GOP Lawmakers in PA Hid Colleague’s COVID-19 Diagnosis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 29, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the Sister District Project, a national grassroots organization working to combat Project REDMAP by flipping red state legislative seats blue, released the following statement regarding the revelation that GOP lawmakers in the PA State House endangered lives by attending meetings after testing positive for the coronavirus:

Yesterday, Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Andrew Lewis announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 on May 20, 2020 after experiencing flu-like symptoms two days prior. While Republican leadership was aware of the case, they failed to inform House Democrats until almost a week after the fact.

We are proud to support Democratic candidate Brittney Rodas in her bid to unseat Rep. Lewis. To date, Sister District volunteers have raised nearly $16,000 in small dollar donations for her campaign. The Pennsylvania House is just nine seats away from flipping blue, and District 105 is a prime target.

Brittney Rodas is a native Pennsylvanian and the daughter of a steelworker and Vietnam veteran, holds an M.P.A., and previously worked as a policy and research analyst in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She will be ready to get to work fighting for access to healthcare, education funding, clean energy, and fair districting on day one.

Republican leadership in Pennsylvania has pushed to reopen the state, and members have refused to wear face masks, refused to put constituents’ lives before profit, and refused to provide accurate information so that people can protect themselves. Rep. Lewis has endangered countless members of the Pennsylvania legislature, their families, and their constituents – bringing partisanship to a new, and potentially deadly, level.

Rep. Lewis’ reprehensible actions during the pandemic prove that he is not fit to serve the people of Pennsylvania. He has clearly demonstrated that he is willing to be cavalier with the lives of his colleagues and their families, and Pennsylvanians deserve to be represented by elected officials who won’t play political games with their health and safety.

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