EASTON, Pa. – House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn addressed economic issues and Democrats’ legislative record during a speech at one of the Lehigh Valley’s largest and oldest majority-Black churches Sunday.
- Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, joined Lehigh Valley Rep. Susan Wild for Sunday morning services at Greater Shiloh Church in Easton
- Emphasizing “affordability and accessibility,” Clyburn asked voters to support Wild’s reelection to the 7th Congressional District to help Democrats hold onto their narrow majority in the House
- The most recent poll from Muhlenberg College shows incumbent Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat and Republican challenger Lisa Shiller tied in the race for PA-7
Speaking from the floor at the Greater Shiloh Church in Easton, Clyburn asked attendees to vote for Democratic Rep. Susan Wild, who's seeking reelection to the 7th congressional district. He said her victory would help keep a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, and the party's plan for America moving forward.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” Clyburn said. “We have taken some significant steps to get this country's economy back on track, get our infrastructure rebuilt, and get inflation under control, and you aren't going to do what is necessary by giving up.”
The two legislators sat in the front row for Sunday morning service, next to the church’s lead pastor, Phillip Davis, and a handful of local political and civic leaders.
The congregation – large enough to fill most of the lower floor and balcony – gave Wild an enthusiastic standing ovation when she was introduced; Clyburn received something like a hero’s welcome.
The spotlight on the two politicians was a short portion of the service – most of the morning was for music and this week’s sermon, which was focused on living a fruitful life through giving and being of service to others.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We have taken some significant steps to get this country's economy back on track, get our infrastructure rebuilt, and get inflation under control, and you aren't going to do what is necessary by giving up.”U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn
During his speech, Clyburn argued that legislation his party has already passed, like the Inflation Reduction Act’s cap on insulin costs for Medicare recipients, is a down payment on broader efforts to make things like healthcare more affordable and accessible. One example he cited was a goal to expand the insulin price cap to more people.
The Majority Whip compared Democratic efforts to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s work to pass civil rights legislation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, he said, was narrower than Johnson wanted, but it was the only thing that could pass congress.
“Then [Johnson] went out and said to the people of the country, ‘You give me a house, you give me some senators, and we'll come back and get the rest next year.’ We went out in 1964, we voted in record numbers. We gave him the House and the senators that he needed. And on August 6th, 1965, less than a year later, we got the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” Clyburn said.
“I made it my mission, so to speak, to bring Whip Clyburn to Shiloh,” Wild said. “I had asked specifically for Whip Clyburn to come to our district, partly because I wanted him to reach as many people as possible in our community, but also because we have been in an election year that has been as toxic and divisive as it could possibly be.”
“I think of Whip Clyburn as being a breath of fresh air, somebody who always rises to the top, who tries very, very hard not to get involved in any of that negativity. And so I just thought he was the perfect messenger for what we need this year,” she said.
Easton is one of several cities he has visited to campaign for House Democrats in the closing weeks of the election, as polls show those candidates losing ground to their Republican counterparts in races across the country.
“I made it my mission, so to speak, to bring Whip Clyburn to Shiloh... partly because I wanted him to reach as many people as possible in our community, but also because we have been in an election year that has been as toxic and divisive as it could possibly be.”US Rep. Susan Wild
Few are as close as the one for Pennsylvania’s 7th District: a Muhlenberg college poll released earlier this month found Wild and her challenger, Lisa Scheller, in a statistical tie.
“I'm a very optimistic person. South Carolina's motto is ‘While I breathe, I hope,’” Clyburn said. “I live by South Carolina's motto.”
“I am cautiously optimistic for holding the House, but I am quite optimistic about winning this race,” Wild said. “I think it will be very, very close.”
