PRINTER'S NO. 3160
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
450
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY DONAHUE, BURGOS, HILL-EVANS, KHAN, GALLAGHER,
GIRAL, McNEILL, HADDOCK, SANCHEZ, STEELE, PASHINSKI, KINSEY,
HANBIDGE, BOROWSKI AND ROZZI, MAY 22, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MAY 22, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Designating September 20, 2024, as "Candidate Pledge Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Americans are more polarized than ever before, with
increasingly inflammatory rhetoric and visceral hatred for the
other side; and
WHEREAS, A 2023 survey by the Public Religion Research
Institute and the Brookings Institution found that Americans are
increasingly in favor of political violence; and
WHEREAS, Despite the increasing incivility in American
politics, a 2023 Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public
Service Battleground Civility Poll found that a majority of
voters want their political leaders to compromise and find
common ground; and
WHEREAS, A young teenager from Tennessee, Hannah-Kate
McFadden, is working to solve this by having prospective elected
officials sign and uphold "The Candidate Pledge" and elected
officials sign and uphold "The Elected Official Pledge"; and
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WHEREAS, Hannah-Kate McFadden's efforts began in 2020, when
the sign of the candidate she volunteered for was vandalized
outside her home and when it was replaced, the trees outside her
home were covered in toilet paper; and
WHEREAS, Hannah-Kate McFadden became demoralized and thought
about giving up on volunteering; and
WHEREAS, McFadden's mother posted about the incident on X,
formerly known as Twitter, and caught the attention of Maria
Shriver, the former First Lady of California, who posted that
McFadden should "Keep Going. I'm Inspired by her"; and
WHEREAS, McFadden was inspired to foster a healthier
political environment and created "The Candidate Pledge" on
September 20, 2020, which contains principles such as no
bullying, stick to the issues, no name calling, agree to
disagree, don't use bad language and always remember the people
you are serving; and
WHEREAS, McFadden continues to promote civility in politics;
and
WHEREAS, Signees to "The Candidate Pledge" include
politicians and political candidates in numerous states; and
WHEREAS, Hannah-Kate McFadden reminds us that we cannot let
incivility prevent us from coming together to solve the most
pressing problems of our times; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate
September 20, 2024, as "Candidate Pledge Day" in Pennsylvania;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That partisan differences should not prevent us as
legislators from working together to improve the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and the lives of its residents.
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