PA-HD72: This Pa. Democrat is running a Trump-style campaign, railing against refugees

The music is hair-raising. Images of undocumented immigrants crossing the border play across the screen. And the claim is extreme: The candidate running for the Pennsylvania House was trying to bring in Afghan refugees to take Cambria County workers’ jobs.

The attack ad running in the Johnstown area isn’t from the GOP candidate that former President Donald Trump endorsed.

It’s by the incumbent Democrat, State Rep. Frank Burns, who has taken a page out of Trump’s playbook.

Burns, 48, is seeking reelection to a ninth term to represent the reddening 72nd Pennsylvania House District, which Trump won by 15 percentage points in 2020. It’s one of a few competitive races that will determine which party controls the state House.

Burns’ opponent, Republican Amy Bradley, is a local chamber of commerce leader who helped lead the city redevelopment project Vision Together 2025. The project has been criticized by Burns and the local community for its proposed refugee resettlement plan, which Bradley played a key part in devising and communicating to the public according to meeting minutes from the time.



https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/trump-style-campaign-frank-burns-pa-house-20241002.html