John Emmons Candidate US Rep District 6 2020

[Walleye Hunter]

This is the first I've heard of this guy. He is running against Chrissy Houlahan for 2020. What do we know about him? On the surface he seems like a good option.

https://www.emmonsforcongress.com/home

[Gripsafety]

This is the first I've heard of this guy. He is running against Chrissy Houlahan for 2020. What do we know about him? On the surface he seems like a good option.

https://www.emmonsforcongress.com/home

I was involved with him for a few years in an activist coalition. In my opinion, he is the candidate we've wanted for a long time. He has a solid business background and is not intimidated by the establishment Republicans. I'm pretty excited that we will have a good choice if he makes it through the primary.

[Gripsafety]

I dug up an old story about him. Another person mentioned in the story, Val DiGiorgio, is now the head of the state committee. I can tell you that the establishment republicans really didn't like him.

https://www.dailylocal.com/news/nati...a3e1f8930.html

Group trying to change direction of Chester County GOP

By ERIC S. SMITH esmith@dailylocal.com Apr 22, 2012

A conservative grassroots organization in the county's southern tier will try to make inroads with the Chester County Republican Committee during Tuesday's primary election.

The Coalition for Advancing Freedom is challenging about 30 sitting committee members for their seats in an attempt to gain more validity within the party. Coalition Founder John Emmons, who already sits on the committee, is quick to say that his group is not a Tea Party organization, but its members share many values with the Tea Party. He said the Tea Party is a brand and the coalition wants to remain an unbranded local group.

'The Tea Party, as it was originally described, was more of a protest group,' Emmons said. 'We have never protested anything. We are more about education.'

To that end, the coalition holds numerous classes teaching the public about the Constitution and its strict principles and how it provides for a limited federal government. Emmons said that is group begins with education, but eventually moves onto involvement in the political process and there is no way to be more involved than by sitting on the committee.

According to committee sources, the coalition and other conservative groups in the county are challenging about 30 current committee members for election. If successful in all of the races, the coalition and conservative movement would still hold only about 25 percent of the committee seats. In 2011, when current committee Chairman Val DiGiorgio won his position after the seat was vacated, he was challenged by Emmons, who received about 80 of the possible 420 votes in the committee.

A similar, conservative-movement candidate attempted to defeat then-Chairman Joseph 'Skip' Brion back in 2010 and also received about 80 votes. Emmons said he and the coalition understand that gaining a majority in the county party will not be easy, but they also are committed long-term.

Emmons said by belonging to the committee members of the coalition and other individuals who believe strongly in strictly governing by the Constitution have more clout and are listened to by elected officials more often. But he said the coalition needs to gain more seats so that it can have more influence. He said in 2010 he and other coalition members that sat on the committee worked hard to elect state and federal Republicans in 2010, but those officials have not delivered on some of their conservative promises.

'(Republican officials) could have been somewhat more aggressive on issues such as prevailing wage and property tax reform, but they passed on these things, because they are not politically attractive,' Emmons said. 'Government is still under the influence of unions.'

DiGiorgio said in a democracy everyone should be encouraged to run for office, including committee seats.

'We've seen new groups come into the Republican party wanting change before,' DiGiorgio said. 'It's one thing that makes the Republican party so attractive. The newcomers add energy to the party and tend to make it stronger.'

However, DiGiorgio said he finds it a little disheartening that there is such a concerted effort to unseat 'good, hard-working committee people.'

James Codichini is one member of the coalition that has helped the group focus on getting into the committee to help influence the direction of the party and the endorsement process. He was a committeeman in the late 1980s and early 1990s and had a failed primary run for Chester County treasurer in the mid-1990s.

Codichini said he believes the problem with the Republican Party is a lack of principles and branding. He said Republican politicians and leadership are more focused on making money than sticking to principles. He said Democrats believe more in their principles than Republican politicians do.

Codichini said health-care reform is one example, where Democrats risked office and President Barack Obama risked his political capital to get a bill they believed in passed. He said he doesn't believe Republican politicians would risk losing an election to repeal the law in the same way Democrats risked their seats to pass it.

DiGiorgio rejects the notion that the Republican Party does not endorse and elect principled candidates.

'I can only speak to Chester County, and we are proud of record of electing strong principled Republicans,' DiGiorgio said.

DiGiorgio said the efficiency in Chester County government and the low tax rate are examples of just how principled the elected officials in the county are.

Codichini said the chairs of the county GOP over the last 35 years, including DiGiorgio, have been lawyers and lobbyists that are more focused on 'lining their pockets' than listening to the grass-roots voters.

DiGiorgio said he has never met Codichini or been contacted by him.

'He has never tried to reach out to me to see what motivates me,' DiGiorgio said.

Codichini said the Republican Party attempts to be an inclusive club rather than attempting to work towards the policies that voters believe in.

DiGiorgio said he does not try to control the party, but rather connect all of its member. To that end, he said he has reached out to Emmons and wants him and the coalition involved in the 2012 election to help put a Republican in the White House.

[Walleye Hunter]

Nice read, thanks. I will be paying attention as this unravels.