Steve Welch - Support for Obama and Sestak
Summary
Steve Welch is not a career policitician, but has worked as a volunteer since the age of 18 in Republican campaigns. Up until 2005, he was a Republican. At that time, he switched his party registration to Democrat.
After switching his party, he donated $300 to Joe Sestak's Democratic congressional campaign. He also voted for Senator Barack Obama in the primary election in 2008.
In an interview with Dom Giodano in February of 2012, Mr Welch stated that he came running back the the Republican party after the stimulus package was voted on in 2009. However, he also maintains that he voted for John McCain in the general election despite this assertion that it was the stimulus package that changed his mind.
The subject has also come up in Republican primary debates and Mr Welch has been consistent in his assertion that he switched his party registration in protest of the Bush administration's expansion of debt and poor fiscal policies. He states that he switched back to the Republican party when the Democrats showed the same malfeasance.
York Candidate Forum
In January of 2012, Steve Welch was asked about his party switch at a candidate forum and states that he did not like the views of the current representative, who was a Republican.
Dom Giordano Interview
Republican Endorsement
In March of 2012, the Republican party endorsed Mr Welch as their candidate for the the state nomination. When asked about Mr Welch's record of switching parties, Governor Corbett stated that it was his understanding that Mr Welch switched parties as part of a scheme to prevent Hillary Clinton from obtaining the nomination that was organized by Rush Limbaugh and called "Operation Chaos."
References
[1] Website: Human Events Article: Pa. governor draws ire for interfering in state's Senate seat battle Author: John Gizzi Accessed on: 04/03/2012