The Sierra Club is pleased to endorse Patty Smith, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania House District 104, in the upcoming General Election on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020.
Patty is a powerhouse of energy who is ready to take on and win against the entrenched interests that misuse the environment with impunity. As a watchdog activist, Patty has extensive experience in local and state government, as well as in the nonprofit sector and has worked successfully across the aisle.
As a member of Three Mile Island Alert, Patty has taken a major role in the fight to keep Exelon from draining money from TMI’s decommissioning fund to use for dry cask nuclear waste storage. She raised significant awareness on this issue and was thanked by members of the NRC for standing up for ratepayers.
Patty believes safeguarding the planet is of prime importance, realizing there is no "Planet B". She supports increasing oversight and regulation of fracking and investing in sustainable energy. Since March, Patty has conducted 31 town halls, of which three were devoted specifically to environmental issues.
In 2018, she was elected as Committeewoman for Susquehanna Township Ward 8 and came within 1,200 votes of winning her first run for State Representative against Republican incumbent Sue Helm in the heavily gerrymandered 104th District.
In this year’s race, Democrats got more votes than Republicans in the district’s Primary. Helm is an avid supporter of fracking and once said she would welcome a well in her front yard. Helm, who is running for her eighth term, has a lifetime environmental scorecard rating of 20 percent but more recently a 0 rating.
Patty and her team of volunteers are working to contact the district Democrats who did not vote in the 2018 election, to register more voters, and to make certain that voters know about Helm’s environmental record, which Patty describes as “kill the Earth.”
Patty is a champion for workers, education, equality, women’s choice, mental health, healthcare, the environment, and animal welfare. She has 20 plus endorsements, including AFL-CIO, UAW, AFSCME, Central PA Building Trades, Harrisburg Region Central Labor Council, SEIU, International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 542, and Teamsters.
We strongly encourage all Sierra Club members to use their influence with their friends, neighbors and relatives to support Patty’s campaign with your time, talents and money. Working together to elect better legislators is not only a great way to build community but also the only way to get candidates to represent all of us.
Get Involved!
You can be directly involved in shifting the politics in Harrisburg by becoming a Patty Smith for State Representative supporter and volunteering to make telephone calls, write letters, and put a yard sign in your yard as well as donating to her campaign. Contact wendi.taylor@verizon.net to learn more.
Let’s work together to change control of the General Assembly this fall!
If voting by mail, don't forget to return your completed mail-in ballot in person to the county election bureau by 8 p.m. on election day, November 3, 2020.