Senate hopeful speaks with local leaders
CRANBERRY TWP — U.S. Senate candidate George Bochetto spoke with public officials in Butler County Thursday as he makes his way around the state.
Bochetto, a Republican, is part of a crowded field seeking the nomination for retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey’s seat. He entered the race in January after making a career in Philadelphia as an attorney who often served on high-profile cases.
Thursday morning he met with various office-holders in Zelienople and Cranberry Township, introducing himself and explaining his reasons to run for public office.
“I’m here because I’m appalled at where our country is going and the kind of leadership and lack of leadership that is in Washington right now, and I’m here to stand up to the craziness and start backing the values, the core values that are so important to our country,” Bochetto said in an interview.
In Cranberry, Bochetto met a handful of officials, including Cranberry Township manager Dan Santoro and board of supervisors chairman Dick Hadley at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
Standing at the head of a table near the sports complex’s coffee station, Bochetto explained his core values, including supporting law enforcement, keeping the federal government’s spending in check and upholding traditional values.
Bochetto, a first-generation Italian-American, also weighed in on what he deemed “the liberal woke mob.” He touted his efforts to prevent the removal of Christopher Columbus statues in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as him standing up to such groups.
His visit to Butler County was largely precipitated by the growth in the county’s southwestern tier.
“Cranberry Township is, really, a nice example of how, when political leadership makes sense, and they problem-solve, they can get a lot of things solved,” Bochetto said in an interview.
Hadley said following the event that he appreciates efforts by politicians to visit Cranberry.
“Whoever they are, wherever they come from,” he added.
