Michael Keehan
Staff Writer
After an election season tumultuous even for the tumultuous standards of election seasons, many are wondering how any of this could’ve been predicted, and what to do moving forward. Last Sunday, I spoke with Trexler “Trex” Proffitt, who was the Democratic nominee for the 13th District in Pennsylvania’s State Senate.
An educator in Lancaster who lost his transgender son George to bullying and drug abuse, Proffitt ran a campaign on inclusivity and helping the people of Lancaster. Despite losing the race to Republican incumbent Scott Martin, Proffitt made a positive impact on the Lancaster community with his positive attitude and optimistic outlook for the future of Pennsylvania during his campaign. Here’s just part of what he had to say in our interview:
Michael Keehan: So, Mr. Proffitt. Should I refer to you as that or just Trex? Trexler? T-Rex?
Trex Proffitt: Trex is good. As for T-Rex, we tried that, and it was very successful for getting good name recognition.
MK: I guess my first question is how have you been feeling about the results of the last election? Not just with your race, but with the federal, state, and other local elections?
TP: Undeniable that we were all hit with a red vote, feel like that’s a wake-up call to find what’s driving folks in that direction, will it be delivered? The rights and freedoms frame that I and Kamala Harris were using was not as strong as the economic grievance frame, blaming immigrants was something I didn’t even want to talk about, nor was promising goodies.
MK: And is there anything you think Democrats could’ve done differently, or do you think they did the best they could with a bad deck?
TP: We did what we could’ve done. Over the last five months, both Kamala and I had a very short runway for this election. And the problems we’re seeing this week are coming from decades of leaving people behind on the economic front and income inequality. There’s a real divergence between the 1%, and Democrats have failed to capture that anxiety. Four things being childcare, healthcare, education, elder care, never go down in price, and we should be fixing that. People looked to take it out of someone, and they took it on the incumbents.
MK: Let’s switch over to your campaign. How do you feel about it?
TP: I’m incredibly proud of what me and my team accomplished with very little backing. Our launch party was June 26th, we pushed hard, knocking on doors, dropping mail, sending texts, creating and speaking at town halls. As a new candidate, it wasn’t supposed to happen. We got so many more voters than we expected.
MK: What made you desire to run for State Senate?
TP: So, you might know this. The State Senate is Republican-controlled, and it’s the only state Senate in the nation with a Democratic House and Republican Senate, and while they’re compensated, they can’t get much done. They got the budget passed, that’s good. But there’s still a lot that needs to be done, and I wanted to flip the Senate. In terms of personally running, this was the office available, and I wanted to make a difference, and I want to keep running.
MK: What kind of political future do you hope for both your children and other children in the state of Pennsylvania?
TP: We have to fix the education system, pulling funding for education, higher-ed, and technical training. When all those are doing well, people are staying and working here, correlating to funding in education. They correlate with safer communities, retention of skilled workers, and a prosperous economy. We also have to stand up for inclusivity. We need people to move here. I’ve worked with a lot of immigrants, and all of them want to contribute. For that, we have to be open to them.
MK: You mention your involvement in education, with years of experience as both a business professor and middle school history teacher. How do you think that influenced your political outlook?
TP: I spent every day thinking about how to help our next generation. So I’m old, a lot of problems from climate to civil rights aren’t gonna affect me as a cishet white man. But the next generation will. I see myself suited to help the next generation with my experience, and want to push it to a greater scale. I didn’t want to stop being a teacher, but I want to help 13 million people. It’s a little bit of practice what you preach, and it makes you a better teacher and student to have an open mind.
MK: You started teaching history and civics to middle schoolers in 2016. The kids you first taught have voted for the first time in this election. How do you feel about that?
TP: I’m so excited that they get to vote. I hope they made informed choices based on our teaching. I’ve always been a patriot that looks at history in an honest and critical way. America is not perfect, but it’s becoming better. And I hope they took that to the voting booth. We wouldn’t wanna go back to any previous years and call it an improvement. I hope they’re involved, make their voices heard, and get organized in their community.
MK: Describe your experience on the campaign trail, and what it was like interacting with voters in your first run for public office.
TP: I loved every aspect of it. I break it down into three things, I got to meet new friends and connect to old friends. In life, it’s a great excuse to do that. Everywhere I went, it was my job to talk to issues that mattered. I really valued being able to do that, asking what’s important to you, and what their suggestions may be. You’re always talking about the future when you talk about what progress looks like. I was an agent in optimism. And a savvy political operator would’ve said not to touch on controversial issues, but we didn’t touch on that, and we touched on who’s gonna look out for you.
MK: What do you believe voters in Lancaster are looking for?
TP: I think they’re looking for predictability. Fairness. They’re looking for some sense of progress for them and their family. You could say that about any voter of any affiliation. At the end of the day, we all share the same values. A lot of times, it’s about safety, about the economic woes and economic dislocation. They experienced it as it was hitting them hard, it was severe but it wasn’t for them as it was for the unhoused and those seeking medical care. When people experience rapid inflation, it creates uncertainty.
MK: What do you hope to see in Pennsylvania over the next few years?
TP: I’m not gonna give up. I’m helping others get elected, I’ll run where appropriate. I hope to see a Pennsylvania that is welcoming, fair, and prosperous.
MK: LGBTQ+ freedoms were a very important talking point for your campaign. You’ve spoken on how the death of your son George affected you and your desire to protect other members of the queer community. What do you think is the most important way everyday people can protect the freedoms of queer friends and family?
TP: Tough one. First, let me say the LGBTQ+ community is bigger than one may think. There is a source of mutual support within the LGBTQ+ community but with bullying, harassment, and the decade of inclusivity in public spaces. We’re in for a rough road. On the subject of common talking points, I don’t think there’s a lot of trans female athletes, and there never will be. But there will be a lot of talk and lawmaking about it, and more lies and ignorance. Which will affect already marginalized communities.
MK: There are various anti-LGBTQ+ groups in the state of Pennsylvania, one of which is the Independence Law Center, which I previously covered for their influence over school boards in Pennsylvania such as in Penn Manor near Millersville, where the ILC was hired last August and will be pushing anti-LGBTQ+ policies next January. What do you know about these groups and how to counter them?
TP: It’s funded by Christian nationalists, so it offers its services for free to bring out chaos in communities that didn’t care about these issues. It’s a strategy to keep neighbors fighting with neighbors so they don’t address bigger issues. So, five years ago, school boards didn’t think much about transgender students, until now when they got involved. This strategy is a straight-forward attempt to sew disinformation to gain power. What they want is to trick school boards to adopt unfair policies, which will cause a case that will go to the Supreme Court, that will assert Christian extremism and the law of the land.
MK: Lancaster County is a Republican stronghold, having not elected a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. This is mostly due to the large rural population, which counters the blue city and ten institutions of higher learning. Is there anything you believe Democrats can do to swing favor in the county?
TP: We are scheduled to turn purple in twelve years, mainly thanks to Medical Education majors. They are excited to move to beautiful, inexpensive college towns with good athletic and cultural opportunities. Millersville and Penn Manor is a great place to look, and we will change because the higher-educated voters moving in will support Democratic policies. It is also a retirement destination. Lancaster is getting more residents from blue districts. We need to win the city and Lancaster Township, but those and other areas are shifting. If you get five, six, or seven areas, you’ll outweigh the rural counties. Any responsible candidate would try to speak for rural voters, but the increase in urban and suburban votes will allow us to win. But kids are harassed and dying, so we have to ask soon, which is why I pushed this so soon, and getting a data point on the 60-40 county to see how far we are from getting purple.
MK: With a Trump presidency incoming with a Congress and Supreme Court largely on his side, what do you think Democrats have to do to counter Trump’s agenda?
TP: The Senate might not be so lopsided on judicial appointments, but after Citizens United and Dobbs, I don’t trust the Supreme Court. Democrats have to find the few legislators and allies who will hold the line while addressing weaknesses within the government.
MK: Any last words for our readers?
TP: I’m grateful for the Millersville turnout, and I hope the gap between the turnout for Harris and I is small, so more people are willing to fight locally and nationally. The Millersville student body is 6,000 votes, and I hope like this year, and I hope to see Millersville elections come out this year. If students come out in next year’s school board elections, the ILC might be stopped. If you’re gonna do something, don’t do it alone.