Category: News

Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
David Rullo
July 30, 2024

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress on July 24, a Pennsylvania political hopeful was in the gallery witnessing the historic speech.

Republican James Hayes, campaigning for incumbent Summer Lee’s seat in the commonwealth’s 12th District, said when he heard that Lee might skip the prime minister’s address, he was embarrassed.

“I reached out to Congressman GT Thompson, who I met the week before at the [Republican] convention, and he was gracious enough to extend an invitation, and I was able to participate through him,” Hayes said.

And while Hayes was ashamed of Lee’s absence, he said that was overshadowed by the antics of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who wore a keffiyeh and held a sign reading “War Criminal” on one side and “Guilty of Genocide” on the other, which she brandished while remaining seated as others stood and applauded the prime minister’s speech.

Others in the chamber also expressed disapproval of Netanyahu, Hayes said, though more subtlety than Tlaib.

“In the past, support of Israel was a strongly bipartisan policy plank,” he said. “I was surprised to see the Republican side of the room, and a lot of senators who were very supportive, standing and applauding — I lost count — during 35 standing ovations. Unfortunately, on the Democrat side, there seemed to be a lot of quiet resistance. They sat quietly in their seats and didn’t show support.”

Hayes said he believes that Israel is the United States’ strongest ally in the Middle East and perhaps the world. Netanyahu, he said, is also a strong ally of America.

The congressional hopeful said he appreciated the prime minister speaking of the bond between the countries during his speech. He also appreciated Netanyahu’s label for those supporting Hamas: “Useful idiots.”

Hayes said protesters released maggots at the Watergate Hotel where the prime minister was staying and took down and burned the American flag, replacing it with the Palestinian flag.

Deputy Consul General of Israel in New York Tsach Saar said that protesters had “an absolute right” to their opinion, but added that the protesters reflected the threat on American society coming from Iran and Hamas.

As for Tlaib, Saar said America and Israel are better served by dialogue than antics.

“But, in the end, if this is what she thinks she should do, then she’s a Congress member and she should,” he said.

Saar called Netanyahu’s speech “important,” saying it emphasized the goals of the war that Israel shares with America, including the release of the hostages, dismantling Hamas’ military and governance capabilities in Gaza and what he called the “largest threat” shared by the two countries: Iran.

“Not just the nuclear capabilities but the protests here in the United States which weaken the American resilience and cause polarization and destabilization,” he said.

A war in the Middle East, Saar said, is not only a war in the region; rather, it’s a direct threat against America’s national security and its economic interests.

That message he said, was delivered to a bipartisan Congress in which Israel sees both parties as partners.

That spirit of bipartisanship was evidenced by statements released by Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. Bob Casey and his political opponent, Republican Dave McCormick.

Casey said it is critical that the world sees the United States continue to stand with Israel during its war against a terror group.

“I remain committed to standing with Israel and its right to protect itself while we also work to bring the hostages home and provide much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza as quickly as possible,” Casey said in a statement to the Chronicle.

McCormick drew a contrast between Netanyahu speaking before Congress about the two nations’ shared values, and what he called “terrorist sympathizers” who burned American flags.

“Disgraceful displays of antisemitism must be condemned,” he said, “and the U.S. must continue to support Israel in their fight to eradicate Hamas and bring all the hostages home.”

He noted that both Vice President Kamala Harris and Lee, whom he called “a known antisemite,” boycotted the speech.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said that “democratically elected leaders should always be welcomed in Congress.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu provided vivid reminders of the horrific day of Oct. 7 and delivered an important message to Congress and the American people: We must stand together until the threat of Hamas has been neutralized,” Fetterman said in a statement to the Chronicle.

Closer to home, Allegheny County Council member Dan Grzybek chose to highlight Tlaib’s protest on X (formerly Twitter), calling her a “brave woman” willing to confront “the man responsible for perpetrating a genocide against your people as your fellow members of Congress disgustingly stand and applaud.”

Earlier this year, Grzybek co-sponsored a motion introduced by Councilwoman Bethany Hallam calling for a cease-fire in Israel’s war with Hamas. It was defeated by a large margin.

While in the States, Netanyahu also met privately with President Joe Biden and Harris, as well as former President Donald Trump. PJC

Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
David Rullo
May 17, 2024, 2:59 pm

James Hayes believes Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District needs a change.

Hayes is the Republican challenger taking on incumbent Summer Lee, a Democrat, in November’s general election for the house seat that represents Squirrel Hill and stretches from Bethel Park to the Mon Valley, Plum to Jefferson Hills and parts of Westmoreland County.

“We don’t have really good representation right now,” Hayes said.

Whether it’s crime in the region, attacks on the energy industry, job growth or education and school choice, Hayes thinks Lee is on the wrong side of the issue.

“I’m especially concerned about the crime issue,” he said, noting that his son was a victim of gun violence.

“I lost a son a little over a year ago. He was gunned down in the parking lot of his apartment building in New Kensington,” Hayes said. “That was my ‘John Wick’ moment, if you will — when I lost my son. That’s really why I’m in the race.”

The day before his interview with the Chronicle, the candidate noted, a shooting occurred in Squirrel Hill in broad daylight and near Community Day School, where his wife works as a teacher. (Law enforcement officials determined that the shooting was not targeted at CDS and that there were no known associated security risks to the Jewish community.)

The Republican hopeful believes that, if elected, there are several areas where he can make a difference in crime, which he said is largely a local issue.

The first area is congressional oversight and appropriation.

“We hear a lot of noise out of the DOJ about how they’re practicing selective prosecuting,” Hayes said. “They’re putting police departments under pressure because the departments want to keep crime under control and they’re scrutinizing it.”

As a congressman, Hayes said he can help make sure that law enforcement isn’t being undermined federally and that police can do their jobs to keep their communities safe. He said he’ll work to ensure that any legislation introduced as criminal reform won’t favor the criminal over the victim.

He believes it is important that police have the resources they need to do their jobs.

One of his goals will be to ensure there are funds to reopen the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, which has been shuttered for nearly three years. As a result, Hayes said, young offenders are put back on the street where they can commit more crimes.

“We need to have a place for young people to be rehabilitated and keep them away from the community until they have turned their life around,” he said.

Hayes is a newcomer to politics. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he has a bachelor’s in international economics from Georgetown University, a master’s in economics and policy from Princeton University, an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in business administration from Case Western Reserve University.

He worked at Bankers Trust, now Deutsche Bank, before heading to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. After moving to Pittsburgh, he worked at Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. in Turtle Creek.

The 62-year-old lives in Shadyside with his wife, Brenda, to whom he has been married for 28 years. He has a daughter, Courtney, from a prior marriage, and three children from his current marriage: Brenda Theresa, Angela and Jocelyn.

Hayes’ politics tread close to typical conservative viewpoints.

He supports school choice. As a child, he started his education in a school district that wasn’t working for him, and his family worked to save enough money to buy a house in a better district. Hayes believes that if he had stayed in his original school district, his future would have been completely different.

“I absolutely endorse the idea of letting the money follow the child,” he said. “People say it will be the end of public school. I don’t believe that at all. It will create competition, and I think all schools will get better.”

Hayes said he’s pro-life but believes that abortion laws should be decided by each state.

“I absolutely do not support a national ban,” he said. “I promise to be a firm ‘no’ vote on any national ban.”

As for how the government can help the economy, Hayes believes it starts with energy. He said that President Biden has signed close to 100 executive orders “attacking the energy industry.”

“When you attack energy, you drive up prices across the board, you make the supply chain more expensive, so it’s more expensive to get things to you, [it] makes imports more expensive, so it’s more expensive to manufacture things. So, that drives inflation,” he said.

He isn’t a fan of Biden’s infrastructure bill, either, blaming it for creating “runaway pricing.” The president’s policies, introduced in the beginning of his term, are still driving up prices and creating higher inflation, Hayes said.

Despite believing in free trade, Hayes agrees with the Biden administration on the new tariffs enacted on China.

“China is a serial abuser of fair trade,” he said. “They clamor for it when it works for them and rail against it when it goes against them.”

Hayes said he knows who’s at the top of the Republican ticket this fall, and that it’s time for change in America.

“You look at the border, our economy, the attacks on the energy industry, our loss of standing in the world. Who doesn’t want America to be great? Democrats want America to be great, Independents want America to be great, Republicans want America to be great. Do I want a strong America? I absolutely do,” he said.

As for Israel’s war with the terrorist group Hamas, Hayes said he is a staunch supporter of the Jewish state.

“I absolutely support Israel,” he said. “I think Israel is one of our strongest allies in the world, certainly our strongest ally in the Middle East. It’s a thriving democracy and pluralistic society, no matter how people try to make it out.”

Hamas, he said, broke a cease-fire on Oct. 7.

“It’s unconscionable that people are supporting them,” he said.

Hayes opposes the BDS (boycott, divest sanction) movement against Israel and noted the plethora of innovation that comes out of the Jewish state.

“Why wouldn’t we want to invest in that?” he asked.

As for those who say he has an uphill journey in his campaign against Lee because District 12 has traditionally voted Democrat, Hayes believes he has a strategy to win. It includes duplicating the success Republican Joe Rockey found in certain areas of the district when running against Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, while counting on parts of Westmoreland County, which, he said, is solidly Republican.

“If you duplicate Joe Rockey, who came within about 8,000 votes, take out Mt. Lebanon, add in the quarter of Westmoreland County that’s in the district, that’s probably good for 20,000 to 30,000 votes,” he said. “I believe I could win by 20,000 votes.” PJC