‘Most important election of our lifetime.’ Shapiro, Fetterman bring campaigns to Penn State
In the final push on the campaign trail before the Nov. 8 election, three Democratic candidates running for statewide offices held a rally at Penn State Wednesday night.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is seeking election to a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, joined Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and state Rep. Austin Davis, who are running for Pennsylvania governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, for a “get out and vote” rally. Hundreds of people attended the event at Old Main to hear from the candidates.
Shapiro touched on workers’ rights and protecting unions, raising the minimum wage, safety, abortion access, economy and green energy jobs. To get all of this done, he said Pennsylvania needs someone who isn’t afraid to take on big fights, and he’s already done that. One example he gave is as Attorney General, he charged Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. with wage theft after an investigation into the Centre County company’s practices for calculating and claiming fringe benefit credits.
“They’re supposed to be building our roads and bridges. But as they sent workers to do that work on Pennsylvania roads, they stole $21 million from those Pennsylvania workers. We charged them criminally and won, and put $21 million back in the pockets of those workers,” Shapiro said.
He said if elected governor, he won’t stop taking on the big fights.
Davis said he and Shapiro are running against the “most extreme and dangerous Republican ticket in the country,” Doug Mastriano and Carrie Lewis DelRosso.
“Doug Mastriano seeks to destroy the union way of life here in Pennsylvania. Make no mistake about it, the next governor is going to get a bill on his desk to destroy the union way of life and make Pennsylvania a right to work state. Doug Mastriano will sign that bill. I would proudly stand next to Josh Shapiro when he vetoes that bill,” Davis said. This is the “most important election of our lifetime,” he said.
Shaprio said that Mastriano — who made a campaign stop in Centre County on Tuesday — only respects the Pennsylvania voters who think the way he does.
“Unless you think like him, unless you look like him, unless you vote like him or worship like him or marry like him, you don’t count in his Pennsylvania. And you know how I know that? … Because I know where he was on Jan. 6. He was in our nation’s Capitol that day, part of the violent mob that stormed up to the Capitol,” Shapiro said. “He was there because that’s the day your votes here in Pennsylvania were being tallied and counted. He went there that day to stop your voice from being heard.
Fetterman said someone who tries to undermine American democracy shouldn’t be elected.
“There might be some elections that we might love the outcome or we may not like the outcome but that’s what democracy is. We cannot elect anyone who is going to try to undermine American democracy,” Fetterman said.
Abortion, which has been a driving force for many Democrats this election, was talked about by each candidate. Fetterman said he is a supporter of abortion rights and always will be, contrasting his views to that of Republican candidate Mehmet Oz.
“Oz might be a joke but it’s not funny, because abortion is on the ballot,” Fetterman said. “He thinks the decision between an abortion is (with) all the local political leaders. He’d like to ban all the abortions in Pennsylvania.”
“My promise to you, is if you send me to Washington, D.C. I will be that 51st vote,” Fetterman said, adding that he would vote to eliminate the filibuster.
Local elected officials and candidates also spoke, including Centre County Commissioners Michael Pipe and Mark Higgins, State College Mayor Ezra Nanes, Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, and Paul Takac, Democratic nominee for the new 82nd House District. That new district will represent the University Park campus in Harrisburg.
“In this election, you’re in a position to fight for and defend existing rights. My parents’ generation fought to establish and secure rights for marginalized communities across America. My generation worked to expand and further those rights,” Takac said, speaking to the Penn State students he would represent if elected. “But now, those same rights and freedoms are being threatened and undermined by Republican extremists. Your generation is being called to step up and to stand together against their radical and dangerous agenda.”
Following Wednesday’s event, which saw at least one counter-protester shouting at Fetterman periodically, candidates did not take questions from members of the media.
The election is Nov. 8.
