Justin Simmons is a hard-core conservative Republican representing people from three different counties who have been thrown together in the 131st District. Since he first upset Karen Beyer in 2011, he has been targeted by Democrats and Republicans alike. He has always come out on top, and I expect to see him pull a repeat performance again this year. That's pretty much because his opponent, write-in Joanne Jackson, is waging the same kind of dark campaign that has repeatedly blown up in the faces of other candidates.
I probably agree with Justin about five percent of the time. But he is one of the legislators who helped to remove the EIT tax grab from the NIZ legislation. He is a cosponsor to bipartisan gerrymander reform legislation proposed by State Senator Lisa Boscola and State Rep. Dave Parker. He is also one of the best debaters I've ever seen. He responds to every phone call and email and answers every question I have, even when we disagree. Transparency and accountability are very important to me, so I have supported him, and will continue to do so.
His Democratic opponent, Joanne Jackson, entered this race as a write-in candidate, and only because she claimed to be worried that Simmons' GOP opponent was going to ask Dems to vote for him. She found herself the nominee, and decided to give it a go.
She has been elected as an Allentown School Director, so she knows how to run a race. But she will lose.
She will raise far less money that Justin, but that's not why she'll lose.
She's in a Republican District, but that's not why she'll lose.
She'll lose because she's making the same mistake as Justin's previous opponents.
A few weeks ago, she was actually knocking on the doors of Justin's GOP supporters and telling them to remove yard signs they had planted at their homes. She apparently was unaware that the First Amendment trumps any attempt by local government to curb political speech. In fact, it is Democrats who filed a federal lawsuit over these unconstitutional ordinances several years ago.
I can understand Jackson being confused about free speech. But it takes a lot of nerve to knock on a homeowner's door and tell him to take down a sign. Especially when you're wrong. News like that gets around pretty fast, so my guess is that she lost a lot of ground with that mistake.
But that's not why she'll lose, either.
A few days ago, I received an invitation from Jackson to like an amateurish site called "Justin Simmons' Horror Stories". It depicts Justin as some sort of Dracula and is resurrected before every race. It's full of all kinds of hokey, personal attacks. I was offended.
That's why she's going to lose. Simmons is a fierce campaigner who subscribes to the Charlie Dent admonition that there's only two ways to run - hard or unopposed.
She should ask Simmons' previous opponents how their negative campaigns worked out for them.
Justin can be beaten, but not this way.
He wins in November.
