I've known Lewis (Lou) Shupe a long time. He and Robert Trotner are the founders of The Lehigh Valley Coffee Party, which I believe was formed in response to the Lehigh Valley Tea Party. I've always like Lou, who is affable and down-to-earth. I even voted for him (write-in) when he ran for Congress in 2024. But he was never a "qualified" candidate. He failed to obtain the 1,000 signatures needed to run. He also failed to raise or spend $5,000, which is how the FEC determines if someone is qualified. He failed as a Congressional candidate in 2018, too, but never made it on the ballot. Most recently, the Democratic party refused to select him as their candidate in the special election for the Pa. House-22 race. I expect his candidacy this time around, like the last two times, to have absolutely zero impact on this year's primary.
Lou did send me his announcement on Friday, and I'll post it below.
ALLENTOWN, PA — 1-9-26— Lewis Shupe, a renegade Democrat and longtime local activist, today announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
“I am running for Congress because our democracy has been steadily weakened by moneyed interests, constitutional erosion, and a political class that no longer answers to voters,” said Shupe. “The people of PA-07 deserve representation that puts democratic power back where it belongs—with the registered voter.”
Shupe is campaigning on a platform centered on systemic reform and civil liberties, including:
Publicly funded elections to end the dominance of special interests
Reversing the trends of constitutional infringements and restoring civil liberties
Single-payer, universal healthcare as a human right
Restoration of the Fairness Doctrine to promote accountability in broadcast media
Harnessing the power of registered voters to strengthen democratic participation and oversight
A retired and disabled professional with more than 35 years of experience in information technology, Shupe brings a systems-level perspective to public policy. Over his career, he wore many hats—problem-solver, analyst, and advocate—developing a deep understanding of how large, complex systems succeed or fail.
“Congress is broken not only because Americans are divided by all manner of foreign interference, but because the system has been engineered to ignore them,” Shupe added. “This campaign is about structural reform, restoring trust, and building a government that works for everyone—not just those who can afford to buy access.”
Additional policy positions and campaign information can be found at http://www.shupeforcongress.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment