Fall 2022 Endorsements
Dear Neighbor,
The 2022 midterm election is coming up on November 8th! This is a great chance for us to come together as a South Philly community and make a better future for us all.
Working people have not seen a real pay increase in years, and inflation is killing us. The big corporations and billionaires and their lobbyists are calling the shots. Republican and corporate Democratic politicians get their money from big oil and drug companies, and they oppose tax relief for working people and raising taxes on billionaires.
Even against these odds, Democrats gave tax relief to the poor, working families, and the middle class, reduced health care and prescription drug costs, and finally passed big legislation to fight climate change. They are going after the monopolies and price gouging that is causing inflation. Joe Biden’s labor board appointees have helped unionizing workers.
Meanwhile Republican politicians and elites are too extreme, trying to outlaw abortion care in Pennsylvania and nationwide, even while taking away the child tax credit that helped working families and reduced childhood poverty dramatically. They want to defund our schools and bust our unions. And they want to strip away our freedom to choose our elected leaders. They dangerously insinuate that any election they did not win must be rigged.
But together we can fight back! When Philly shows up to vote, our whole country wins. Here are our endorsements for the election this fall:
U.S. Senate
John Fetterman
With a stronger Democratic majority in the Senate, Democrats can end the filibuster and defeat Republican and corporate Democratic politicians to pass tax relief for working families, protect abortion rights nationwide, end gun violence, and fight inflation by raising wages and taking on corporate greed.
Endorsed 07/21/2022
PA Governor
Josh Shapiro
As Attorney General, Josh Shapiro defended our democracy against Trump’s attempts to discount the votes of Philadelphians in the 2020 presidential election. He also went after Hawker, Inc., a construction company that was stealing employees’ wages, and won over $20 million for workers—the largest settlement of its kind in U.S. history. He has a proven track record of protecting reproductive rights of Pennsylvanians and is supported by Planned Parenthood. His opponent, Doug Mastriano, chartered a bus of people to attack the Capitol on Jan 6, 2022. Mastriano plans to stop people from voting by rigging state laws, to make drastic cuts to public schools, and to bust unions in PA.
Endorsed 03/24/2022
State Representative
Elizabeth Fiedler
Elizabeth Fiedler has worked tirelessly serving the residents of our district. Her dedicated staff have helped an unprecedented 15,000 constituents with critical unemployment benefits, tax and rent rebates, food assistance, pandemic relief programs, and much more. She has brought back state grant money to recreation centers, libraries, violence prevention work, apprenticeship and job training, daycares, and senior programs. She is a leader in the fight for public schools, and she supports universal healthcare and strong climate action that puts organized labor first..
Endorsed 02/17/2022
PA Lt. Governor
Austin Davis
Austin Davis grew up in a working class town in Western Pennsylvania. Davis founded and served as chairman of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council under McKeesport Mayor Jim Brewster. Working with city leaders, Davis helped combat rising youth violence and provided the young people of McKeesport with more opportunities to get involved in civic life. He’s committed to working alongside Josh Shapiro to raise the minimum wage, invest in apprenticeship and job training programs. As Lieutenant Governor, Austin Davis will be the first Black chair on the Board of Pardons. He’s committed to working to give second chances to nonviolent inmates who have served their time.
Endorsed 03/24/2022
U.S. Congress
Dwight Evans
Dwight Evans is running for re-election in the Third Congressional District. Evans has fought for the Build Back Better agenda in Congress, and wants to negotiate drug prices and reinstate the Child Tax Credit. He has supported State Senator Nikil Saval’s Whole-Home Repairs Act, brought millions of federal dollars to the district in economic support and to fight gun violence, and has been a leader on Postal Service reform.
Endorsed 03/24/2022
Ballot Questions
YES to give Philly School District Career Technical Education graduates a preference on civil service entrance exams
YES to create a stand-alone Philly Department of Aviation to streamline airport-related operations
Council At-Large
In late September, the Democratic City Committee (a collection of the city’s 69 ward leaders) nominated James Harrity and Sharon Vaughn to fill the last fourteen months of two recently resigned Councilmembers’ terms. While we generally support Democrats over Republicans, without the time to vet these candidates, the First Ward cannot endorse in this race.