The signs were the scar tissue from burns suffered when a suicide bomber rammed Leisey’s Humvee in Iraq, and the glove covering the left hand where fingers had to be amputated.


“I’m Staff Sgt. Jason Leisey,” he told the crowd of 50 friends and family members at the Mount Joy Veterans of Foreign Wars, “and I want to be your next senator.”


With that, one of the most intriguing races in the county kicked off.


Leisey, who received the Purple Heart after sustaining serious injuries in the car bombing, confirmed Saturday that he is running for the 36th state Senate seat that retiring Noah Wenger is vacating.


And he’s running as a Democrat.


In doing so, Leisey joins a trend across the country of returning Iraq war veterans campaigning for public office — and a fair number of them are Democrats, too.


The 25-year-old West Hempfield Township native, a 1998 graduate of Hempfield High School, said he’s running to restore integrity and trust in Harrisburg, particularly in the aftermath of the controversial legislative pay raise.


County Democrat chairman Bruce Beardsley said Leisey’s service means the campaign will be about issues.


“It takes off the table character assassination, the kinds of things our friends across the aisle have used successfully over the years,” Beardsley said.


Democrats face an uphill battle in nearly every legislative district in Republican-dominated Lancaster County, but Leisey said no matter what happens, “I’m proof that the American dream lives.”


THE LONG ROAD HOME




Last year, Leisey said Saturday, his situation was grim.


“My dream was to serve my country in the infantry,” he said. “Ten months ago, a terrorist and the enemies of democracy thought they ended the dreams of Jason Leisey.


“... Today, that terrorist is long gone, and I’m still here, determined to make this land that we all love better.”


April 7, Leisey’s unit was returning to its base near Bayji, Iraq, from a patrol when a car loaded with explosives plowed into his Humvee.


The left side of his body was badly burned, and he was hit by shrapnel. The bomber died.


Leisey, a squad leader, was taken to a hospital in Mosul and then to the U.S. hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. From there, Leisey was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.


For two weeks, he was in a coma and on a ventilator. Skin had to be grafted onto his arm and leg; the fingers on his left hand were amputated, and his left ear was nearly burned off.


After a painful recovery, Leisey found himself being courted by both the Republican and Democratic parties to run for office.


But Leisey, who also served in Kosovo, has been a Democrat since he turned 18.


“I didn’t want to run as a Republican, because that isn’t what I am,” he said.


Beardsley noted that of 50 Iraq veterans running for Congress this year, 30 are Democrats.


Although Leisey had had another job offer, he agreed to campaign, once he receives his medical retirement in a few months, for the 36th District.


“It was a good way for me to continue to serve,” he said. Leisey said he was “raised with the values of honesty, integrity, faith and community — Lancaster County values” and said he would bring the same values to Harrisburg.


He pledged to work to restore trust in state government: “Lobbyists and special interests spend an average of $1.4 million per senator. That’s wrong. My message to these special interests ... is simple: Keep your money. It is not welcomed by me. I will not accept it — not now, not today, not ever.”


Flanked by his wife Katie, Leisey called for campaign finance reform and said he would impose a cap of $1,000 on his campaign donations.


He also urged better state support of vets, saying that “returning heroes and veterans alike” deserve good health care, job assistance, college aid and help in buying homes.


The Republican Party last week endorsed agribusinessman Mike Brubaker for the 36th; at least two other Republicans, Heidi Wheaton and Tim Barr, plan to run in the May 16 primary.


“My experience has been in the field of battle,” Leisey said, “which has prepared me for what lies ahead.


“At my college, I majored in protecting, promoting and establishing democracy. ... My soldiers trusted me with their lives. You can trust me to serve the 36th Senatorial District.” blog comments powered by Disqus