LITITZ, Pennsylvania — State House Rep. Kevin Boyle, a Democrat from Philadelphia, placed state House Democrats in an awkward spotlight on Friday after a three-minute video appeared on social media showing him at a suburban Philly bar threatening to use his position of power to close the bar down.
“I can f***ing end this bar, by the way,” Boyle shouted, saying, “This bar is done.” “Don’t you know who the f*** I am? This bar is done tomorrow!”
Boyle, 44, has represented the 172nd House District for 13 years. He won with 57% of the vote in 2022. His brother Brendan, also a Democrat, serves in the U.S. House of Representatives.
State House Democratic leadership released a statement late Friday evening saying it was aware of a video circulating on social media. “It is very troubling,” the statement noted, adding that Boyle had been open about his challenges.
His allegedly drunken outburst came three years after Boyle was arrested and charged with harassment and violation of a protection-from-abuse order that was filed by his wife.
Democratic state House leadership said at the time that “it is important to note that Kevin Boyle is not accused of any act of violence” and was scheduled for a mental health evaluation.
Boyle’s district covers parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County. After the 2021 arrest, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Boyle had been removed from his position as House Finance Committee chairman and had his access to the Capitol limited for unknown reasons.
The incident comes almost exactly one year after another state House Democrat, Mike Zabel of Delaware County, facing numerous allegations of sexual harassment, announced in a letter to Democratic state House Speaker Joanna McClinton that he would resign, hours after Armstrong County state Rep. Abby Major, a Republican, held a news conference outlining an encounter with Zabel in November 2022.
As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, Boyle has not filed to run for that state House seat in northeast Philadelphia. Neither has any other Democrat. Feb. 13 is the last day to file petitions to run for office in the commonwealth’s May primary. To date, two Republicans, Army veteran Patrick Gushue and Burholme Civic Association President Aizaz Gill, have already filed.
Democrats will be defending the balance in power in the state House for a whopping fourth time in one year on Tuesday when Bucks County voters will choose between a Democratic school board member and a Republican political newcomer for the 140th state House District.
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Until December, Democrats controlled the state House by one vote. That all changed when Rep. John Galloway resigned to become a magisterial district judge, a resignation that left the chamber split 101-101.
The 140th state House District has been considered a safe Democratic seat, with registered Democrats handily outnumbering Republican registered voters. If no Democrat files petitions, someone, in theory, could do a write-in campaign to win the seat.
