PRESS RELEASE: Delco GOP Chair Alarmed by Rhetoric, Views of Local Socialist Candidate… and Local Democrats' Embrace
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUGUST 20, 2018
MEDIA, PA - Delaware County Republican Chairman Andrew Reilly expressed alarm and concern that the Delaware County Democratic Party’s nominees for Congress, State Senate, and State House are openly embracing the candidacy of Kristin Seale, a self-proclaimed socialist and the Democratic Party nominee for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 168th Legislative District.
“At a time when many Democrats are distancing themselves from the extreme views of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), it is mind-boggling that local Democrats are proudly embracing Kristin Seale and the radical left-wing of the party she represents,” said Reilly. “Local Democrats should be disavowing Seale and the DSA’s extremist views, including their anti-law enforcement rhetoric, call for government ownership of private industry, and support for open borders.”
Reilly noted that on the national level, former Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman stated in a recent op-ed that the Democratic Socialists of America platform “is more Socialist than Democratic,” that their new federal programs and spending “would bankrupt the country or require very large tax increases,” and that the government ownership of private companies envisioned by the DSA “would decimate the economy and put millions out of work.”
Reilly said a number of local Democratic candidates have been proudly hosting joint campaign events with Seale, apparently unconcerned by her radical policy views. He noted that in July, one week after Seale shared a tweet from the ACLU calling for police officers to be “held accountable for the state-inflicted violence against people of color,” the Democrat’s 5th Congressional District candidate Mary Gay Scanlon hosted a joint meet and greet with Seale. Jen O’Mara, a candidate for State Representative in the 165th District, has also endorsed Seale, while Tim Kearney, Mayor of Swarthmore and State Senate Candidate in the 26th District, has actively campaigned with and gone door-to-door with Seale.
Seale has shared various tweets with her followers making clear her love of Marx and socialism. Including one tweet stating that “Only direct action and revolution can bring the capitalist system to its knees.” In early August, Seale co-founded a DSA chapter in Delaware County that has promised to focus its efforts to ‘Spread Socialism’ and ‘Turn the suburbs the correct shade of Red.’
“On one hand, it’s a relief to know that Seale’s true political colors are finally coming to light, but it’s alarming that no local Democratic candidates have sought to distance themselves from Seale or question her extreme, radical views,” said Reilly.
“Delaware County families deserve principled leaders who share our beliefs and represent our values,” said Reilly. “By refusing to refute Seale and the DSA’s policies, local Democratic candidates are turning their back on residents and capitulating to the extremist wing of their own party.”
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