Lancaster New Era
Experience is the key to victory.
That’s the message David Freed delivered Friday to about 15 supporters and GOP volunteers at the Lancaster County Republican Party headquarters.
The Republican candidate for state attorney general said during the campaign stop that his 15 years as a county prosecutor is the biggest reason Pennsylvanians should vote for him.
“The issue in my race is experience,” Freed told the group. “I’m the best-qualified candidate to be the chief legal officer and law-enforcement officer in the commonwealth — that’s it.”
Freed is running against Democrat Kathleen Kane, who served as Lackawanna County assistant district attorney for more than 12 years.
He and Kane are hoping to succeed Linda L. Kelly, who was appointed to the position after Tom Corbett was elected governor.
Freed, who has served as Cumberland County’s district attorney for the past seven years, said his desire to do consumer-protection work on a larger scale is what motivated him to run.
“I really want to focus on educating the public about how to protect themselves against predators and fraud; in the DA office, you don’t get to do that,” the 42-year-old said.
If elected, Freed said he would create a Special Victims Unit to help protect children and senior citizens. He also would create a cyber crime center.
“It’s an area that if we don’t pay attention to the criminals, they are going to get ahead of us,” he said.
Freed’s final campaign push follows the release of a poll this week, commissioned by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, that shows Kane with a double-digit lead — 48 percent to 37 percent.
But, with 14 percent of voters still undecided, Freed said the seat is up for grabs.
“Republicans face a registration deficit in Pennsylvania, so the only way we can win is by focusing on these grass-roots efforts,” he said as he worked his way around the room thanking each volunteer.
Freed will continue to rally supporters throughout the state up until Election Day.
Willow Street resident and GOP volunteer Jim Liounis said he’s glad to be working on Freed’s behalf.
“With all the corruption we see today, we need candidates with integrity to lead people in the right direction,” he said.
Sally Cliff agreed.
The Manor Township resident and Republican Party supporter said she will vote for Freed because of his “strong family values.”
“It’s important that someone in that position, or any other elected official, has conservative ideas,” she said.