Democratic candidates hold rally at Temple

About 2,000 Union workers joined the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III, and local elected officials Saturday to campaign for Democratic candidates in Tuesday's Pennsylvania elections. The event was held on the campus of Temple University in North Philadelphia. The crowd was greeted with a performance of Southern-style music and a step-show for about 30 minutes before the candidates arrived as part of the ongoing "Working Families Tour." At about 2:15 p.m., gubernatorial candidate Mark Singel ascended the podium and stood in front of a huge banner saying, "America works best when we say vote union yes." In front of him, thousands of people with jackets and signs representing various unions, such as the AFL-CIO, cheered as the candidate began to speak. Singel was flanked by Democratic City Council members, state senators and representatives, and national union leaders. "Pennsylvania is on a role because you have leadership," Singel said to the jubilant crowd, adding that he is on the side of the working people and not the "S&L; crooks." "We have a message for Congressman [Tom] Ridge?we will not go back to the days of the Reagan/ Bush neglect," he said. Singel added that Ridge's hometown of Erie, Pa. is closer to Canada than to Philadelphia. Singel's running mate Thomas Foley echoed many of Singel's sentiments. "We need you, we need your families and your whole neighborhoods," Foley told the crowd, which often broke into a chant of "vote, vote, vote." "If we get our votes out, we win," he said. Martin Luther King III spoke, and invoked his father in his plea for a large voter turnout in the city. "This Tuesday, we have a real responsibility," King said. "We have a responsibility to turn the City of Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania out. We have a great cadre of candidates that we should be proud of." The most charismatic speaker of the day, however, was Jackson. "This is, in my judgment, the most critical election since 1964," Jackson said. "We can win Pennsylvania by the margin of hope. Jackson said voters should consider this election an issue of teams, and that city residents and minorities should be on the Democratic team. Most of the people at the rally appeared energized by the speakers. "I think this is a terrific turnout," said State Senator Allyson Schwartz, who is also up for re-election. "It's all intended to keep up the momentum."

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