We Had a Successful Rally in the Valley on Sunday

A mixing of our statewide candidates and local ones

I'll admit, that was a little more trouble than I thought it would be. When I got the call a couple weeks ago that we could have Senator Casey stop in the Lehigh Valley on his get-out-the-vote tour, it was a no-brainer to say yes. As I worked with some of the other local Democratic leaders though, there were snags left and right. We had to move the event around a couple times, and on Friday (48 hours before) set it finally for Moravian College. I guess I owe my alma mater a huge thanks for helping me pull this off. It just re-affirmed that there are some great people there.

The rally was great. We had 61 non-participants (aka- not staff or speakers) at the rally by my count, which isn't exactly the kind of crowd Hillary or Barack would draw right now, but it's a good crowd for a beautiful Sunday on an off-year in Bethlehem. We allowed speakers from both county tickets, and we were joined by some of our highest local elected officials, such as Congressman Cartwright, District Attorney Morganelli, and Controller Barron. Council and Commissioner candidates, township candidates, and party leaders alike took the stage. It was great.

District Attorney Morganelli

We were obviously joined by Senator Casey and four statewide Judicial candidates, which was a real honor for me as a party leader and Moravian alum. I was also happy to see State Representative McNeill, who's doing a great job in Harrisburg. All of the judicial candidates did a nice job, and Senator Casey added a real presence to the room that I think the entire crowd appreciated. They all left that crowd excited and ready to go work for the ticket.

Senator Casey and Mayor Donchez

I also think I would be remiss if I didn't thank Bethlehem's Mayor Bob Donchez. I'm not necessarily someone who has been in his loop (I'm friends with his main 2013 rival for Mayor), but he was there for us when we needed someone to help us put this event on. He was the emcee, and commanded the stage well. He's a solid gentleman and was a huge help.

Congressman Cartwright

Finally, also a huge thanks to Congressman Cartwright for his appearance, which wasn't scheduled and was a great surprise. He finished up our rally by coming in and letting the people know the stakes of the election. He was funny, engaging, and entertaining. I'm really glad this guy's my Congressman these days.

Tomorrow's election is really important. So much is at stake that directly effects your lives. Workers rights, environmental rights, quality of services, protection of the most vulnerable in our society- all of these things mattered. Judge Dougherty reminded us in the event that the people who really need a judge- children, the sick, the mentally ill, our displaced veterans, and our broken families- often times don't have a voice in these elections. They are who this is all about. Thanks to all who spoke and all who came out to our rally, and please work hard now to turn out the vote.