Politicians Come Out for Southampton Holiday Parade
by KYW's Brad Segall
The annual Fourth of July parade in Southampton, Bucks County is a celebration of America's birthday. For politicians it's also a way for voters to get to know their names and their faces even before the election season heats up.
Interspersed between the marching bands and the community organizations are the politicians. Working both sides of the street, shaking hands and in some cases, handing out candy and bumper stickers. The candidates are taking advantage of thousands of people who show up every year for the Fourth of July celebration. Parade chairman Patrick Miller says it's the popularity of the parade that draws the Republican and Democratic organizations:
"There's 39 years of doing the parades, the history that's involved. There's a ton of people that come not just from Southampton, but they're coming from all around. We have people that come up from Philadelphia, actually."
The parade usually draws the local politicians. There's an election later this year and that brought out Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato all the way from Pittsburgh. His Republican opponent, Tom Corbett, didn't show, but left the campaigning to Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley, who's running for lieutenant governor.
