 43 percent think both Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, are too old to be president. One in five voters has an unfavorable opinion of both men.

Most Democrats, at 64 percent, think Biden is doing a good job. Only 8 percent of Republicans and 19 percent of Independents believe that. Biden is also viewed more unfavorably by 57 percent of Pennsylvania voters than favorably by 41 percent of voters.

“The bad news for President Biden is that his numbers on handling of the economy and overall approval are dreadful and would normally spell doom for an incumbent,” said Vince Galko, a Republican strategist.  “The good news for Biden is that he is running against Donald Trump.  Former President Trump’s legal problems and his lack of support from Independents and suburban voters level the playing field and will make this a real dogfight.  This election may not be about who is best to lead our nation, but rather who is least objectionable.”

Charlie Gerow, CEO of Quantum Communications, said, “The F&M poll shows the presidential race within the margin of error, which is not surprising. There are other recent polls that give President Trump a lead in Pennsylvania greater than the 1 percent margin in the F&M poll. While there are lingering questions about the sampling by F&M, one thing is clear: Pennsylvania is still up for grabs, and both teams have a lot of work to do.”

The survey also found that voters were “generally pessimistic” about the economy, although to a lesser extent than in October. Some 48 percent think things in the state are on the wrong track, but 55 percent believed that in October. And 47 percent believe they are worse off than they were a year ago, with 38 percent naming inflation as the cause and 19 percent saying the general cost of living. Some 7 percent listed the cost of food, and 7 percent said stagnant wages were the main reasons they feel worse off, the poll stated.

The Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College conducted the poll from Jan. 17 to 28. The responses included 1,006 registered Pennsylvania voters, including 450 Democrats, 414 Republicans, and 142 Independents. The sample error for this survey is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Pennsylvania Republicans got a double dose of good news Monday, and it suggests a good year ahead for the GOP.

For U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick, the headline is his blowout fundraising in the fourth quarter of 2023, $6.4 million. That’s more money than the incumbent Democrat he’s challenging, Sen. Bob Casey, has ever raised in a single quarter.

For former President Donald Trump, the good news is a poll from the left-leaning group Future Majority showing him leading President Joe Biden in Biden’s native Pennsylvania by six points, 46-40 percent. Trump already has a slim one-point advantage in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. With the new Future Majority poll, Trump beat Biden in four of the five most recent polls in Pennsylvania.

It’s part of a consistent trend showing Trump leading Biden in Pennsylvania and six other swing states that are likely to determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential race. And it’s good news for Keystone State Republican candidates like McCormick, who will benefit from having a strong performance at the top of the GOP ticket.

Not that McCormick isn’t helping himself.

McCormick raised $5.4 million from over 15,000 individual donors and put in an additional $1 million of his own in his first quarter as a 2024 Senate candidate, making for a groundbreaking haul, his campaign said in a press release. McCormick’s number beats any of Bob Casey’s fundraising quarters in 18 years and is among the largest first quarters ever for a Republican challenger.

“Dave McCormick has earned the support of Pennsylvanians from all walks of life because they believe he is the kind of leader who can address the burden of inflation on working families, push for a secure border, and protect the security of Americans at home and abroad. A seventh-generation Pennsylvanian, West Point graduate, and Pennsylvania job creator, Dave is exactly the kind of candidate who can beat Bob Casey in November, shake up Washington, and get this country back on track from the failed policies of Joe Biden,” said McCormick campaign manager Matt Gruda.

The Casey campaign raised $3.2 million for the third quarter of 2024.

“I’m no stranger to a tough race. I’ve always fought for PA, and I won’t stop now. We’re up against a wall of money, so I’m looking for 10,000 supporters to help us start 2024 off strong,” Casey posted on social media.

In addition to his fundraising success, McCormick just completed a trip to Israel to highlight his strong foreign policy resume and raise questions about Casey’s commitment to the Jewish state.

Delaware Valley supporters of McCormick like what they’re seeing from the candidate.

“Dave McCormick is running an excellent campaign so far,” Radnor businessman Austin Hepburn told DVJournal. “His fundraising is impressive. It’s going to be an expensive race.”

Democrats are already looking at a difficult U.S. Senate map as they attempt to hold their 51-49 majority. West Virginia is almost certain to flip to the GOP now that Sen. Joe Manchin has announced he’s not seeking reelection. Democratic incumbents in two other states that Trump carried easily in 2020 — Ohio and Montana — are up for reelection in November, too. If Democrats can’t hold Pennsylvania, they are assured of losing control of the Senate.

And if Biden can’t pick up his poll numbers here, it’s going to be tough for Casey to hold off McCormick.

Perhaps in an effort to shore up his support in Pennsylvania, Biden kicked off his 2024 campaign in Montgomery County on Friday with a speech attacking Trump. Biden went after Trump over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, claimed Trump would become a dictator if elected again, and compared Trump’s rhetoric to that of Hitler.

While going negative against Trump, Biden did not tout his own record. All of which has the GOP feeling optimistic.

“From calling out Biden’s ‘erosion’ of support, to bluntly saying his ‘numbers are bad,’ to already being desperate for a ‘rebound,’ the Pennsylvania press corps are calling in dire news for Joe Biden,” said Republican National Committee spokesperson Rachel Lee. “Democrats’ prospects in Pennsylvania are bleak, and in 300 short days, Joe Biden and Bob Casey will be reading the worst headlines of their careers yet: Democrats’ defeat.”

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

Despite a poor showing in statewide judicial races in 2023, Pennsylvania Republicans are bullish for 2024.

It’s a presidential election year and so far former President Trump is leading in the polls for the primary so barring an unforeseen event, the general election will likely be a rematch of Trump against President Biden.

“I think in Pennsylvania, the Republicans will do very, very well,” said  Republican consultant Charlie Gerow, CEO of Quantum Communications. “And as Pennsylvania goes, so goes the nation.”

Asked about the losses in 2023, Gerow said, “2023 was an ‘off-year election’ with a very different electorate than the folks who will show up at the polls next year.”

More people come out and vote in presidential election years.

“You’re going to have three times the number of voters participating in 2024 as you had in 2023,” said Gerow.

Scott Presler, a Republican voter registration activist who has been focusing on registering Pennsylvania voters this year, including spending three days in December at a recent gun show in Oaks, is also bullish.

“I feel more confident today about Republicans winning the presidency in 2024, than I did a year ago,” said Presler.

He points with pride to the recent “flip” of Beaver County from Democrat to Republican and believes Bucks County may be next. Luzerne and Centre counties are also on the cusp of flipping from blue to red.

In the first two weeks in December, the Democrats lost 2,165 voters while Republicans gained 3,530 voters.

“Republicans had a net gain of 5,695 voters in 14 days,” said Presler, who was also recently in Philadelphia teaching local Republicans how to register voters.

“This is monumental when you think of Joe Biden winning Pennsylvania in 2020 by 80,000 votes,” said Presler. “So I think 2024 is going to be a great year. I think Pennsylvania is winnable and anecdotally from what I’ve experienced the last three days at the gun show, granted it’s a gun show. These are Second Amendment voters.”

“Republican momentum is on the rise, with another Pennsylvania county flipping from blue to red just this week. The RNC is continuing to register Republican voters and encouraging them to ‘bank’ their vote for Republicans up and down the ballot in 2024, as Pennsylvanians stand ready to Beat Biden and retire Bob Casey once and for all!” said RNC Spokesperson Rachel Lee.

In November of 2021, Pennsylvania Democrats had 605,188 more voters than Republicans.   Republicans have reduced Democrats’ advantage by over 161,000 voters in the last two years.

In 2023, some 50,000 Democrats and Independents have re-registered as Republicans in Pennsylvania.

The RNC is also pushing mail-in ballots in a Bank Your Vote campaign, to cut into the Democrats’ lead in that arena.

“People are hungry for change. One woman who was born in 1965 never registered to vote her entire life. She registered for the first time with me as a Republican,” said Presler.

“What I’m hearing from people is the theme, what they’re saying to me is, ‘The world is in chaos. The world is upside down and it’s time for a change.’ That’s what I’m hearing over and over again,” said Presler.

Many DelVal voters still abhor Trump and will likely never vote for him.

“Well, in other parts of the state, they are,” said Gerow.

“And, as you know, Donald Trump won here in Pennsylvania in 2016, and lost narrowly in 2020. So he’s got a very clear path to win again in 2024,” said Gerow. “And I believe he will.”

Asked about abortion, which Democrats have been successfully using as a wedge issue, including to attack Judge Carolyn Carluccio, the Republican who ran for the Supreme Court, Gerow believes that issue will fade.

“I don’t think it’s going to be as big as some of our Democratic friends will like it to be,” said Gerow. “I think the economy is going to be the dominant issue next year and the devastation of Bidenomics is going to reflect in the results.”

The other marquee race will be three-term incumbent Sen. Bob Casey who is being challenged by Dave McCormick, a Gulf War veteran, a successful businessman who also served in the Bush administration.

Gerow said, “Dave McCormick’s entire life is action packed. He gets things done. His record of accomplishment in the private sector far exceeds Bob Casey’s 34 years in politics. People are increasingly asking, ‘What has Bob Casey actually done?’ They don’t ask that about Dave McCormick.”

“I think it always boils down to personalities,” said Gerow.

He also pointed to Philadelphia state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who the state Democratic Party endorsed for auditor general, over two other candidates.

“He’s a Marxist for crying out loud,” said Gerow. “That’s where the Democratic Party is right now. It’s identity politics. He’s African American. He’s gay. He checks all the boxes. That’s what they’re looking for, not competency. That guy’s got no business running for auditor general.”

In contrast, incumbent Timothy DeFoor, who is also African American, has a strong background in auditing and accounting.

In addition to the economy, Presler said people are concerned with rising crime. He is convincing Philadelphians to either register Republican as first-time voters or to switch parties based on rising crime.

“I’m getting formerly incarcerated people,” he said. “Business owners. They’ve changed their lives and they’re going ‘Oh my gosh, the taxes are incredible. Inflation is incredible. Crime is rising. The streets aren’t being cleaned.”

“Unlike 2020 or 2016, you’re going to see millions of people who have never been part of the process coming out to vote,” said Presler.

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

In 2023, we were reminded that evil lurks in the world and is on the rise, and that we need strong leadership and moral clarity to deter and overcome it.

Over the last three years, the world has become an increasingly dangerous place for the United States and our allies as adversaries probe for weakness.

First, America’s enemies watched as our commander-in-chief botched our withdrawal from Afghanistan. Thirteen brave servicemen and women lost their lives and America was humiliated because of this failure of leadership.

Having witnessed President Biden’s weakness, Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine, killing tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and destroying peace in Europe. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party has continued one of the largest military buildups in history and escalated pressure on Taiwan and the Philippines.

Then, Hamas launched a barbaric assault against innocent Israelis that was the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Since then, Iranian-backed terrorist groups have attacked U.S. forces across the Middle East and paralyzed international shipping in the Red Sea. This is a stark reminder that the enemies of Americans, Israelis, and others who enjoy freedom and prosperity remain a significant threat.

At home, we’ve seen protests calling for the genocide of Jews, a dramatic rise in hate crimes, and leaders of our country’s most elite institutions failing to show moral clarity and the leadership needed to meet this moment.

The world is watching to see whether our leaders will stand up for the American people, and this has been a brutal wake-up call that all is not well for America and our closest allies.

We need leaders with the strength, the will, and the moral clarity to meet these challenges. Leaders who will make our enemies think twice about attacking America and our allies. Leaders who defend America’s interests. And leaders who will make serious, generational investments in rebuilding our military.

President Joe Biden and Senator Bob Casey will do none of these things.

Their every move has weakened our position on the world stage, undermining deterrence, and showing our adversaries that the United States may not be the superpower it once was.

Biden’s failures have had the support every step of the way of rubber stamp Senator Bob Casey.  Pennsylvania’s senior senator votes for the president’s disastrous agenda 98 percent of the time and repeatedly has failed to use his position of power when it matters most.

Pennsylvanians deserve better than weak, ineffective leaders who have proven themselves to be incapable of keeping America and our friends safe.

In the business world, when someone fails to deliver results, they’re fired. I learned that the hard way while CEO of an investment firm. My boss initially decided I was not cutting it in the job, and demoted me. I learned some hard lessons and later earned my way back to CEO and successfully led the company for a number of years.

Bob Casey should be held to the same high standard. Congress had a historically unproductive year, with the fewest bills signed into law in decades, and Casey has not seen a single significant piece of his own legislation become law in 17 years in the Senate.

The world is a scary place. We need leaders who are capable of protecting the American people and America’s role in the world.

My decades of leadership experience demonstrate I’m equipped for this dangerous moment, and I’d be honored to carry the torch as the new U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.

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

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) announced Monday he will try to block the sale of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, a Japanese company.

Fetterman cited security concerns and fears that jobs will be lost if the deal goes through.

“I live across the street from U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thompson plant in Braddock. It’s absolutely outrageous that U.S. Steel has agreed to sell themselves to a foreign company. Steel is always about security – both our national security and the economic security of our steel communities. I am committed to doing anything I can do, using my platform and my position, to block this foreign sale,” Fetterman said.

“This is yet another example of hard-working Americans being blindsided by greedy corporations willing to sell out their communities to serve their shareholders. I stand with the men and women of the Steelworkers and their union way of life. We cannot allow them to be screwed over or left behind. I promise to them and to all forgotten communities across Pennsylvania that I will work with Senator Casey and the rest of the delegation to fight like hell to make this right.”

Fetterman’s fellow Democrat Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) agreed.

“The United States marquee steel company should remain under American ownership,” said Casey. “From initial reports, this deal appears to be a bad deal for Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania workers. I’m concerned for what this means for the steelworkers and the good union jobs that have supported Pennsylvania families for generations, for the long-term investment in the commonwealth, and for American industrial leadership.”

U.S. Steel agreed to a $14.1 billion deal with Nippon, which is offering to buy the steel giant’s shares for $55 each. Although Nippon claims it will honor all collective bargaining agreements and keep the company in Pittsburgh, the union, United Steelworkers International, is crying foul.

Union President David McCall said, “To say we’re disappointed in the announced deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon is an understatement, as it demonstrates the same greedy, shortsighted attitude that has guided U.S. Steel for far too long.

“We remained open throughout this process to working with U.S. Steel to keep this iconic American company domestically owned and operated, but instead, it chose to push aside the concerns of its dedicated workforce and sell to a foreign-owned company.

“Neither U.S. Steel nor Nippon reached out to our union regarding the deal, which is in itself a violation of our partnership agreement that requires U.S. Steel to notify us of a change in control or business conditions,” McCall said.

“Based on this alone, the USW does not believe that Nippon understands the full breadth of the obligations of all our agreements, and we do not know whether it has the capacity to live up to our existing contract. This includes not just the day-to-day commitments of our labor agreement but also significant obligations to fund pension and retiree insurance benefits that are the most extensive in the domestic steel industry.

He called on government regulators to “carefully scrutinize this acquisition and determine if the proposed transaction serves the national security interests of the United States and benefits workers.”

The USW represents 850,000 workers.

President and Chief Executive Officer of U. S. Steel, David B. Burritt, told investors the purchase offer is a good deal.

“I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of our strategic review process, because it delivers on what is best for each of our stakeholders. And importantly, this is the best value with certainty and timeliness to close,” Burritt said.

Following the closing of the transaction, U. S. Steel will retain its iconic name, brand, and headquarters in Pittsburgh. NSC is committed to continuity in strong relationships with U. S. Steel’s suppliers, customers, the surrounding communities, and people that support U. S. Steel’s operations and is committed to being a productive member of these communities, the company said in a press release.

In an October press release, the company said, “United States Steel Corporation’s operations in Pennsylvania, which include U. S. Steel’s corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh and sites in Braddock, Clairton, Fairless Hills, Munhall, and West Mifflin, contributed $3.6 billion to the local and state economy in Fiscal Year 2022, according to an economic impact report released today. The report further concludes that the U. S. Steel’s economic activity supported or sustained 11,417 jobs.

“Bob Casey and Joe Biden have weakened America’s national security and economic standing in the world. We need to be a manufacturing country, with Americans working for American companies,” Dave McCormick, the Republican running against Casey, said on social media.

While Biden and Casey have spent most of their lives in Washington working for the government, McCormick has been in the business world as CEO of a Pittsburgh software company and, most recently, the CEO of Bridgewater, a hedge fund, as well as serving having served in the George W. Bush administration.

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

After the head of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) gave a speech last month praising the Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the Biden White House cut off all ties with the organization.

The fact that the Biden administration would be working closely with the group — founded by the terror-supporting Muslim Brotherhood and whose rhetoric has included antisemitic remarks — is surprising to some. But the White House isn’t alone. CAIR has another longtime ally:

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.

The Pennsylvania Democrat has praised CAIR for “diversity and equality” and for its fight against “discrimination and prejudice.”

In the 2016 letter to the Philadelphia branch of CAIR in honor of its 10th anniversary, Casey said, “The work of CAIR to advance the well-being of Muslim-Americans and fight against rising discrimination and prejudice in our society stands as a testament to the bravery, work ethic and ideals of everyone involved.”

In 2019, Casey had a CAIR representative moderate an event, and he mentioned the group on Facebook in 2021.

After Nihad Awad’s most recent controversial comments, Casey’s relationship with CAIR was highlighted by national media outlets.

Speaking at the 16th Annual Convention for Palestine in the U.S. on Nov. 24, Awad said of the Oct. 7 attack, “Yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their own land that they were not allowed to walk in. And yes, the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense, have the right to defend themselves, and yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense.”

The White House issued a statement condemning “these shocking, antisemitic statements in the strongest terms.”

Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005 and removed all its citizens, leaving the Arab residents of Gaza to govern themselves. Gaza’s residents elected Hamas as their leaders, and the Iran-backed terror group has been in charge ever since.

The Hamas Oct. 7 terror strike on communities in southern Israel resulted in 1,200 casualties, the most Jewish deaths since the Holocaust. The brutal attack killed civilians, including children and babies, along with women and the elderly. Others were kidnapped and are being held hostage.

Casey’s likely GOP opponent next year, businessman Dave McCormick, was quick to criticize the three-term Democrat for his coziness with CAIR.

“Once again, weak Bob Casey has failed to act. He needs to apologize for his past association with this radical group. He should never have met with them or praised them in the first place. Now it’s time for him to apologize to the people of PA,” McCormick said on X (formerly Twitter).

“October 7th was a brutal and vicious attack on innocent Israeli civilians,” Casey told Fox News Digital. “I unequivocally condemn the antisemitic and hateful comments made by CAIR’s leadership and any comments that celebrate the despicable acts of Hamas terrorists.”

After the blowback, Awad claimed he was quoted “out of context.”

“What I actually said while discussing international law: Ukrainians, Palestinians, and other occupied people have the right to defend themselves and escape occupation by just and legal means. But targeting civilians is never an acceptable means of doing so, which is why I have again and again condemned the violence against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and past Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, including suicide bombings, all the way back to the 1990s-just as I have condemned the decades of violence against Palestinian civilians,” Awad said in his explanation.

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