Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, has a new face in its local election scene: Chadwick Dolgos, a man who insists he’s not a politician despite throwing his hat into the ring for Inspector of Elections as a Republican.
Dolgos, a self-described “regular guy” from the Beaver County steel town, kicked off his campaign last week with a promise to keep elections fair and secure. His platform rests on the straightforward idea that someone needs to make sure votes are counted right, and he’s decided that someone is him.
“I’m not here to play games or climb the political ladder,” Dolgos told our reporters. “I’m just a normal person who wants elections to work like they’re supposed to.” Dolgos proceeded to hand our reporters a campaign flyer that read, “Chadwick Dolgos: Definitely Not a Politician” in bold red letters.
Dolgos’ campaign has leaned hard into this messaging, plastering it across mailers, text blasts, and even a batch of t-shirts. The 32-year-old, who writes silly satirical articles when he’s not stumping for votes, says he’s running because he’s tired of the Aliquippa status quo.
Last November’s election in Pennsylvania, which saw delays in vote counting and a flurry of lawsuits over mail-in ballots, seems to have lit a fire under him.
His opponent, Democratic incumbent Linda Grinnen, has held the Majority Inspector of Elections post for 12 years and touts her experience as a key asset.
“I’ve been doing this job long enough to know it’s not about slogans —it’s about competence,” Grinnen said at a separate event hosted by the Aliquippa Library Association, clearly troubled by Dolgos entering the race.
Dolgos shrugs off such criticism, arguing that experience is overrated when the electoral process is broken and prone to fraud. He points to the 2020 election, when Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting rules changed at the last minute, causing confusion that still lingers in voters’ minds.
“You don’t need a decade in office to see what’s broken,” he told a group of supporters outside a VFW hall, waving a chainsaw gifted to him by Argentina President Javier Milei.
The race has drawn absolutely no attention in Aliquippa, a town of about 9,000 where political fights usually take a backseat to Steelers games.
Dolgos’ everyman appeal seems to resonate with some, though others wonder if his “not a politician” campaign holds water when he’s running for political office.
Local resident Tammy Schuster, a 58-year-old nurse, summed up the skepticism: “He says he’s not one of them, but he’s asking for my vote just like the rest.”
Did you get a laugh out of this article? Show your support for the principles of free speech and stand with Freedom Writers by signing our petition today!
Comments