Robert B. Asher

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Robert B. Asher (born September 7, 1937) is an American political figure and businessman from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He is the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asher’s Chocolates in Pennsylvania and also serves as Pennsylvania's committeeman on the Republican National Committee. He was appointed to that position in 1998 by Governor Tom Ridge. ^[1]

1 Personal
2 Politics
3 1987 Conviction
4 Return to politics
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Personal

Asher graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960. He is the co-chairman of the Board of Directors of Asher's Chocolates, which his family has owned for four generations. ^[1]

[edit] 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^[1]

[edit] 1987 Conviction

While chairman of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania Asher was convicted of perjury, racketeering, conspiracy and bribery in connection with a state contract award. He resigned after the conviction and served one year in federal prison. ^[2] The case gained national attention in 1987 when his co-defendant in that case and political ally, Pennsylvania State Treasurer Budd Dwyer, committed suicide on national television just before sentencing.

[edit] Return to politics

Asher eventually returned to politics and was appointed Pennsylvania's Republican National Committeeman in 1998. By 2004, Asher, despite not being a candidate for office, was becoming an issue in GOP campaigns. That year, a developing feud between him and then Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor, Jr. spilled over into the campaign. After initially recruiting Castor to run for the position of Pennsylvania Attorney General, Asher moved to support former United States Attorney Tom Corbett. Castor claimed that this was retaliation for Asher's failed attempt to gain a seat on the board of SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Castor worked to deny Asher the appointment due to a state law which has been used to deny political positions to individuals with felony convictions. The resulting campaigned turned bitter with charges from Castor that Corbett's primary supporter was someone who had been convicted of bribery. ^[2]

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. ^[3]

Asher again became a campaign story when ABC News ran a stories highlighting supporters of presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani who had past legal problems. ^[4]

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. ^[4]