Lynch posts videos almost every day on his Facebook page where he rails against the establishment and makes embittered remarks about COVID-19-related restrictions such as the mandatory wearing of masks. Others from the county who filed to run for the state committee are Beverly Hernandez, Kristin Soldridge, Debra A. Biro, Matt Connolly, Joseph G. Moyer, Gerald L. Pritchard, Craig L. DeFranco, Margie Mandell, Matthew Flower, Katharina Morea, Annette Kuyan, Linda Gerenser Stubits, Richard Morea, Andrew Azan III, Melanie Heilman, Cindy OBrien, Jimmy Zumba and John Brown. You have permission to edit this article. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Thank you for reading Armchair Lehigh Valley. He announced his reelection campaign in December, running on a vow not to raise county taxes and his record of local support through the pandemic. Republican candidate for Northampton County executive Steve Lynch has repeatedly and unashamedly downplayed the severity of COVID-19 and its impacts, writer says. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. If anyone has a question about me, I would love to have a conversation with them.. Snover said Friday she was unaware if the unannounced Republican candidates for executive were Trump supporters or more traditional Republicans. This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Thank you. Steve Lynch, candidate for Northampton County executive, addresses an anti-masking crowd in Northampton Aug. 31. Since his threat to bring 20 strong men to Northamptons next school board meeting, Governor Tom Wolf has issued a statewide school mask mandate. You go into these school boards to remove them, Lynch said, later adding, Im going in with 20 strong men and Im gonna give them an option they can leave or they can be removed, he said. Skip to Article Set weather Steven Lynch, candidate for Northampton County executive, tells rallygoers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania he wants to take "20 strong men" to force a local school board to resign. Although Lynch said he didnt engage in violence at the rally, he has spread discredited conspiracy theories that the riot was fomented by left-wing groups. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. He also said he does not believe Joe Biden fairly won the 2020 presidential election. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. "The presence was going to be men just sitting there, to have a presence, that people weren't talking back," he said. If you don't mind the ads and would rather donate, please select one of the options below: Statue Of Liberty Beheaded In Latest Russian Propaganda, Republican's New Bill Would Eliminate The Florida Democratic Party. Among them was Northampton County Republican Committee Chair Lee Snover. Its no surprise to anyone who pays attention to county politics that Steve Lynch, the GOP nominee for county executive, lost handedly in Tuesdays election. PA Candidate Wants To Muscle Out Local School Boards, PA Candidate Calls For Brute Takeover Of School Boards, Netflix CEO Wants To Dump Local School Boards, Stabbing Spree At PA High School Leaves 20 Injured. Lynch also railed the county executive for immigration policies, eliciting boos from the crowd when he alleged McClure has instructed the county not to comply with U.S. Immigration or Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The county millage rate last went down in 1996 when then-County Executive Bill Brackbill signed a 1.5% tax cut into law. Instead, McClure has invested $6 million in preserving farmland and natural spaces as executive, and his proposed 2022 budget would invest another $2 million. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Now hes created a stir again over what many perceive as a threat to coerce Northampton Area School Directors to reverse a temporary mask mandate. Lynch backtracked Aug. 30, claiming his remarks were taken out of context and denying any intent to forcibly remove school directors. Lynch was in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying election results. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The CRT craze was just the pretext to stir everything up, but tactics have now changed over to mask mandates since they can use the pandemic as an excuse to stir parents of young children up and make sure they endanger more lives. Ill die on this hill.. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Given last Friday nights forecast of inclement weather, almost all of them moved trick or treating to Sunday night, which turned out to coincide with the actual holiday. He later claimed his comments were taken out of context and not meant to be threatening. Nevertheless, there will be a number of strong men (and women) at Northamptons next few school board meetings. You go into school boards to remove em! In the May 17 primary, county Republican voters will elect seven people to serve on the state GOP committee. He was among 20 people from the county who filed candidate petitions with the Pennsylvania Department of State by Mondays deadline. Steve Lynch, the Republican candidate for Northampton County executive, holds a news conference outside of Gracedale, the county-owned nursing home in Upper Nazareth Township, on Oct. 25, 2021.Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com. And we know how that turned out, Lynch said. We can only hope that phase 2 involves quietly disappearing from politics and not coming back until hes educated himself on civics. . A more mainstream Republican may have defeated McClure, he said. Lynch has emerged as a controversial figure in the Northampton County executive race. Steve Lynch, the Republican candidate for Northampton County executive, holds a news conference outside of Gracedale, the county-owned nursing home in Upper Nazareth Township, on Oct. 25, 2021. Theyre going to want MAGA leaders in all forms of government, Snover said in December. Democratic incumbent will face Trump-supporting, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Route 33 crash: Coroner called to scene of five-vehicle wreck caused after tractor-trailer crossed median into opposite lanes, Democratic incumbent will face Trump-supporting GOP candidate in the Northampton County executive race, Paul Muschick: How to end the legislative standoff over child sex victim lawsuits, Joanna McClinton voted Pa. House speaker after Mark Rozzi steps aside; first Black woman to win post, Mark Rozzi says he will step down as Pa. House speaker, John Fetterman on path to recovery, will be out of Senate for more weeks, bring 20 strong men to force board members out of office, The ensuing school board meeting was heated but not violent, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. https://t.co/17mUxv0Sre. Stephen also answers to Steve Lynch and Stephen F Lynch, and perhaps a couple of other names. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Steve Lynch lost his bid for Northampton County executive to Democratic incumbent Lamont McClure by about 8,000 of the roughly 67,000 total votes. Incumbents Democrats Ron Heckman (Bethlehem), Lori Vargo-Heffner (Lower Saucon), Bill McGee (Northampton) and Tara Zrinski (Hanover) have each filed nomination petitions. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Just like that. Lamont McClure, the Democratic incumbent, has held a persistent presence in county government for nearly 15 years. This post is public so feel free to share it. Deputy sheriffs will be at the next several meetings to keep the peace. Our journalism needs your support. PA GOP Gov candidate Steve Lynch today: Forget going into these school boards with freaking data. The chair of the county Republican committee, Lee Snover, also had no comment on the race. McClure won with 37,985 votes to Lynchs 29,867 votes. He was in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying election results he has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Lynch didnt return a call for comment. https://t.co/4hhhTYAI4U, It's interesting that nobody says "This isn't the GOP I know" anymore. Join Facebook to connect with Steve Lynch and others you may know. He had no faith in the statewide audit the county participated in. at least two other executive candidates are expected to run in the May Republican primary, she said ? Im going in with 20 strong men and Im gonna give them an option - they can leave or they can be removed. pic.twitter.com/A0M6SsOldI. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. As the group UnKoch My Campus reports, sights have been set on local schools after the Koch network has spent hundreds of millions on college campuses. It should be condemned at every level., by Bernie OHare Special to the Bethlehem Press. Over the weekend, he called for a brute takeover of school boards, not by electoral means, but simply by brute force. With so little in common between them, its little surprise the candidates are running drastically different campaigns. "Why would you say 20 strongmen? I'm going to speak in front of the school board, and I'm giving them an option they can leave, or they can be removed. Im not sure a more mainstream Republican beats McClure last night, but I certainly think its a much closer race, akin to the county council outcomes.. Lynch previously claimed that he was interviews by FBI agents investigating the deadly Capitol insurrection, but denies being part of the pro-Trump mob that breached the Capitol. I am trying to balance those interests with the tools the county has, he said. Lynch isnt taking the loss lightly. They can leave or they can be removed, Lynch said. Of course there is also a group of voters that actually like his brand of politics and rhetorical approaches, and enthusiastically backed him, Borick said. Lynch has not been accused of any wrongdoing. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Lets have that, he said. While county executives have limited control over state and federal rules or even local law enforcement, Lynch said he would use his office as a megaphone to push back against government overreach. He added that since Lynch participated and tried to incite a coup to overthrow our nation, it doesnt surprise me at all that hes threatening local school boards with violence.. Lynch said Tuesday he is running for the committee position to make some real solid changes in the GOP and bring back the Republican Party to constitutional principles.. Like many Capitol Riot insurgents, he claims that the event was infiltrated by Antifa to make Trump supporters look bad. Recent county elections have followed national political trends. Morning Call reporter Tom Shortell can be reached at 610-820-6168 or tshortell@mcall.com. CORRECTION: Gloria Lee Snover, Mary Barket, Nancy Dienel, Craig DeFranco, John Brown and Linda Stubits presently represent the county on the State Committee. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Afterward Lynch questioned the validity of the vote in a Facebook post. This past weekend, Steve Lynch, who is running for Northampton County Executive, gave a speech at a Freedom Rally in Harrisburg where he chillingly suggested forcibly removing elected officials who dont do things his way. "When we walk into those school boards, were gonna have everything we need to do to go in there with those 9-0 school boards that voted to put these masks back on children with no scientific its done! Lynch hasnt made any effort to understand county government, McClure said. She accused the county of bullying and intimidation. View our, We welcome relevant, respectful comments. (Im) not going to answer that at all at this point because I have no idea how things are going to pan out on election night. Lynch has acknowledged being interviewed by the FBI about his attendance at the rally but denies partaking in any violence. We wanted to see through prudent fiscal management if we could reduce the real estate tax, McClure said. Men. his talking points married with the version of the party shes advocated for since 2016. Lynch got 26,540 in-person votes to McClures 19,518. Lynch said he was speaking up for them. Whos ready for phase 2? Home of the Steve Lynch Trifecta During his Harrisburg speech he says he was referring to other states where board members were voted out by recall, and his post-rally video was to clarify that point. I would argue that needing 20 strong men to help you beat up a school board is the exact opposite of being manly. His newcomer status hasn't stopped a local blog, Community Research Opposing Hate, from alleging he's a far-right extremist who harassed peaceful Black Lives Matter . If elected, he promised to use his office to fight against what he called Democrats hypocritical behavior. Steve Lynch, the Republican candidate for Northampton County executive in Pennsylvania, on Sunday claimed that he would aggressively confront pro-mask school board members with 20 strong men to boot them from their positions. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Northampton County executive candidate speaks out after viral video on school mask mandates, Stormcenter - School / Business Application. She said a hostile work environment has spread staff far too thin to the point of exhaustion and created potentially dangerous conditions. Forget it! Northampton County presently has six people who serve on the state committee. I plan on giving a voice to people who are not OK with being told how they are going to live their lives. McClure also identified warehouse proliferation as a threat to the quality of life within the region. You go in and you remove em. McClure has called for law enforcement to investigate his opponent after Lynch railed against school districts enforcing mask mandates due to the pandemic. Fitness Expert & Nutrition Coach. "So the rhetoric you are saying right now you believe is responsible and will not cause any violence?" Steven F. Lynchaspiring GOP politician, personal trainer, and the field director for Lisa Scheller's (R) failed campaign for PA's 7th District Congressional Seatprovided video proof on Facebook that he attended the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021. Lynch, of Northampton, has not run for office before, though he worked as a field organizer for Lisa Scheller in her 2020 congressional campaign against Rep. Susan Wild. During the campaign, Lynch alluded to forcefully overthrowing the Northampton Area School Board while generally coming across as a noxious candidate who dealt in conspiracy theories and did little to show he had even a basic understanding of how county government works. The John Birch/Tea Party/right wing extremist playbook is always the same: Start with local offices like school boards, take them over and use that as the launch point for higher office. He vowed to bring 20 strong men to a Northampton Area School Board meeting to remove the board members and replace them with board members who wont enforce a mask mandate. Breezy at times too.. Mostly cloudy with a shower possible late. After opening with a call to "make men great again, make men men again," Lynch got down to business, using the requirement to mask children as the pretext to muscle his way into removing existing school boards and replacing them with Koch-friendly puppets. He said the county has been open about its staffing needs, and that a hiring freeze that predated his administration left Gracedale in a pinch well before the COVID-19 pandemic. Thats just not how you do things, Lynch told The Morning Call. Thats just not going to fly with most voters around here, as the unofficial results show. It made for a busy day in Bethlehem, where the Halloween parade ended just a few hours before trick or treating was to start. At the end of Mrs. Justice Thomas' presentation, she lets them know Freedomworks will train any extremist org on how to fight those wars. They have no idea who they messed with! According to the Morning Call, Lynch regularly posts conspiracy theory theories on social media, which often mimics Trumps rhetoric that pushes the Big Lie of a stolen election. McClure responded to those claims saying that the county is following its home rule charter, under which the election administrator reports to the county executive, though he couldnt speak to specific methods used before.