Robert B. Asher
Robert Asher | |
---|---|
Member of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania | |
In office June 18, 1983[2] – February 8, 1986[3] | |
Preceded by | Martha Bell Schoeninger |
Succeeded by | Earl Baker |
Personal details | |
Born | September 7, 1937 |
Political party | Republican |
Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
Robert B. Asher (born September 7, 1937) is an American political figure and businessman from
Education
Asher attended
Career
Politics
He has held several positions in the Pennsylvania Republican Party and local elected offices, including:
- Commissioner of Springfield Township, Montgomery County, from 1968 through 1971.
- Chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee 1978-86
- Delegate, Republican National Convention, Detroit 1980 and Dallas 1984
- State Chairman for Governor Dick Thornburgh’s re-election campaign in 1982[4]
He maintains a close relationship with
1987 conviction
While chairman of the
Return to politics
Asher eventually returned to politics though he was not welcomed back in his home Montgomery County. To re-establish himself, in his first political move after being released from prison, Asher helped defeat the endorsed incumbent county commissioners in Montgomery County
Asher and Castor again found themselves at odds with each other over the 2007 Montgomery County Commissioners race. After a contentious race for the nomination, Castor and incumbent Jim Matthews were selected as nominees. Castor refused to accept money from Asher. As a result, Matthews organized his own campaign fund to which Asher contributed. This support let to criticism of Matthews by Republicans, Democrats and his own running mate, Castor.[10] All Montgomery County Republican politics is affected by the civil war which still rages with the factions being headed by Asher on the one side, and first long time GOP County Chair Frank Bartle and now former DA and current Commissioner Bruce Castor on the other. In a move reminiscent of 1991, Asher-backed County Commissioner Jim Matthews made a power sharing pact with (again) Democrat Joe Hoeffel to block Commissioner Castor from power.
Asher again became a campaign story when
Despite the controversy, Asher has commented he has paid his debt to society following his conviction and has supported a number of Republican candidates over the years.[11] He went on to chair Tom Corbett's successful campaign for governor in 2010.
End of tenure as RNC member
In an email to state Republican committee members on November 18 2020, former gubernatorial candidate
Awards and recognitions
Asher was named to the PoliticsPA list of "Pennsylvania's Top Political Activists."[14] The Pennsylvania Report named him to the 2003 "The Pennsylvania Report Power 75" list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics and noted that he has the ability to put "a big bankroll behind his favorite candidates."[15] The Pennsylvania Report's 2009 "The Pennsylvania Report 100" and noted that as a "veteran fund-raiser and kingmaker," Asher was "One, if not the, top power player in the state GOP."[16]
References
- ^ "Mr. Robert B. Asher". PA State Party Leadership. The Republican Party of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ The Philadelphia Inquirer
- ^ The Philadelphia Inquirer
- ^ a b c d PA GOP Committee bio Archived January 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2008-2-23
- ^ Kyle Cheney (November 11, 2016). "Here are the people who will cast the formal vote for president next month". politico.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ "Power 50". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2003. Archived from the original on April 17, 2004.
- ^ "Sy Snyder's Power 50". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2002. Archived from the original on April 21, 2002.
- ^ a b Mary F. Patel, Castor Roiled, Philadelphia City Paper, 1/22-28/2004 Archived 2007-12-08 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2007-12-03
- ^ "United States of America v. Asher, Robert B., Appellant, 854 F.2d 1483 (3d Cir. 1988)".
- Pottstown Mercury.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Avni Patel and Richard Esposito, Out of Spotlight, Giuliani Embraces Convicted Moneyman, ABC News, 27 November 2007
- ^ Cole, John (November 20, 2019). "Wagner Floats RNC Challenge Against Asher". PoliticsPA. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ Brennan, Chris (June 23, 2020). "Republican powerbroker Bob Asher will give up his RNC seat to end a bitter Pa. dispute". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ "Pennsylvania's Top Political Activists". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2002. Archived from the original on November 13, 2002.
- ^ "The PA Report "Power 75" List" (PDF). Pennsylvania Report. Capital Growth, Inc. January 31, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2006.
- ^ "PA Report 100" (PDF). Pennsylvania Report. Capital Growth, Inc. January 23, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2020.