Jewish Democrat Jared Solomon is running for attorney general of Pennsylvania. Solomon, who represents the Northeast Philadelphia-based 202nd district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, announced his candidacy at the Max Myers Recreation Center in his neighborhood on Sept. 12.
The four-term state rep joins a Democratic primary field that already has three other candidates in former state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan and ex-Philadelphia public defender Keir Bradford-Grey. The current attorney general is Michelle A. Henry, a Democrat who was appointed to replace now-Gov. Josh Shapiro; Henry has said she is not seeking her own term in office.
Solomon is confident that he can stand out before the April 2024 primary.
“With so much at stake from attacks on our fundamental freedoms to the opioid epidemic, there is nothing more important than having an attorney general with a track record of standing up to special interests, fighting for our shared values, and making our neighborhoods safer,” he said in his campaign announcement.
Nineteen state legislators have already endorsed Solomon.
“I like the approach that he’s going to take to the office. More consumer protection,” said Ben Waxman, who represents the Center City-based 182nd district in the statehouse.
Solomon sat down with the Jewish Exponent to answer a variety of questions about his run.
You beat Mark Cohen in 2016. You’ve held the 202nd district unopposed since then. Why is this the time to seek higher office?
We took a neighborhood that had been left behind where crime was on the rise and opportunity was plummeting, and we turned it around. Brought back the business corridors. Lit up the neighborhood with new lighting. Removed the trash.
That type of investment is the type of investment that all communities across the commonwealth want.
All four Democratic candidates have similar positions and priorities relating to abortion, voting, corruption and crime. How will you stand out?
A community park in my neighborhood used to be a blighted property. There was a contractor who didn’t want to take their trash and throw it away. It became overgrown with grass. Drug activity in and around this park.
We brought a partnership together: neighbors, nonprofits, business. An injection of state resources from my office and we created a beautiful new community park. Crime went down 37%.
You said you want to protect people’s fundamental rights and make communities safe. How will you use the legal authority of Pennsylvania to do that?
We need to protect our citizens from corporations that are more concerned about their bottom lines.
Landlords, especially the corporate entities who have properties in our commonwealth, they have a duty to ensure that they are taken care of. But a lot of them hide. They’re in Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and we can’t get in touch with them.
What the attorney general can do is say, ‘You either help our community or I’m going to come after you.’
You mentioned on your campaign website that crime went down 37% in WeLoveU Park in Northeast Philadelphia after you helped clean it up and renovate it. That’s really the only specific accomplishment you mention. What are some others you’d like to discuss?
We got a top-of-the-line mental health provider through state grants and a partnership to come on our business corridors. We were able to move the new police district next door. So now we have teams working together addressing not only police issues but when police identify when someone is presenting with a mental health issue.
A business corridor manager brought banners to the neighborhood. We were able to get a professional cleaning team to one of our business corridors to clean up the trash. We also were able to get new big-belly trash cans.
You are Jewish. You are always willing to talk about Jewish issues. But Judaism does not feature prominently in your campaign announcement or on your website. How do you plan to wield it in this campaign?
One of the beautiful things about our faith is that it is truly based in this world. That is refreshing and empowering. And it’s something I think about a lot.
What does your Judaism mean to you in your private life?
I was raised in part by my great-grandparents. My mom raised me above their kosher butcher shop. They were very religious. Modern Orthodox.
My mom straddled between Reform and Conservative. But for her and her parents, their Jewish identity was important. And my Hebrew teacher was Orthodox, and I was bar mitzvahed in an Orthodox synagogue.
I think all this came together to appreciate Judaism on many different levels.
