More Luzerne County Democrats switching to Republican registration for the upcoming primary election

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Sir Knight Michael J. Berish honored

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Katie McGinty was looking for &#8220;real&#8221; Wednesday when her statewide Diner Tour stopped in the city.</p><p>McGinty got plenty of real stories from about 25 women who turned out for lunch and a chat with the candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, which would leave her poised to square off against first-term Republican incumbent Pat Toomey in November.</p><p>&#8220;These folks really kept it real,&#8221; McGinty said after the session and before she left for another event in Scranton. &#8220;They shared their life experiences. The middle class needs a champion to fight for affordable health care, equal pay for equal work and quality education.&#8221;</p><p>McGinty, of Chester County, will turn 53 on May 11. She is one of four Democrats vying for the nomination in Pennsylvania&#8217;s April 26 primary, now less than six weeks away. Former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman and small business owner Joseph Vodvarka are the others in the race. The survivor will face Toomey, of Zionsville, in the Nov. 8 general election.</p><p>&#8220;Is this a cool campaign or what?&#8221; McGinty asked as she entered the private dining room at Patte&#8217;s Sports Bar on West Hollenback Street. &#8220;We tell you it&#8217;s a diner tour and we bring you to a bar.&#8221;</p><p>The laughter quickly turned to a serious discussion of issues facing Pennsylvania and women in particular. McGinty vowed to reduce the interest on college loans, to raise wages to make them &#8220;family-sustainable,&#8221; and to create programs like paid maternity leave, hiking tax credits for child care costs and seeing that women have the same financial opportunities when creating new businesses.</p><p>&#8220;Despite a lot of opportunities out there, people are still struggling,&#8221; McGinty said. &#8220;We have to address the issue of college unaffordability.&#8221;</p><p>McGinty said she can relate to the stories of high-interest college loans because she has three teenage daughters who can see college ahead. &#8220;My husband and I can already hear the cha-ching of college,&#8221; she said.</p><p>One woman told McGinty that her 47-year-old son is still repaying his college loans. McGinty said she is a proponent of equal pay for equal work and she acknowledged the need for two earners per household.</p><p>&#8220;And we have to join the rest of the world and pay women while on maternity leave,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Several retired school teachers attended the luncheon, along with a few representatives of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and Wilkes-Barre Councilwoman Beth Gilbert.</p><p>McGinty also vowed to keep Social Security and Medicare intact, saying that she will never vote for privatization. She said she also believes in funding early education programs like Head Start.</p><p>On gun control, McGinty favors tightening existing laws.</p><p>&#8220;If you&#8217;re a criminal or if you have a serious mental health issue, you shouldn&#8217;t have a lethal weapon in your hand,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s common sense.&#8221;</p><p>McGinty also favors strengthening the country&#8217;s infrastructure and investing in manufacturing. She said she is pro-union.</p><p><strong>Candidates respond</strong></p><p>Michael Garrett of the Sestak campaign said Sestak has been a tireless advocate for women&#8217;s advancement, and fully supports closing the gender pay gap, creating a national paid family leave program, raising the minimum wage, expanding tax credits for working families, and supporting women entrepreneurs.</p><p>Garrett said Sestak has compiled a 48-page Plan for Restoring the American Dream for Working Families and he previously worked on these issues while serving in Congress.</p><p>Ted Kwong of the Toomey campaign said McGinty&#8217;s &#8220;extreme budget proposal&#8221; in Harrisburg last year had record levels of tax hikes across all income levels and was rejected unanimously by both parties.</p><p>&#8220;Her policies are clearly wrong for Pennsylvania&#8217;s middle-class families.&#8221; Kwong said.</p><p>Leslie Wertheimer, press secretary for Fetterman, said less than two years ago, when McGinty was running for governor, she championed a $9 per hour minimum wage.</p><p>&#8220;What possible economic justice and security can there be for women and their families on $9 an hour?&#8221; Wertheimer said. &#8220;That&#8217;s an amazing evolution.&#8221;</p><p>She said Fetterman is the only candidate in the race that has consistently advocated for a living wage of at least $15 an hour &#8212; and the only candidate in the race who works every day to combat the inequalities facing low-income and middle-class families.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Katie McGinty, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, talks with area women at Patte&#8217;s Sports Bar during a stop on her Diner Tour Wednesday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031716McGinty-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Katie McGinty, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, talks with area women at Patte&#8217;s Sports Bar during a stop on her Diner Tour Wednesday afternoon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Senate candidate makes stop at local sports bar</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Democratic senatorial candidate Katie McGinty gets ‘real’ at Wilkes-Barre stop