Lawmaker’s COVID-19 case stirs anger, fear in Pa. House | News, Sports, Jobs
At least one local lawmaker has self-quarantined after the revelation of a COVID-19 case in the state House stirred national controversy.
State Rep. Lou Schmitt, R-Altoona, who works closely with affected Rep. Andrew Lewis, R-Harrisburg, said Friday that he would spend several days in quarantine “out of an abundance of caution.”
The General Assembly and GOP leadership have been rocked by allegations of mismanagement after state Lewis confirmed Wednesday that he had tested positive for the illness on May 20, a full week earlier.
Democratic lawmakers accused Republican leaders of hiding Lewis’ case from colleagues and the public, leaving other legislators and their families in danger. In an impassioned and expletive-laden video posted online, state Rep. Bryan Sims, D-Philadelphia, said: “How dare you put our lives at risk? How dare you put our families at risk?”
Republicans, too, appear to have been left in the dark about Lewis’ diagnosis, the first in the House.
“It concerns me that I have a colleague who is ill and I wasn’t told about it,” Schmitt said. “I was as surprised by it as everyone else. All of my colleagues I’ve talked to, none of them knew.”
Schmitt sits on two committees with Lewis, and has attended hearings and meetings with Lewis and other self-quarantining colleagues in recent weeks.
Schmitt said his latest decision to self-quarantine will mark his third since the coronavirus pandemic began. On other occasions, he said, he stayed at home after having secondhand contact with someone affected by the illness.
Schmitt stopped short of criticizing GOP leadership — noting that, as a lawyer, he recognizes the need to protect sick people’s privacy. But he expressed concerns that no public statement was issued for more than a week.
“It’s very easy to be critical of everyone after the fact,” he said. “Having said that … there must be disclosure that someone in the caucus has tested positive.”
Other GOP representatives have criticized Democrats for their response, suggesting the minority party in the House is using Lewis’ diagnosis to tally a political victory.
State Rep. Jim Gregory, R-Hollidaysburg, questioned the reaction to the story, especially with coverage extending to national outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post.
“Ten weeks ago, when this started, if someone would have asked the question ‘How long before a member of the state House tested positive,’ and the answer was 10 weeks, I don’t think many people would have agreed with that,” Gregory said. “I think it’s telling that, all things considered, we finally have a first positive case and it is getting this much attention.”
Gregory, who does not share committee assignments with Lewis and said he does not see him often, defended the GOP response on Thursday.
“In my opinion as a member, I believe there are many who are trying to score political points,” he said.
Other Republican lawmakers have been more combative: state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, who has frequently mocked the government response to the pandemic, acknowledged a possible exposure but said a test isn’t necessary.
“Lefties whine because I self-quarantined but didn’t get tested after possible COVID ‘contact,’” he tweeted last week.
Democratic leaders have called for an investigation by the state attorney general, noting that some of the GOP lawmakers exposed have been prominent in the movement to end the pandemic lockdown.
Schmitt expressed hope that the situation could lead to new policies for informing members if another case is discovered.
“I think maybe the best thing that comes out of this is, maybe we do reform the rules,” he said. Next time, “people can be advised.”
Dem mail ballots surge
A Democratic Party effort to push mail-in voting has paid dividends in Pennsylvania, with party ballot applications surging to nearly 1.3 million and far outstripping their Republican counterparts.
Application numbers have increased since May 22, when the party reported 1 million signups. As of this week, more than 528,000 Republicans have done the same — less than half their opponents’ number.
This year’s statewide elections are the first to feature open mail-in ballot access.
“This is hard work paying off — from grassroots volunteers to our local, state and national partners,” state Democratic Party Director Sincere Harris said in a statement last week. “Pennsylvania Democrats are fired up, energized, and ready to go back to blue in November.”
Mail-in voting is an increasingly partisan issue, with Republicans including President Donald Trump attacking the policy. Trump has noted mail-in voting tends to help Democratic candidates; this week, he again suggested without evidence that the policy could lead to fraud.
“How stupid, there are examples, and cases, all over the place,” Trump said on Twitter, although he did not identify any cases.
More broadly, voter registration is set to be a flashpoint in this year’s election, with conservative group Judicial Watch suing state officials to purge hundreds of thousands of voters from the rolls. The lawsuit could affect turnout in three key counties outside Philadelphia.
