Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin visited Lancaster on Wednesday night, giving a pep talk to local party members ahead of Election Day.
Martin said the Republican Party’s statewide effort to oust three state Supreme Court justices, each elected as a Democrat in 2015, is “to grab power” and influence public policy.
“They know they’re on the wrong side of the issue,” Martin said. “They know they’re on the wrong side of the population gains and demographic shifts in this country. So the only thing they can do is steal power.”
Martin’s speech was one stop on a tour across Pennsylvania — beginning in Pittsburgh and ending in Philadelphia — ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
One of those justices facing retention, Christine Donohue, joined Martin at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center. She told reporters before the event that she was “shocked” by how partisan the retention race has been this year.
“ This was viewed as an opportunity to take a shot at opinions where they didn’t agree with the results without any discussion about the validity of our analysis,” Donohue said.
Voters will decide with a simple “Yes” or “No” question whether Donohue can keep her seat on the bench until she reaches the mandatory retirement age of 75 in two years. Two other justices, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, also face retention votes for their second 10-year terms.
The Republican Party and its allies are waging an expensive and extensive campaign to oust the trio, each of whom was elected as a Democrat in 2015.
Republicans believe the justices have ruled in a partisan manner that has favored Democrats, citing their decisions to maintain no-excuse mail-in ballots and the government-ordered lockdowns during COVID.
“We think judges should be judges, and legislators should legislate, and that the courts should not be making the laws or inserting themselves into public policy where the Legislature could act instead,” Rothman said in an October interview.
DNC Vice Chair Malcom Kenyatta, who also serves as a Philadelphia state representative, spoke at the event in favor of the justices. He said they are being targeted because they “will not bend the knee to Donald Trump,” and have ruled on increasing access to voting.
Martin stressed that the outcome in Pennsylvania could have national repercussions.
“If they win here, you can bet your bottom dollar they bring this to every single state around the country,” Martin said.