Radical Left Targets Tucker Carlson’s Hershey Event—"GOP" State Rep. Tom Mehaffie's Silence Speaks Volumes
Free speech is under fire in PA's 106th District, yet notorious RINO Tom Mehaffie, remains silent as the radical left mobilizes to cancel Tucker Carlson’s upcoming event.
Freedom of speech is the bedrock of our Constitutional Republic—a truth that our Founding Fathers understood deeply. They knew that a free society cannot thrive without the right to speak openly. Thomas Jefferson, a fervent advocate for individual liberty, declared, "The freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved." James Madison, the architect of our Bill of Rights, underscored that for a people to govern wisely, they must be free to think and speak without fear of retribution.
This God-given right, enshrined in the First Amendment, sets the United States apart from much of the world. Yet today, this fundamental freedom is under siege. The Democrat Party, in unholy alliance with Big Tech and mainstream media, has become a vehicle for censorship, chipping away at the very foundation of our Republic.
Take, for instance, the current battle unfolding in Pennsylvania. Tucker Carlson’s upcoming event at the Hershey Giant Center has sparked outrage among the political establishment. Carlson himself predicted this reaction, stating, "We’re going to be talking about real issues with real people. You’d better believe the Establishment will be losing their minds."
And lose their minds they have. Since June, left-wing activists and Pennsylvania's political elite have mobilized to shut down this event, going so far as to launch a Change.org petition to cancel it. In a June opinion piece, a Derry Township resident expressed outrage over Hershey Entertainment’s decision to host Carlson, accusing him of spreading "hate, lies, and vitriol."
Yet, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts stood firm, defending its decision to bring diverse voices to its venues. The coverage from PennLive, however, was anything but fair. Their article portrayed HERCO’s stance as merely a response to a petition denouncing Carlson’s "toxic, hateful, and at times, white supremacist rhetoric," revealing an unmistakable agenda to shame those who dare to defend free speech.
Central Pennsylvania's media, particularly PennLive, has abandoned impartiality. Their relentless campaign against Carlson isn’t about fostering debate; it’s about silencing opposition. As Sean Guay of Harrisburg 100 reported, PennLive has "taken a hard stance to oppose Carlson by specifically targeting Hershey Entertainment and The Hershey Trust."
"Rather than to debate opposing perspectives, the leftwing faction of our local newspaper has resorted to attempts to shut down the voice of opposition because its editors disagree with the political views of Tucker Carlson. In fact, our capital city newspaper has shamelessly become accustomed to this practice. With little regard for actual public opinion, PennLive often beats the drum of leftwing activism in their editorials, clearly in coordination with political operatives.”
This isn’t an isolated incident. Just last week, PennLive published another negative opinion piece, this time invoking the legacy of Milton S. Hershey to further pressure HERCO.
Even the Sun of Hummelstown, while publishing letters on both sides of the debate, has contributed to the effort to cancel Carlson. Thankfully, dedicated residents like Laura and Randy Goss of Hershey have taken a stand, defending the right to free speech and denouncing the growing culture of censorship that has taken root.
The Goss’s July letter printed in the Hummelstown Sun expressed a sentiment that strikes a chord with many Americans:
"We’re not afraid of free speech. What scares us is censorship, the half-truth deceptions sold as fact, and the use of intimidation to silence or compel compliance."
“The real danger lies not in differing viewpoints but in the bullying, intolerance, and shaming that have become all too common in our public discourse.”
- Laura and Randy Goss
Undoubtedly, the First Amendment is under assault in Hershey, which is nestled within Pennsylvania’s 106th legislative district. Yet, to the dismay of the Goss family and countless others, our district’s so-called "Republican" State Rep. Tom Mehaffie is, as usual, doing nothing to defend it.
Rep. Tom Mehaffie was conspicuously silent just a few weeks ago after the failed assassination attempt on President Donald J. Trump in Butler County, which injured many innocent Pennsylvanians and claimed the life of hero Corey Comperatore, who was murdered while protecting his family from gunfire. His failure to unify his district after this attack set a dangerous precedent, emboldening a deranged woman in his district to call for another attempt on the 45th President’s life.
In a recent Gateway Pundit article, America First GOP Slippery Rock Mayor and free speech absolutist, Johndavid R. Longo, who saved his pregnant wife from the assassin’s bullet intended for President Donald J. Trump, had this to say about Mehaffie:
“Tom Mehaffie has been complicit in the sins of the Shapiro Administration. His communion with radical leftists in the state house despite pleas from his Republican colleagues is enough to make even Benedict Arnold blush.”
- Mayor Johndavid R. Longo
As a lifelong resident of Hershey and Pennsylvania’s 106th district, I can attest to this. Mehaffie’s incompetence, coupled with his deep ties to the Shapiro administration, Harrisburg Democrats, and corrupt left-wing special interests, are why he shies away from doing what is morally right and leading in the way his constituents deserve.
The truth is, Tom Mehaffie lacks the backbone to defend free speech, especially when it involves his own party—whom he has betrayed time and again over the past decade. Despite HERCO’s past donations to his campaigns, he still can't muster the courage to stand up for free speech in his own district.
Like the rest of his fellow "Republicans for Harris" across the state, Rep. Mehaffie’s loyalty lies with the Democrat Party, corrupt left-wing special interests, and the anti-American, pro censorship Biden-Harris agenda, which he has voted for countless times over the last decade in Harrisburg.
Fortunately, Pennsylvanians are beginning to see through the Democrats' 'America Last' policies, which are not only crushing them financially but also threatening their fundamental freedoms. The tide is turning, and the people are demanding accountability from those who have failed them, like Mehaffie.
Grassroots activists like Scott Presler, founder of Early Vote Action, along with his dedicated volunteers and groups like Turning Point Action and PA Chase, are seizing this pivotal moment. Their relentless efforts to engage voters, mobilize the electorate, and chase ballots are fueling a surge in GOP registration and success across our Commonwealth. I am proud to stand with and work alongside these incredible patriots.
Whether "Turncoat Tom" decides to finally defend free speech or not, I will be at the Giant Center in my hometown on September 21st, standing up for our Constitutional Rights while working alongside my friends and fellow patriots to grow the GOP and save our nation’s future. Our mission is clear: to re-elect proven America First leaders like President Donald J. Trump and Congressman Scott Perry in November.
After that, our focus will shift to unseating do-nothing RINOs like Governor Josh Shapiro and the Democrats' favorite Republican, Representative Tom Mehaffie, in 2026. This is the only path to turning Pennsylvania red and safeguarding the true essence of free speech. With God’s help, we will prevail.
The best is yet to come.
