News

Candidate for lieutenant governor speaks at Lycoming County Republican Party Committee fall dinner

A fiery Pennsylvania Republican lieutenant governor candidate ripped into the record of Gov. Josh Shapiro, delivering a scathing keynote address at the Lycoming County Republican Party Committee fall dinner recently held at the Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Co.

Before a crowd, with President Donald Trump items for sale at an auction, Jason Richey, who is on a statewide campaign blitz and is a former gubernatorial candidate, was joined by Trump-backer, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, who is in a race against Democratic candidate Rachel Wallace of Pottsville, who is supported by Shapiro.

Richey and Meuser were introduced by Chad Riley, the chairman of the county GOP Committee who wore a bright red shirt and urged registered voters including those in the Democratic and independent parties to consider the more "common sense" choice of these candidates on the ballot for the general election Nov. 3.

Besides imploring a "get-out-to-vote" message, ahead of the election, Richey, an attorney, reiterated the energy-releasing- and- lower-tax platform of he and his running mate, Stacy Garrity, one that centers on unleashing Pennsylvania natural gas and oil resources, removing and limiting burdensome regulations that are stymying the private sector development, adding school choice for parents, protecting life at conception, celebrating the reversal of Roe v. Wade and called it a "great day for the sanctity of life," and defending bills strongly opposing allowing "biological males" or transgender athletes to compete in girls' and women's sports.

Meuser, for his part, said he wished Democrats would either stay away from the polls or join the GOP, as he asserted in no uncertain terms that the party was being "hijacked" by socialists and communists, who want to return the country on the wrong path toward anarchy.

Lawsuit coming

In potential action he did not yet announce, Meuser said he was prepared to file a civil lawsuit once he wins the election Nov. 3, a letter defending a heavy lawsuit over allegations made by Wallace that he conducted illegal stock trades.

Meuser was obviously triggered by an allegation he said was made by his opponent that he committed illegal stock trades.

"Of course, I didn't," Meuser told the crowd which included Lycoming County District Attorney Tom Marino, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and close confidant of Meuser.

"I wouldn't be here right now if I did," Meuser said of the stock trade allegation.

"I'm going to tell you this on the criminal accusations we can't allow this to occur and just win and move on," Meuser said.

"I'm going to look to do something about it. It's very serious and I'm going to put something together," he said.

"I've never sued anybody in my life, but when something like this is being stated over and over -- when are we going to send a message that we are not going to stand for this ... along with losing on Nov. 3, she is going to get a letter as well defending a very heavy lawsuit."

Wallace also said that Meuser supported a bill giving massive tax breaks to data centers, which Meuser said is a false accusation and has made it clear that communities should have control and input into any data center development, not the federal government. Meuser has voted and said so for competitive tax rates and equipment expensing rules designed to support American businesses across the board.

In several Republican candidate videos, GOP governor candidate Stacy Garrity and Richey blast Shapiro, who they say over the past four years has not been an effective governor.

"His incompetence," "his lack of success," and "his lying," Richey said, urging loyalists to the party to distribute the videos over social media.

"All you have to do is like, share and those videos go around," he said of asking for support on social media at this closing hour of the campaign.

"You will send those videos to hundreds of new people," he said, adding, "you can make such a difference in social media you don't even know and it doesn't cost you anything.

Additionally, there's also a final ad buy happening and the campaign website is Garrityforpa.com.

Richey-Garrity platform

Richey said that he and running.mate Garrity believe that Pennsylvania is an underperforming economic power, pointing to national rankings that place the Commonwealth low in that performance category.

He cited a U.S. News and World Report, which places the state at 47th out of the 50 states in economic performance.

"That's impossible," Richey said. "We have more natural resources than most countries in the world and we are in the best geographic place in the world -- between New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., and we've got hardworking people. We should be thriving by any definition."

Educational failure, taxed-to-death state alleged

"Right now in Pennsylvania, under (Josh) Shapiro seven out of 10 eighth graders are not proficient in reading or math," Richey said.

"Totally unacceptable," he added.

"We are in the top five of the most taxed people in the United States," he said.

"Our property taxes are punitive, we have the second highest gas tax in the country, we have a death tax that almost no other state has -- if you have the misfortune of dying in Pennsylvania -- 52% of everything you own will go to the state no matter how rich or poor you are and we are top six and people fleeing our state," Richey said. "The kids aren't staying here, opportunities are not here and I can tell you from the west from Pittsburgh, all the way up and all the way across you can literally physically see the towns dying because the people are leaving," he said.

It is why when Garrity asked for a running mate, Richey said: "I'm in."

Energy and affordability

Richey believes the state should be an economic superpower.

"On day one of the Garrity-Richey Administration, we are going to unleash the incredible energy potential that we have," he said. "We are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas."

"And we will open up drilling throughout the commonwealth," he said. "We will welcome new natural gas-fired powered power plants to Pennsylvania."

Help private sector invest in energy

"We will help the private sector to get access to build pipelines from wellheads to the natural gas fired power plants," Richey said. "And here is the most important part -- we will help them get permits to get the pipelines to Philadelphia and to the ocean so that we can start sending Pennsylvania natural gas around the world."

Additionally, the private sector will build liquid natural gas (LNG) facilities and under the Garrity-Richey administration the Philadelphia Navy Yard will be at full strength to make gas tankers and "we're going to send it around the world, making sure our NATO allies are addicted to Pennsylvania natural gas -- not Russian."

School choice

"We will opt into that federal program and we'll continue with the state program where the private sector donates money for scholarships for the kids and it gives a tax incentive a tax break to bring those scholarship monies and to use them for families that need it so that they can get their kid in the right situation," Richey said.

"Make sure everyone out there knows we're not going to take away from public school funding," he said. "This is all about adding money to the pot. So that seven out of 10 eighth graders are no longer deficient in reading and math. Those days are over.

"The federal government, in the Big Beautiful Bill, has made tens of millions of dollars available for Pennsylvania families so they can use it for tutoring, homeschooling, cyber school, charter school, go to private school, or go to another public school that's accepting kids," Richey said. "Let the parent(s) choose."

Regulations limited

Right now, Pennsylvania has over 160,000 regulations, Richey said.

"It's killing us," he said. "There are so many archaic laws."

He cited an example of regulation related to milk.

"You pay a dollar more for milk than other states such as Maryland," he said.

"Your pharmaceuticals are more expensive, your health care is more expensive, your access to health care is less because we have all these crazy regulations."

Richey also is no fan of the Pennsylvania Turnpike cost, which he said is giving Pennsylvanians the "world's most expensive roads to drive on."

"No other road is more expensive," he said. "Our government is broke, but if we unleash our energy, we bring school choice, we cut the regulation, Pennsylvania will take its rightful place as a world economic superpower, and we can do it."