John Linder for State Senate

My name is John Linder. As you may know, I am the Democratic candidate for the 9th Senatorial District of Pennsylvania. I’m a resident of Delaware County, an educator, and an active member of our community.

In many ways, the 9th District is as diverse as America itself. It is home to farmers, to working class families, inner city residents, and suburban households. The diverse lives of our community-members are reflected in their diverse needs. This means that representing the 9th District poses unique challenges. I believe, however, that the right candidate can turn these challenges into opportunities, opportunities to address the issues that cut across our differences and unite us as Pennsylvanians and as Americans.

The rising cost of both energy and health care, and the success of our schools are such issues. Our governor, Ed Rendell, worked hard to pass a 2008-09 budget that would expand our energy options and save Pennsylvanian’s millions of hard-earned dollars. He also introduced Access to Basic Care, or ABC, a version of which was passed by the Democratically-controlled House. PA-ABC is a health care program that would provide affordable health coverage to a quarter of a million hard-working Pennsylvanians. In addition, his plan offered a stable and consistant investment in education that would raise funding to all schools for the next six years.

Unfortunately, my opponent led Senate Republicans in blocking many of these important measures. He voted against a proposal that would lower electricity costs by 20 to 30 percent, against legislation that would provide 250,000 people with affordable health care, and against a program for stable education funding, allowing our schools to budget for successful futures.

As your senator, I will work with Ed Rendell to ensure that Pennsylvanians get the health care, energy reform and education funding they need and deserve. I am honored to be the Democratic candidate for the 9th Senatorial District of Pennsylvania, and through hard work, I will bring the results Pennsylvania needs for real change.