Wagner Rips Backroom Deal Claim

Wagner Rips Backroom Deal ClaimWagner Rips Backroom Deal Claim

By Scott Wagner

This is to set the record straight on the false allegations reported by the media last week.

Scott Harper, a candidate for Pennsylvania Senate in the 31st District, has alleged that I was involved in a back room deal to get him out of the race.

Let me be crystal clear: I was not involved in a back room deal nor will I ever be.

One of the primary reasons I was elected to office in the Special Election for the 28th District PA State Senate seat on March 18, 2014 was because the Establishment tried to handpick the candidate for that race in a backroom deal.

On March 18th, 2014, 11,000 people in the 28th PA State Senate District came out to the polls and wrote in my name, despite the horrendous and dirty attack campaign that was waged against me in an attempt to tarnish my reputation.

We sent a message to the Establishment that backroom deals and dirty politics weren’t going to cut it anymore.

Fast forward 15 months and now some guy I’ve never heard of and whom I spoke to one time in the hallway of the Capitol for one minute is alleging that I (or someone from my staff – oddly enough, he can’t seem to remember who) tried to get him out of the race.

Mr. Harper has got another thing coming if he thinks I’m just going to roll over and let him get away with lying.

A funny thing happens when you win the first ever write-in campaign in Pennsylvania and become a public figure – opportunists come out of the woodwork trying to hitch their wagon to yours and derail your message.

Mr. Harper is someone who I’ve never had contact with before, or after our one minute meeting in the hallway of the Capitol.

In fact, I’ve never run into him at any Republican events nor have I ever seen him in the York community.

There are four candidates running for the 31st PA State Senate seat and Scott Harper has the lowest name recognition out of all of them.

Mr. Harper fabricated this lie about me and thinks he can ride it out in the media to get some free publicity.

Below is an email Scott Harper sent on Feb. 11, 2016 to the political operative he brought with him to the Capitol. This email proves that he is lying and he was not offered anything by me or any of my representatives.

Wagner Rips Backroom Deal Claim

I have an idea of who is pushing this story to the media and for those of you who remember the infamous “Clara Palmer” and “Millionaire Trashman” ads that were run against me before the Special Election should know exactly who is behind this latest stunt.

I don’t need to look any further than the “Republican” campaign and lobbying firm Long & Nyquist.

Long & Nyquist attempted to tear down my reputation before the Special Election in 2014 and they’re at it again.

But why would Long & Nyquist be targeting me since I’m already in office? They were the main campaign firm used by the Senate Republican Campaign Committee (SRCC) of which I am now the Cycle Chair (at my request). I imagine business has taken a hit since I don’t approve of Republicans taking a hatchet to other Republicans’ reputations in primaries.

Long & Nyquist, who is supposedly a Republican lobbying firm, represents the PSEA. Yes, you read that correctly, Long & Nyquist represents the teachers’ union –  the Pennsylvania State Education Association. The PSEA does not want to reform the pension system so your property taxes would go down. Long & Nyquist also represents the United Food & Commercial Workers Union which strongly opposes liquor privatization.

Long & Nyquist strongly opposes the lobbyist reform bills I am sponsoring which would bring transparency to state government. I have repeatedly reported that there are too many lobbyists and numerous conflicts in Harrisburg and that it is one of the main reasons why no fiscal reforms have been passed. Click here for more information on my lobbyist reform bills.

Long & Nyquist is representing one of the other candidates in the 31st District State Senate race and they will do anything to win.

Let me just wrap up by saying this – I get to walk in the Capitol each and every day knowing that I am not owned by anyone.

For me, there is zero pressure to please lobbyists and special interest groups. This allows me to continue to expose the activities of firms like Long & Nyquist. They are in the game solely for the money and to defeat reforms that PA needs now. They could care less about the people who are choking on property taxes due to a broken and bankrupt pension system that is going to bury Pennsylvania with unsustainable debt.

I will not be be intimidated by liars and manipulators who think they can take advantage of me – I will continue to fight to protect your tax dollars and expose corruption in Harrisburg.

Sen. Wagner represents the 28th District in the Pennsylvania Senate.

Wagner Rips Backroom Deal Claim

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.