|
Washington Post: “Democrats intend to make democracy a central issue in competitive races for seats such as Perry’s, which could help determine control of the narrowly divided U.S. House.”
A new article from the Washington Post outlines far-right extremist Scott Perry’s increasing vulnerability in central Pennsylvania as voters turn against the election denier amidst his continued lies and deception.
Acting as “a key liaison between House Republicans and the White House in efforts to overturn the election” in 2020, Scott Perry’s close ties to the Big Lie have “alienated” even Republican voters in the bellwether district.
According to the report, there’s a “reason to believe democracy as an issue will carry more weight” this cycle in PA-10. From spending over $325,000 in legal fees to refusing to commit to certifying the 2024 election, Perry’s continued threat to democracy is already costing him with Pennsylvanians.
DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson:
“For the first time in his political career, all eyes are on Scott Perry as it becomes increasingly clear how deeply involved he was in the effort to overturn the 2020 election. Pennsylvanians now know just how far Perry will go to keep political power and that he can’t be trusted to protect their fundamental freedoms.”
Washington Post: Pennsylvania race previews Democrats’ plan to focus campaign on democracy
Colby Itkowitz | April 22, 2024
-
It’s a message that Democrats, including President Biden, hope will resonate in places like Camp Hill, a middle-class suburb outside Pennsylvania’s capital, Harrisburg. The area was once a Republican stronghold but has become more politically independent in recent years due to population growth and moderate Republicans alienated by Donald Trump’s norm-busting behavior.
-
But there’s also reason to believe democracy as an issue will carry more weight than it did four years ago. This is the first presidential vote since Trump and his allies spread false claims about the 2020 election results, a violent mob besieged the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of Biden’s victory and Trump declared that he would be a “dictator” — if only on “day one” of his second term.
-
The House select committee investigating Jan. 6 found that Perry took part in White House meetings where strategies to try to undermine the transfer of power were discussed. He also pressed the Justice Department to investigate wild and unfounded claims that military satellites had been used to flip votes from Trump to Biden. After Trump supporters attacked the Capitol, Perry formally objected to the counting of Pennsylvania’s electoral votes.
-
In 2022, the FBI seized Perry’s cellphone as part of its investigation into attempts to thwart certification of the 2020 election. The Jan. 6 committee subpoenaed the congressman to testify, but he refused. He later denied assertions by former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson that he had asked for a preemptive pardon.
-
Nationally, Democrats see Perry, who is running for his seventh term in Congress, as one of their best shots at toppling a prominent election denier and are expected to invest heavily in trying to flip the seat.
-
[One] couple said they had long been registered Republican but recently became Democrats because of their deep aversion to Trump. Electing him again, Kathy Vollmer, 83, said, “would be like vindicating him.” Her husband, Phil Vollmer, 85, chimed in, saying: “Perry’s an idiot. Trump is dangerous.”
|
