State Senate candidate promises to keep in touch with constituents

Posted 10/31/18

Ron Holt by Brendan Sample As the Republican candidate for the 4th District of the Pennsylvania State Senate, Ron Holt has had an interesting path to becoming his party’s nominee. He was not …

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State Senate candidate promises to keep in touch with constituents

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Ron Holt

by Brendan Sample

As the Republican candidate for the 4th District of the Pennsylvania State Senate, Ron Holt has had an interesting path to becoming his party’s nominee.

He was not initially a candidate for office, as James Williams Jr. had secured the Republican nomination after the primary elections in May. After Williams dropped out of the race, however, a caucus of the Montgomery County GOP committee came together to vote on a new candidate on Aug. 23. As a committeeperson, Holt was ultimately asked if he would be interested in running.

“I said that I would run if it would help the party,” Holt recalled.

While he has only had just over two months to campaign, Holt has been able to put together a platform based on lowering the crime rate, improving education and economic development. He criticized the Kenney administration for what he feels is a mishandling of crime in the Philadelphia side of the 4th District, and proposed that an elected school board be established for the city.

In terms of his qualifications, Holt cited his experience not only as an elected official, but also as an accountant who knows how to handle money. He has taken issue with the city of Philadelphia’s money problems, specifically calling out how the administration could not find $26 million missing from its funds earlier this year, which he feels is a sure sign that something is wrong.

As a Republican candidate in a mostly Democratic area, Holt realizes that he has had to fight an uphill battle to gain support. He has maintained a certain level of optimism, however, as he has heard from a number of Philadelphia voters who have said they will vote for him despite being Democrats themselves. Holt has also pledged to remain directly engaged with local residents should he be elected.

“I intend to have town halls with constituents at least quarterly, regardless of whether Harrisburg is in session or not,” Holt said. “If I can’t find the time to talk with constituents, I might not get the vote. If you’re going to represent people, you need to hear from those people directly.”

Holt also criticized his opponent, incumbent Democrat Art Haywood, for not attending rallies and other events at which he was present, which includes events that were not specifically for the Republican base. He was concerned having not seen Haywood at any prior public events, saying that “people want to know where their state senator is.”

Haywood has refuted this claim, saying that he has attended numerous events while on the campaign trail despite being limited by his time in Harrisburg.

For more information on the 4th District race, check out our profile on incumbent senator Art Haywood here. Brendan Sample can be reached at brendan@chestnuthilllocal.com

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