Incumbent Josh Shapiro and challenger Stacy Garrity faced off in a debate on Oct. 8. The pair appeared on stage together in their one and only debate in Harrisburg.
State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, whose 8thLegislative District covers parts of Butler and Lawrence counties north of Pittsburgh, uttered the insults about Philadelphia state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta in a crowded McGrath’s Pub, according to Michael Ford, the secretary/treasurer of the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council.
Bernstine did not respond to a message seeking comment from PennLive.
Kenyatta, who declined to comment, is openly gay and has purposefully lost considerable weight over the last few years. He is also a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.
While the two lawmakers are at opposite ends of the political spectrum, it was unclear Wednesday what prompted Bernstine to verbally attack Kenyatta, who was not at the bar.
Ford and Bernstine got into a verbal confrontation as the Republican spewed insults about Kenyatta and Robert Bair, the president of the Building Trades Council, who was sitting at a nearby table talking to other people and was not involved in the altercation.
Bernstine called Kenyatta a “gay, black [slur]” and asked in a joking manner if anyone knew why Kenyatta was now “so skinny” before saying it was because he has AIDS, said Ford.
Can’t wait to vote these PA Republicans out.
Full video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOBUwduww-U
Here we are, winning the race to 1K.
A [tracking site](https://electiondeniers.org/pennsylvania/) run by the pro-democracy group States United lists 10 election deniers on Pennsylvania’s November ballot, including the Republican nominee for governor and nine Republicans running for the US House.
Statewide Race:
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity running for governor
House Races:
Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07)
Dan Meuser (PA-09)
Scott Perry (PA-10)
Lloyd Smucker (PA-11)
John Joyce (PA-13)
Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14)
Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15)
Mike Kelly (PA-16)
Doyle Heffley (PA-122)
Marsh Creek State Park - Oct 2026
Under October Skies
All of the little boats, kayaks, and canoes, sit ready for a beautiful Fall Saturday. Shot with a Sony A99II and CZ 16-35 f/2.8 lens using a Lee100 GND filter. Camera was mounted on a RRS tripod & head with a 3 Legged Thing universal mounting plate.
Plenty of PA voters are realizing voting for the same old same old might not be the best approach.
"“More and more in the last decade or two, certainly the last decade, I have tended away from voting Republican. It used to be if I didn't know a candidate or didn't know either candidate well or couldn't decide between their policies, I'd just automatically vote for the Republican.
"Now, one of the reasons that I prefer to vote by mail is because I can get the ballot ahead of time, and I can go through and research every single candidate for every office, whether it's a judge, whether it's somebody in my local township."
You can also research before Election Day on Vote411.org or https://seventy.org/get-informed/voter-guide/interactive-voter-guide/
If they don't answer questions from non-partisan voters' guides, maybe they don't deserve our votes.