Halesey campaign criticizes political door hanger

Magisterial district judge candidate Kyle Halesey’s campaign issued a statement Friday night contesting a campaign door hanger linking him with three Luzerne County Council candidates.

The door hanger indicates it was funded by the Luzerne County Republicans — a new group that has been engaged in a battle with the Republican Party of Luzerne County.

It says Luzerne County Republicans at the top and asks recipients to please vote for Halesey for district judge and three council candidates — Stephen J. Urban, Harry Haas and Gregory W. Griffin.

Paul Halesey, campaign chairman of the committee Friends for Kyle Halesey for District Judge, issued this statement:

“Our campaign is surprised and dismayed to learn that the three county council candidates have used our candidate’s name on their ticket as though we support them. However, they never contacted us, met with us, or otherwise asked for our permission. It appears that they are using Kyle Halesey’s name to garner support in our district although they have not been authorized to do so. We simply do not and cannot support candidates that resort to these tactics. We want the voters and remaining candidates to know the truth and are looking into what remedies may be available or necessary in response.”

A Republican and Hanover Township resident, Halesey is a nuclear security officer and unopposed in the contest to fill the seat of his father, Joseph A. Halesey. The elder Halesey has served as magisterial district judge in District 11-2-03 for 32 years and is not seeking another term.

The door hangers were placed at properties in Hanover Township Friday.

Newport Township resident T.J. Fitzgerald, who formed the Luzerne County Republicans at least eight months ago, emphasized his group was solely responsible for producing the door hanger and included Halesey because his group has decided to endorse Halesey along with Griffin, Haas and Urban, who is an incumbent.

Fitzgerald released this response Friday night:

“The Luzerne County Republicans have had many Luzerne County Republican voters ask us about who we endorse or who we recommend. Since the executive leadership of the Republican Party of Luzerne County endorsed candidates that do not represent Republican values, we decided to endorse candidates that do. This includes magistrates who we believe will be strong conservative judges to represent the good people of Luzerne County.”

He continued: “Our mission is to elect great Republican candidates to positively affect tomorrow’s society and to elect great Republican candidates to restore a free, safe and anti-woke society. We believe Kyle Halesey will be a future superstar and true conservative. It is why we endorsed him.”

The Republican Party of Luzerne County endorsed six county council candidates: Carl Bienias III, Anthony Corrado, LeeAnn McDermott, Matthew Mitchell, Kimberly Platek and Richard Tihansky. Bienias, Mitchell and McDermott currently serve on council.

County Republican Party Chairman P.J. Pribula has said the county party executive board decided to exercise its option to endorse this year, largely driven by the other group’s decision to endorse three and make it appear as if it is the county party. He said Fitgerald’s group is “a couple of individuals that are trying to hijack the system.”

The party’s six endorsed candidates — Bienias, Corrado, McDermott, Mitchell, Platek and Tihansky — also have been endorsed by county District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce, former Congressman Lou Barletta and Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat.

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, also is fully supporting and endorsing the six, and a formal announcement is expected to be released on that endorsement Saturday, Pribula said.

In the county council race, 12 Republicans are seeking the party’s six nominations, which means only half will make it past the primary. The other contenders are Thomas Dombroski, Ronald D. Knapp and Vivian Kreidler-Licina.