Philadelphia attorney George Bochetto enters U.S. Senate race

Philadelphia attorney George Bochetto launched his campaign for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, joining a crowded field of candidates on both sides of the aisle.

“I’m running because I’m very concerned about where this country is headed, and I’m very concerned that if we don’t bring some sensible conservative core values to Washington and some sensible leadership that this country is on a collision course,” the Republican candidate said.

Bochetto, 69, said his campaign is focusing on public safety, fiscal responsibility and protections for personal freedoms.

He said stricter public safety measures are needed, particularly in areas where crime rates have jumped.

“People need to feel safe,” he said. “If we don’t have safe urban areas, those urban areas are going to collapse. Businesses aren’t going to go there. People aren’t going to want to live there. We need tough policies and tough laws that need to be enforced by real prosecutors.”

Bochetto has been involved locally in the court case over the Christopher Columbus statue in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. He is representing the Italian Sons & Daughters of America, who have fought to keep the statue in place despite concerns from some that the statue honored Columbus’s legacy of mistreating Native Americans.

In Philadelphia, he won a similar case, preventing the city from removing a century-old Columbus statue in Philadelphia’s Marconi Plaza.

“When I’m fighting to defend the Columbus statues … I’m really fighting to defend the rule of law,” Bochetto said, arguing that mayors who want to eliminate such statues are “picking and choosing which ethnic groups they want to favor.”

He argued that officials should leave existing statues, while also honoring the groups that feel they are being overlooked.

“I’m all for having another beautiful statue in Schenley Park honoring indigenous people, but you don’t have to tear down the Columbus statue to do that,” he said.

Bochetto said defending the controversial statues is part of his larger belief that he needs to combat “cancel-culture mentality.”

He also said he is in favor of supporting individual freedoms, particularly when it comes to the covid-19 pandemic. He said he would like to see the nation take an approach similar to that of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Both have generally opted to avoid widespread shutdowns and mandates in response to the virus.

“We cannot control people’s lives and tell them what to do and what not to do on a daily basis,” he said. “We can’t tell them they have to wear masks. We can’t tell them they must get vaccinated. Most people will make sensible choices. But we are not a totalitarian society.”

After spending his childhood in an orphanage and the foster care system, Bochetto went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University at Albany, State University of New York, and a law degree from Temple University in Philadelphia.

He also served a stint as the state’s boxing commissioner and launched the Boxing Scholarship Foundation. He serves on the board of the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, which provides scholarships to children of fallen military heroes and first responders.