Hundreds of Supporters Rally for Callahan Campaign Kick-Off

By CALLAHAN FOR CONGRESS

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – February 17, 2010 – In front of more than 350 supporters at the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Hall in Allentown, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan announced that he will run as a Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District seat.
To a crowd of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, business owners and labor leaders, folks in government and the private sector, Callahan outlined his motivation to run for Congress. “When I first ran for Mayor, there were too many entrenched leaders who were looking backwards and were not committed to moving our community forward. We have the same problems in Washington right now. Today, our country is at a crossroads.”
He went on to say, “We have a rocky economy, deep deficit, two wars and gridlock in Washington. We can’t have leaders looking backward. We must be moving our country forward. Make no mistake about it, Washington is broken. The call is out for the next generation of leaders to step up and face the challenges. Today I am accepting that challenge.”
Callahan went on to say, “I will work in Congress like I have served as mayor: focusing on jobs creation, deficit reduction, keeping our families safe, and standing up for regular people first.”
Callahan also said he will use lessons learned from his experience as Mayor to advance the needs of the people in the Lehigh Valley. “Mayors are tasked with delivering solutions every day. I’ve balanced budgets, kept our streets safe, and grown our local economy by working across party lines through out my career. Those are the kinds of priorities I’ll fight for in Congress,” Callahan said. “I want to be clear, I’m not running to be a Congressman for any one city, any one party, or any interest group. I will be a Congressman for the entire Lehigh Valley. I will put Lehigh Valley first.”

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