Matt Brouillette, a conservative activist and well-known Harrisburg figure.
Courtesy of Matt Brouillette
Matt Brouillette, a conservative activist and well-known Harrisburg figure.
Courtesy of Matt Brouillette
(Harrisburg) — The first candidate has filed to fill former GOP state Senator Mike Folmer’s Lebanon County seat, after the lawmaker’s abrupt resignation following a charge for child pornography possession.
Matt Brouillette is a familiar face around Harrisburg.
For 14 years, he headed the conservative Commonwealth Foundation, a think tank and lobbying group. And the last three years, he’s been involved in the Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs. Among other things, it raises money for conservative candidates and causes.
He’s also a former high school history teacher—and said if elected, one of his main goals will be to make sure charter schools and non-public school options are expanded, through methods like demand-based tax credit scholarships.
“Look, I think the vast majority of children are attending public schools and always will,” he said. “But not every child is best served in the current system.”
In both of his recent roles, Brouillette has opposed minimum wage increases, supported “right to work” policies that weaken unions, and fought tax increases—most recently, ones on the natural gas industry.
Along with Lebanon, the 48th Senate District covers parts of York and Dauphin Counties. The special election to fill the seat is scheduled for January 14th.
This story initially said one of Brouillette’s campaign goals was to make sure alternative school options were well-funded. It has been updated to clarify that he specifically wants to provide demand-based aid in the form of tax credits.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
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