The Temple community has faced safety and state funding concerns in recent years — areas in which Brendan Boyle and Aaron Bashir want to improve if they win in the Nov. 5 election.
All House of Representatives seats are up for election, which includes Pennsylvania’s 2nd district. The district encompasses most of eastern Philadelphia, stretching from Franklin Mills at its most eastern, down to Center City’s South Street. It also includes most of Main Campus, east of Broad Street.
The district has seen some contention, like in 2016 when Chaka Fattah resigned due to a racketeering conviction. Dwight Evans won the special election, then current candidate Brendan Boyle won in 2018 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the original map was gerrymandered. Boyle has held the seat since 2019.
In the 2023 Community Survey by the Census, the district represented about 714,000 people. The district votes 20% more Democratic than the national average, which means that the district is the 64th most Democratic district nationally, according to the Cook Partisan Voter Index.
Here is a look at where Boyle and Bashir stand as they face off for the second time.
Brendan Boyle (D-Incumbent)
Boyle has a long history in politics. In his undergraduate years at the University of Notre Dame, he worked as a mayoral campaign coordinator, then as a fundraiser for Bob Casey for Governor.
He later became a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He has been in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2015.
While in Congress, Boyle has worked within the Temple community. He proposed a bill in June to rename a Postal Office for Sgt. Christopher Fitzgerald, the former Temple police officer who was fatally shot in 2023. He also worked on helping Temple with federal funding for public safety, including funding for an upcoming gun detection system that the Department of Public Safety will implement in the coming months.
“It’s been well publicized that the neighborhoods adjacent to Temple’s campus have seen an increase in crime, including violent crime and crime involving firearms,” wrote Sean Tobin, Boyle’s campaign spokesperson, in a statement to The Temple News. “Through this new technology implemented as a result of this funding, Temple’s on-campus police department would be able to leverage its security camera network to detect weapons.”
Boyle’s main policy platforms include a strong stance on tackling climate change, revitalizing the economy with high paying jobs for Philadelphians and forgiving student loans and reforming the loan program, according to his spokesperson.
“Last election, the people of Philadelphia rewarded Congressman Boyle for his proven record of fighting for the people by re-electing him by over 50 points,” Tobin wrote. “Congressman Boyle is confident that the people of Philadelphia will again make the right choice and he will be sent back to Washington to continue fighting for the people of Philadelphia.”
Aaron Bashir (R)
Bashir, a 2006 actuarial science Temple alumnus, is again running against Boyle. Bashir lost by more than 50 points in 2022, but is hoping for a more successful run this time. He emphasized the role of God in his life that has helped him on his campaign and in his life experiences, but that Temple helped him in his professional aspects.
“Safety and security for the Temple community is the top priority, reducing crime and making the city safer would be my top priority,” Bashir told The Temple News. “I would love to help with as much funding as possible for the good academic programs that Temple needs, however, I would make sure that it’s not just the liberal or left narrative that’s being promoted in the university. The job of the university is to be simply neutral.”
He worked for the City of Philadelphia for 10 years as a financial accountant for the pension fund, which was around $4.4 billion at the time. He also worked as a financial director for a non-profit organization, a home care business and a lawn care business.
Bashir said he wants to put the American agenda first, prioritizing issues that face the homeless, veterans, seniors, disabled people and working families. He wants to use the House seat to fight inflation that has been an issue for many Americans and make America energy-independent by bringing back energy sources in the U.S., instead of buying from Middle Eastern countries.
“For too long, we’ve been sending all this money to all these third world countries where it goes into the deep pockets of corrupt politicians, but that money produces more hatred, more corruption and more terrorists against America,” Bashir said. “It’s time that we spend that money here to assist students like in Temple. We need to help them with more federal grants and other grants that can help the students get educated.”
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