By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA
roarty@politicspa.com

A video captured by a state Democratic Party tracker shows GOP congressional candidate Tom Marino at a recent campaign event repeatedly questioning if a group of protesters had a job or it they were on welfare.

Marino faces Democratic incumbent Chris Carney in the 10th Congressional District, a right-leaning area that should be fertile ground for Republicans this year in a highly favorable climate for the GOP. But his campaign has been dogged by missteps, including lackluster fundraising and, just last week, an explicit declaration from Marino that Social Security should be cut or eliminated.

The video, taken at a joint appearance with Republican U.S. Senate nominee Pat Toomey in Williamsport on Aug. 26, shows him getting into an argument with a group of people the Democratic-produced clip identified as voters.

“What do you do for a job?” he thrice asked a group of people not pictured in the video, who appeared to be yelling back at him.

“What kind of welfare are you on?” he asked.

Asked by an unseen person what he did for a job, Marino responded, “I work for the people.”

Marino is a former U.S. attorney.

If nothing else, the video is a reminder to candidates that in the 21st century, anything they do or say in public can be used against them.

Calls to the Marino campaign were not immediately returned.