Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is a leading advocate for people with autism and other disabilities.
His opponent, Dave McCormick, supports Trump, who despises people with disabilities.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick on Friday afternoon made a campaign stop outside Max’s Steaks in North Philadelphia, the latest in a series of GOP events aimed at reaching out to Black voters in Philly this year.
But McCormick’s campaign apparently didn’t do enough outreach to Max’s.
Mike Sfida, manager at Max’s, said he was told the event was for autism awareness and was surprised to see campaign signs for McCormick and former President Donald Trump being hung up outside the restaurant. Sfida said he welcomed the event because his niece and nephew have autism, “not a political campaign.”
“We didn’t sign up for that at all. Zero,” Sfida said as the McCormick team was wrapping up the event. “I could throw them all out of here, but I’m going to be nice. Do your thing. When you’re done, leave. You’re not welcome back.”...
The confusion over the purpose of the event stemmed from the fact that it was organized in part by Sheila Armstrong, a Philadelphia activist of various causes who has run for City Council as a Democrat but is now a Republican. Sfida said Armstrong reached out to him to schedule the event on behalf of her nonprofit organization, Cooking4Autism, and not on behalf of McCormick’s campaign.
Armstrong, who has been a member of the controversial conservative group Moms for Liberty, appears to have no official affiliation with McCormick, but said she has offered to be a liaison for the Republican in the city. During Pennsylvania’s 2022 Senate race, Armstrong was at the center of a minor controversy when it was revealed that the campaign of Republican Mehmet Oz — who defeated McCormick in that year’s GOP primary before losing to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) — failed to disclose that she was a paid campaign staffer after featuring her as a speaker at a community roundtable in Philadelphia.
She said Friday that the Max’s event was intended to raise awareness about autism and that she also told Max’s that she had “political clients.”
“What I organized this for is because we always hear the politicians saying that they support the Black community, but we never see them. So I always push them and challenge them to come into my Black community,” she said. “Dave McCormick took that challenge.”
Asked if there was an autism awareness aspect of the event, Armstrong said, “Yes, it’s always autism awareness because I’m an education advocate,” adding that she addressed the crowd about autism at one point.
However, there was little visible indication the event had anything to do with autism awareness. While there were Republican campaign signs and McCormick campaign pamphlets on a table, there were no resources about autism.
