John,
Last month, a story broke that the Philadelphia-based far-right billionaire, Jeff Yass, had set up a $20 million dollar bank account to aid a Republican candidate in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race of his choosing.
I had heard whispers that my opponent, Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA), was tied to Yass. What our campaign team uncovered is deeply troubling.
Congressman Dwight Evans (left) and far-right super donor Jeff Yass (right)
First, let me tell you about Jeff Yass.
Yass is the richest man in Pennsylvania and has used his fortune to back a plethora of right-wing causes. One of his favorite pet projects is the Club for Growth, a conservative organization instrumental in funding the campaigns of January 6th accomplices Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO).
On top of this, Yass donated to multiple political action committees backing Matt Gurtler, a Georgia Republican who was photographed in 2020 with a known neo-Nazi and KKK member. When confronted by the press about the photo, Gurtler stated, it’s “straightforward.”
Now that you know who Yass is, here’s what my team found:
Yass’s contributions to Evan’s PA House of Representatives Campaign
Why did Evans accept money from Yass? Why would Yass, a far-right activist, go out of his way to fund a prominent Philadelphia Democrat? The answer lies in the multi-decade right-wing operation to defund and dismantle America’s public school system, of which Yass is a major player.
In 1998, the Philadelphia School District, along with a group of black and Latino parents, the mayor, the district superintendent, black clergy, and the NAACP, sued Pennsylvania’s Republican Governor Tom Ridge over an unfair funding system that left Philly’s poorest schools with 33% less funding than what they needed while wealthy white school districts received far more.
During this time, Democrats controlled the state legislature and Evans was serving as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Instead of working with his party to support the plaintiffs, Evans chose to partner with the PA GOP to write, introduce, and pass Act 46. Evans' legislation transformed school governance in Philadelphia, paving the way for eighty charter schools. Act 46 defunded public schools and severely disempowered PFT - Philadelphia's teachers' union. Nowadays, Philly public schools often lack running water, heated classrooms, and school lunches. It's hard to paint a hopeful future for students in these learning conditions and as a result, Philadelphia's youth are currently struggling and suffering.
Evans' strategy is simple- feint to the left while running for office and then dart to the right once elected. It’s because of this that donors like Yass, dead-set on destroying our public school system, are writing big checks to a Democrat like Evans.
America's bluest congressional seat: currently represented by a Manchin esque right-wing Democrat
PA-03 is rated by the Cook political report as the bluest district in America. We deserve better than being a cog in the right’s operation to defund our public schools. We deserve better than someone willing to accept money from ghouls like Jeff Yass.
I refuse to make deals with the devil to fund my campaign.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
It's everyday people like you that have got us to where we are standing today. Join us and let’s take the fight to Evans and Yass.
Alexandra Hunt
Candidate PA-03
MPH, MS, ACRP-CP
|
|
FOLLOW US ON
|
Mailing Address:
Alexandra Hunt for Congress
PO Box 5615
Philadelphia, PA 19129
Copyright ©2021 Alexandra Hunt for Congress, all rights reserved.
We hate to see you go as you are receiving this email to help power the grassroots campaign to elect Alexandra Hunt to Congress in 2022. If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.