With a good crop of local GOP incumbents poised to win easily this year, complacency is PushBack’s principal adversary this election. The Altoona billboard, on Pleasant Valley Blvd., states it plainly: “If you don’t vote, Democrats win… VOTE REPUBLICAN.” A cartoon donkey labeled “Democrats” stands on a shredded American flag.
Local contests look secure. Rep. John Joyce faces Democrat Beth Farnham again in the heavily Republican 13th Congressional District after winning nearly three-quarters of the vote last time. State Sen. Judy Ward is a shoe-in against Dem Sean Steeg in the 30th District. In the Altoona-based 79th House District, Rep. Andrea Verobish handily prevailed in a March special election over Caleb McCoy, for a seat that has stayed Republican for decades.
But safe local races do not protect the top of the ticket. Democrat Josh Shapiro enters the fall as a heavy favorite in the governor’s race against Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity. If reliable GOP voters in places like Blair County treat their down-ballot races as finished and skip the election, Garrity’s numbers will suffer. Midterms already draw lighter participation than presidential years. Mail-in ballots are moving and early voting is underway.
Blair County Republican Committee Chair will address PushBack at its monthly meeting October 19, offering ways to get voters involved in the final push. Help us defeat the Democrats up and down the ballot!