When Jason Richey is asked how he can stand out in a crowded Republican field seeking nomination to run for governor, he offers a simple answer.
“Because I’m from Western Pennsylvania … I’m a political outsider and that’s what I think this state needs as its next governor,” Richey said Monday during a campaign swing through McKean and Warren counties. “There’s a lot more to this state than just Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania … we need someone who understands that.”
That focus on building a base of support in rural Pennsylvania is why Richey, an attorney with a heavyweight lawfirm in Pittsburgh, was making his second visit to McKean and nearby counties since he announced his candidacy in November. He met with civic and business leaders in Bradford Monday morning before attending a lunch meeting in Smethport.
Of the dozen or so announced candidates for the GOP primary, most are what Richey called “career or failed politicians” from the eastern or central part of the state. He noted that two former successful statewide candidates in past decades — the late former Gov. Richard Thornburgh and former Sen. Rick Santorum — were Republicans from the Pittsbugh area and they were affiliated with his law firm, K&L Gates.
Richey said his first act as governor would be creating a new cabinet position focused on rural Pennsylvania. He said the state has too many resources and interests in its rural counties — from oil and gas to timber and farmland — for them to be ignored.
His next move would be to reset Pennsylvania on taking advantage of its energy resources — particularly natural gas — to fuel new manufacturing opportunities while bringing down utility costs for households and businesses. The state has lost population each year since 1950, Richey said, and the decline will continue unless there is a boost in employment and economic development.
He believes Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration had short-sightedly veered away from the state’s energy resource advantage without a clear plan for ensuring the state’s energy needs can be met.
Under Wolf, the state has joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, in which 11 other participating states in the Northeast have established a regional cap on CO2 emissions. Large fossil fuel emitters, such as power plants, essentially buy allowances for carbon they emit and with revenues helping to fund green energy projects. Republicans in Harrisburg have put roadblocks in the way of Pennsylvania consummating its participation in RGGI
Richey said all energy sources, including green, will be on the table in his administration, but he believes Pennsylvania remains a critical part of supplying energy in a matter that is not just state politics, but national and even world security.
“I’d rather have drilling for natural gas here, where we have strong environmental laws, than see more energy produced, see more methane in the air, by China and Russia,” he said.
Richey said he has consulted with experts about methane emissions and he understands that the potent greenhouse gas issue must be aadressed — with abandoned wells plugged and residual methane in drilling and transport processes captured and turned into fuel.
Ken Kane, Republican Party chairman in McKean County, said Monday he “liked what he heard” from Richey and that he is “definitely a candidate I will keep an eye on. He’s from
Western Pennsylvania and he has shown a lot by coming up here to McKean County.”
A few other issues Richey, who grew up in Aliquippa and wrestled at Allegheny College, addressed:
Income taxes
Richey said as governor he would work to steadily cut Pennsylvania’s income taxes to zero. He cited states like Texas, Tennesee and Florida, which are seeing annual influxes of new residents and booming business growth.
COVID-19 response
“We have to respect people’s liberties above all else,” Richey said, saying he would not institute statewide mandates regarding shutdowns, masking or vaccinations.
While he can’t know what the coronavirus pandemic will look like into 2023, Richey said if he were governor today he would set up a statewide system to provide the medical resources and hospital bed space to breakout areas of increased infection. The key, he believes, is ensuring the state can provide the needed care for all patients while allowing the state’s economy to continue to operate.
Voting
Richey said many Pennsylvanians have lost faith in the voting process after the 2020 elections. He said he would eliminate the state’s 50 days of mail-in voting and return to the absentee ballot system, require identification to vote and call for a state holiday on the date of the general election.
“Make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” he said.
Second Amendment
Richey said he fully supports the U.S. Constituion and the right to bear arms. He said he would have signed legislation passed in late 2021 that would have allowed permitless concealed carry of a firearm in Pennsylvania.
