Pennsylvania has always played a special role in the American experiment. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to the Gettysburg Address, to the advent of the Industrial Revolution, our Commonwealth has been at the epicenter of our nation’s most defining moments. 

But what our forefathers fought for is under attack by a woke, progressive liberalism that believes it is noble to riot, burn, rob, and loot in the name of social justice, and that clamors for the dissolution of American cultural and constitutional traditions. All across Pennsylvania, we have seen the damaging effects of self-interested governance by Tom Wolf, Josh Shapiro, and career politicians in Harrisburg: record-breaking crime, crippling taxes to pay for a ballooning state budget, record inflation, a damaged election system, and, despite the highest gas tax in the nation, crumbling infrastructure.

Under the state government’s unchecked authority, critical race theory in all its various forms has been allowed to flourish. A big-government approach to Covid closed our schools, shuttered businesses, and created an unhealthy environment for children and parents who were even barred from visiting their community parks. Personal freedom was replaced with government mandates, and support for law enforcement replaced with a pro-criminal mentality.

Career politicians can’t fix these things — but I can. 

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To move away from this big government agenda, we need an outsider, a conservative who is not part of the Harrisburg swamp. We need the antidote to Wolf and Shapiro, a governor who will deliver conservative solutions for working families across Pennsylvania. As a U.S. Marine, a prosecutor, and the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, I can be that governor. 

It’s time to free Pennsylvania from the chokehold of big government. As a conservative outsider and first-time candidate, I am the only candidate who owes nothing to the Harrisburg swamp. Unlike my career politician opponents, who are running on promises that they have already broken, I have a lifelong history of standing up for those I’ve sworn to protect. 

As U.S. Attorney, I put rioters, looters, and arsonists in jail. I led the effort to stop the Philadelphia riots in the summer of 2020 and I also stopped heroin injection sites from invading Pennsylvania neighborhoods. I am the only candidate with law enforcement experience, and the only one capable of restoring law and order to our Commonwealth. As governor, I will end the revolving door of criminal justice. Violent criminals will be taken off the streets, and police officers will be empowered to protect law-abiding citizens and arrest those who endanger them. I will end the pro-criminal mentality peddled by progressive politicians.

Upholding law and order is not the only way to prevent crime in our communities. Education should be a gateway to a better life, and by implementing school choice policies we can help Pennsylvania’s children receive the education that they need to grow into successful, productive adults. But the needs of each child are unique, and every family deserves the freedom to choose the education that’s best for their children. As governor, I will implement school choice through the creation of Education Opportunity Accounts that fund the child instead of a failing school system. And I will lead the fight for increased access to charter schools, as well as increased access to tax credit scholarship programs.

Empowering families also means ensuring that parents have the final authority over their child’s education – and it means removing power from teachers’ unions. As governor, I will never take a penny from the teachers’ unions and will defend the right of all parents to educate their children free from political indoctrination and hateful ideologies of any sort. 

Together, we can create the next great chapter of Pennsylvania’s history. I’m excited to get started.

In addition to safe neighborhoods and good schools, we also must ensure that parents, families, and new graduates are benefiting from a strong economy and a culture that values individual freedom. As governor, I will get the government off the backs of hard-working families by cutting wasteful spending, lowering taxes and sweeping away burdensome regulations so that families and businesses can prosper again. I am the only candidate to have pledged not to enact any new taxes, and I am committed to shrinking the size of our state government so that families can keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. 

Restoring our economy also means embracing Pennsylvania’s natural energy resources. We need to turn on the spigot of natural gas in Pennsylvania. As governor, I will fully harness the power of our natural gas resources, which will create thousands of new jobs and bring down energy costs for everyone. By cutting taxes, reducing regulations, and embracing our energy resources, we can make Pennsylvania an economic leader and create an environment that will benefit us today and for generations to come. We will become an economic powerhouse. 

Together, we can return Pennsylvania to a place of national prominence, restore law and order, and create a culture of individual freedom and economic prosperity for everyone. But first, we must elect a candidate on May 17 who can win in November. I am the only candidate who can beat Josh Shapiro, and the only conservative outsider who can create true, lasting change in Harrisburg. Unlike my career politician opponents, I will never allow outside influences to prevent me from fighting to protect Pennsylvanians’ freedoms. 

My Marine unit has a motto, “Whatever It Takes.” That sense of mission and determination is what I will bring to the governor’s office. I will never stop fighting for you, for your families, and for a brighter future for Pennsylvania. Together, we can create the next great chapter of Pennsylvania’s history. I’m excited to get started.

Editor’s note: With the primary election rapidly approaching, Broad + Liberty welcomes candidates to share their opinions on issues affecting Pennsylvania, the nation, and the wider world by submitting their thoughts to editors@broadandliberty.com. We sincerely thank Mr. McSwain for his contribution.

Bill McSwain is currently a Republican candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania.

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