It’s unlikely that a $60,000-plus fundraising campaign will sway the Pennsylvania senator.
But the tongue-in-cheek GoFundMe campaign called “Buy Pat Toomey’s vote” will go toward the next best thing: funding arts and education programs.
The campaign was launched Thursday amid ongoing efforts to persuade the Republican senator to vote against the appointment of Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education.
“Betsy DeVos has never set foot in a classroom, did not send her children to public school, cannot distinguish between proficiency and growth, and thinks that guns should be allowed in schools in the event of grizzly attacks,” the GoFundMe page says. “That fictitious grizzly is about as qualified as Ms. DeVos to run the Department of Education.”
It was started by Katherine Fritz, who teaches at a community college and works as a costume designer for Philadelphia theater companies, according to PhillyMag.com.
It had raised almost $63,500 as of late Saturday morning, and was talked about on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Toomey in a radio interview said he thought it was funny, the magazine reported.
Reports earlier in the week showed that Toomey was seen as a critical vote after two fellow Republican senators announced their opposition to her confirmation.
Activists set ‘Tuesdays with Toomey’
On Thursday, however, the senator’s office issued a news release with his intention to confirm DeVos.
“Because of Betsy’s work to expand charter schools, virtual schools, school choice, tuition tax credits, and education savings accounts, hundreds of thousands of children who had been trapped in failing schools have been able to access a quality education,” Toomey said in the statement. “She understands that reform should begin with parents and communities.”
Fritz, in an fundraiser update, reiterated that she does not actually intend to bribe a public official. Instead, she said, the money will go to Camp Sojourner, a girls’ leadership camp; the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network and the Children’s Literacy Initiative.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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