ICYMI: Johnstown Tribune Democrat: Toomey deserves second term in U.S. Senate

During his first term in the U.S. Senate, Pat Toomey fought to save the Apache helicopter program in Johnstown, helped secure a foreign trade zone for Cambria County and worked to land a grant for the Johnstown Police Department to add two officers for the fight against drugs.

The Republican has been a friend to our region, and has represented Pennsylvania’s interests in Congress.

We endorse Toomey for a second term in the Senate.

He called his race against Democrat Katie McGinty “basically tied, a very close race.” She dubbed the battle “pretty much a dead heat.”

Republicans are determined to hold the seat and protect their majority in the Senate.

That outcome would be best for the country and for Pennsylvania – which benefits from having Toomey and Democrat Bob Casey Jr. serving from both sides of the aisle.

In a meeting with The Tribune-Democrat’s editorial board, Toomey called himself a “principled conservative” who has “demonstrated independence.”

He has chosen to not publicly back Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Toomey supported expanded background checks for those purchasing firearms – a move that cost him an endorsement from the NRA.

That willingness to stand apart helped secure our support for Toomey.

But most important was his dedication to our region, especially in helping direct a $250,000 grant to Johnstown from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services in 2014. The COPS Hiring Program funds helped the city hire two officers for the war on drugs and other crime.

“We have devoted a lot of time and resources to Johnstown,” Toomey said. “This region is important to us, to me.”

Toomey promised to work for the region’s coal and manufacturing base, while helping Johnstown confront heroin from Washington by supporting the push to track the sale of legal drugs – especially through Medicare – to those who would attempt to doctor-shop and then peddle opioids on the street.

We have greater faith in Toomey to look out for businesses and protect Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry from the encroachment of federal regulations, as has happened with coal.

“Technology has made some jobs obsolete,” Toomey said.

“The challenge is still making sure there are opportunities. And you won’t get there by regulating the economy to death. Right now, the tax code is detrimental to progress.”

 

Toomey has shown he will work for Johnstown, and will take political risks to uphold his ideals.

We look forward to that same approach during his second term in the U.S. Senate.

To read the entire endorsement, please click here.

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