Fresh off his successful re-election bid, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-11, is playing on voters’ wallets by asking for their lend a hand in the fight against socialism.
“We have self-proclaimed socialists serving in the Pennsylvania State House and Congress,” Smucker wrote in his article Facebook page on Tuesday. “Socialist ideas are no longer just found in places like California and New York, they are here. Just last year, my opponent was funded by radical groups like Justice Democrats to infiltrate our communities.
He posted a link to his campaign’s donation page and told followers: “We need your help to make sure socialism doesn’t take root in our communities.”
Incumbent Smucker defeated Democratic candidate Jess King in the November general election, securing a second term in Congress. His central Pennsylvania district includes Lancaster County and part of York County.
During the campaign, Smucker and the state Republican Party regularly marked Kinga became a socialist because of her support for Medicare-for-All.
The state Republican Party also backtracked in a press release Tuesday about Marc Friedenberg, the Democratic candidate in the 12th Congressional District. Like King, Friedenberg supports Medicare-for-All as well as the Green New Deal proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Neither Friedenberg nor King call themselves socialists.
In January, there were three DSA-backed candidates serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Democratic Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler of Philadelphia and Summer Lee and Sara Innamorato of Pittsburgh spent their first days in office drafting legislation aimed at improving labor practices, voting security and expanding municipalities’ taxing powers.
Public polling data shows that “socialism” remains a sullied word among the American electorate, even as a growing number of voters support policies put forward by socialist candidates and elected officials.
Most voters say yes I wouldn’t vote for candidate of socialism, although the immense majority of respondents support socialist policy like nationalized health care.
In Pennsylvania’s DSA-Supported First-Year Student Agenda: Small Steps Toward a Broader, Progressive Vision
Update, 4 p.m
