Pennsylvania Republican Rick Saccone Rallies with Miners in Waynesburg
Rick Saccone.
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With just a week to go before the special election in the 18th Congressional District, Rick Saccone opted Monday to go back to his base.
Coming off two sometimes contentious debates with his Democratic opponent, Mr. Saccone held a “Rally with Coal Miners” at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Waynesburg. Unlike the debates, no one there challenged his views. Instead, the room was chock full of supporters.
Mr. Saccone, a Republican who strongly aligns himself with President Donald Trump, is running against Democrat Conor Lamb for the seat vacated by former Congressman Tim Murphy. The special election is March 13.
Patrick McCann, communications director for the Saccone campaign, said the Republican candidate went to Greene County to reaffirm his support for coal. “He has a record of fighting for the coal industry,” Mr. McCann said.
Chuck Shaynak of Washington, Pa., worked at CONSOL Energy for 39 years before retiring. Mr. Shaynak introduced the candidate to supporters. A fourth-generation coal miner, Mr. Shaynak said Mr. Saccone is “behind the values the country was built on. Rick will support the GOP, which has control of Congress.”
Jim McCaffrey, another Washington resident, has been in the coal business for 41 years. He said Mr. Saccone is “very supportive of our industry.”
Mr. McCaffrey, who is part of the sales group at CONSOL, said he believes the coal industry’s situation has improved since Mr. Trump was elected in November 2016, but he “has some concerns.” The industry once provided half of the nation’s electricity. That number has fallen to about 33 percent, Mr. McCaffrey pointed out.
The impact of Mr. Saccone’s support of the coal industry is important to Southwest Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia, Mr. McCaffrey said. “There also are growing opportunities in the export market.”
Not all those attending the rally were concerned solely with domestic issues. Tom Miller said if elected, Mr. Saccone should serve as an adviser on how the United States deals with North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un.
Mr. Miller, a retired miner originally from Plum, citing Mr. Saccone’s military service, said “he [Saccone] knows discipline.”
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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