TRIBUNE PHOTO/MARCO CERINO
by Marco Cerino, PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Sen. Bob Casey joined 11 City Council members and other elected officials from Philadelphia Friday morning to pitch his record to voters on voting rights. With his opponent David McCormick coming to town Saturday with former President Donald Trump, Casey wanted to remind voters about his work to sustain and further suffrage, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in 2022.
Casey kicked off the second half of his “On Our Side” statewide campaign at City Hall, where he’s focusing on his support of voting, women’s, and workers rights. Additional stops include the Lehigh Valley Saturday, and Mercer County and Pittsburgh on Monday.
Casey talked about the history of voting in Philadelphia, part of which is immortalized in the Octavius Catto statue along East Market Street. He referred to it as one of the “reminders about the right to vote, and how critical it is for our democracy. Without the right to vote, our democracy would be torn asunder, or be destroyed. You cannot have a democracy, you cannot have a functioning government, at least the functioning government we hope to have in our country, without the right to vote.”
Casey brought up his efforts to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in 2022, named after the civil rights icon that served for decades in Congress.
While Democrats controlled both chambers, the Senate did not have enough members to agree to bypass the rules for a vote. Casey claims McCormick would give “MAGA Republicans” a “MAGA majority” in the upper chamber and they would gut rights.
Attempts to get a response from McCormick’s team were unsuccessful for this report.
“He tells us by going to that [Trump] rally how he’s voting on voting rights, how’s he going to vote so we can change the rules and even get to a vote with 51 votes, like every legislature on the planet, to protect the right to vote,” Casey said of his opponent, who he leads by an average of 5.3 points, according to RealClear Polling. The two are slated to debate three times before Election Day, with one of those likely to take place in Philadelphia.
State Sen. Vincent Hughes brought up the Supreme Court decision that necessitated the John Lewis Act, Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. He encouraged residents to exercise their right to vote and claimed that was the best way to protect that right.
“We must always make sure that we don’t lose sight of the history that we stand on, and that we do the work that’s necessary and inform and educate those who need it about what it is that’s at stake right now,” he said. “If you lose your vote, you lose your power.”
Casey and his colleagues drove home the argument that McCormick could not be trusted after associating with election deniers during his 2022 primary run.
At-Large Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said that while he and other elected officials are working to get Black men registered to vote, a pro-Trump super PAC is sending out messages through text and social media attacking President Joe Biden’s record. Thomas claims this messaging that Biden doesn’t deserve support is attempting to convince Black voters to stay at home.
“We know it’s no secret that the eyes of the country will be on Pennsylvania, and we all know that Pennsylvania moves as Philadelphia moves,” Thomas said. “We’re facing a choice as it relates to the future of our country, our children, and what they will see.”
State Rep. Donna Bullock discussed what she sees among younger residents in an interview with The Tribune. While turnout reached record levels across Pennsylvania in 2020, about one in five Philadelphians voted in the 2024 primary. She voiced her concern over efforts to keep folks from voting but encouraged resolute resistance in exercising rights.
“If you don’t think that your vote is important, I want you to take a moment and think about the energy that other people are putting into keeping you from voting,” she said. “Folks are spending a lot of energy, resources, and time to keep your vote, your vote here in Philadelphia and other major cities, from being counted. If it takes that much energy, particularly to somebody else, just value that and give that same energy back and make sure that you do vote. The tactics being used today may not look like the voter oppression that we’ve seen in the past, not as visible as that, but it is suppression nonetheless.”
The Biden campaign will run billboards and advertising to counter Trump’s appearance at Temple University Saturday.
mcerino@phillytrib.com 215-893-5700