CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE OUTLINES WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR OUR COMMUNITY IN THIS ELECTION AND DETAILS CLEAR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HIM AND LA’RON SINGLETARY
August 9, 2022
Good afternoon. It’s a privilege to be standing here alongside my family, and I want to thank each of them for being here today.
During my time in Congress, I have been focused on how to best serve our community. As we draw closer to November and the election ahead, it’s clear that this year, voters have two very different choices.
Two candidates with very different values.
So, I want to take a moment to tell you about who I am and why I’m running for reelection to the House of Representatives.
My story is no different from the people I represent. More than sixty years ago, my dad Gil Morelle and my mom, Juliette, moved into the house behind me.
They had come to Rochester seeking a fresh start for their young family—an opportunity to plant their roots and build a better future together.
We played ball in the street right here – we’re standing right about where second base used to be. We shot hoops in the backyard. And every Summer’s evening, the neighbors and their families would gather on our front steps.
Although we lost my father in 2015, I have to imagine he’d be smiling down on us today knowing this is the house my mom still calls home.
My wife Mary Beth and I live literally a stone’s throw away, and our sons live just a few blocks from here.
Our roots have grown deeper in this neighborhood we have always been proud to call home.
As it was for my father and mother, family is, to Mary Beth and me, where everything begins and ends—and it is the lens through which I view my work in Congress every day.
I think about my mom, living on a fixed income, worrying about the cost of her medication.
I think about my father, a Korean war veteran, and how vital it is to ensure our servicemembers and veterans have the essential support and resources they deserve.
I think about my granddaughters. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe versus Wade, they are now growing up in a world where they have fewer rights than their grandmothers and great-grandmothers had before them.
I think of my daughter, Lauren, who was taken from us by cancer five years ago this month, and how critically important it is to have access to affordable, quality healthcare.
We are not unique. There are thousands of families just like ours who share the same fears, hopes, and dreams.
I ran for Congress because families and neighborhoods like mine were being ignored.
And since then, I’ve worked hard each day to make sure our community has a voice and someone fighting for them.
And fighting for them is exactly what I’ve done.
I’ve taken on the pharmaceutical companies and fought to bring down the cost of healthcare by eliminating surprise medical bills and reducing the cost of prescription drugs.
I’ve taken on the NRA by introducing legislation to crack down on illegal gun trafficking and passing legislation to ban assault weapons and enact universal background checks.
I’m taking on anti-abortion extremists by fighting for the right of every woman to have safe and accessible reproductive care.
I’m standing up for those who fought for our nation by making record investments in veterans healthcare.
Sadly, there are those who simply want to distract you from these issues. Who stoke fear and tell you who’s to blame instead of offering meaningful solutions. But that’s not me.
As a pipe-fitter and life-long union member, my father was a simple man who lived by simple truths. He taught us when something’s broken, you fix it.
And if you don’t know how, you listen, and you learn, and you work as hard as you possibly can to get it right.
That’s what this campaign is all about – working hard and delivering real solutions to the problems we face.
My opponent? He has not offered a single solution that would benefit this community. Instead, he’s embracing the views of extremists in Washington.
He praised the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe as “historic” and a “victory.”
As a former police officer, he should know better than most the devastation gun violence is having on our neighborhoods—and yet he opposes common-sense gun reforms that would make our streets safer.
He has chosen to join the very party whose leaders are threatening the future of Medicare and Social Security.
I’ve spent years talking to my neighbors and listening to their concerns. Those aren’t the values of our community.
Our core beliefs have come under attack, and the stakes of this election could not be higher.
Mary Beth and I always taught our children: if there is something you can do to help someone else, then you have an obligation to do it.
It’s a simple philosophy, and it remains my guiding light.
That’s why I’ve spent my life in public service, and why you can always count on me to fight for your family just as hard as I fight for my own.
It's been an honor and a privilege to represent you in Congress. With your help and support, I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the community I love.
Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless America.