Pennsylvania’s closely watched 8th district race between Mike Fitzpatrick and incumbent Democrat Patrick Murphy has gotten even dirtier. Police stopped a van with New York license plates in Bristol, Pa. last night.
BRISTOL TWP. — On the eve of Election Day, police here detained a van carrying New York state plates and crammed with 13 volunteers bent on doing some unheard-of electioneering for Congressman Patrick Murphy.“
We got a bunch of calls earlier tonight that there was a white van with New York tags that was going around taking down and stealing Mike Fitzpatrick signs and replacing them with Patrick Murphy signs,” said township police Sgt. Chuck Burns. …
“One of my officers found the vehicle down in the Newportville section, and there were 13 people inside,” Sgt. Burns said. “The overwhelming majority were from out of state. They were volunteers for the Murphy campaign.
“And what they were doing was, they weren’t stealing any signs, they were taking their Patrick Murphy signs and placing them directly in front of Mike Fitzpatrick signs,” Burns said, “so that you couldn’t read the Mike Fitzpatrick signs.” …
“There’s no violation of criminal law there. So we warned them, explained what could happen to them if they did steal any election signs, and they promised to pass the word on to their other Murphy volunteers,” he said. “And we let them go. I can’t stop them from doing what they’re doing.”
This instance of overzealous campaigning from Murphy-backers comes on the heels of revelations of a Murphy-led scheme whereby letters from a fictitious office were mailed to thousands of voters in Bucks County, warning them that their right to vote could be jeopardized unless they returned absentee ballot applications to a private post office box controlled by the Democrat campaign.
By the way, what kind of van carries 13 volunteers plus equipment?