| Robert Asher | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Republican National Committee from Pennsylvania |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 18, 1998[1] Serving with Christine Toretti |
|
| Preceded by | Tim Lambert |
| Chairman 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. "Bob" Asher (born September 7, 1937) is an American political figure and businessman and convicted felon 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.[4]
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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.[4]
He has held several positions in the Pennsylvania Republican Party and local elected offices, including:
He maintains a close relationship with Tom Ridge, John Perzel, and many members of the Senate of Pennsylvania.[5] He is known for being a successful fundraiser for Republican candidates.[6]
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.[7] 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.
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 Paul Bartle and Flo Bloss in a primary election with Jon Fox and Mario Mele. Mele then spurned the GOP and made a power sharing pact with the Democrat Joe Hoeffel. The primary election between incumbents Bartle and Bloss, and Asher-recruited Mele and Fox in 1991 ignited a civil war in Montgomery County which rages even to this day and is often cited for the dysfunction of the Montgomery County Republican Party. Asher 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 Castor 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 campaign turned bitter with charges from Castor that Corbett's primary supporter was someone who had been convicted of bribery.[7]
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.[8] 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. The arrangement was disastrous resulting in economic collapse of the county government, further splintering of the county party, and the eventual arrest of Matthews for perjury. Oddly, Asher and Matthews now have the perjury charge in common.
Asher again became a campaign story when ABC News ran stories highlighting supporters of presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani who had past legal problems.[9] Giuliani withdrew from the presidential race shortly after the piece featuring his relationship with Asher aired.
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.[9] He went on to chair AG Tom Corbett's successful campaign for governor in 2008. Asher thus has the dubious distinction of having led the campaign of Pennsylvania's top law enforcement official and then its governor despite his status as a convicted felon who was previously imprisoned for political corruption where his co-defendant killed himself. Asher remains one of Pennsylvania's most influential and important political figures to the consternation of many.
Asher was named to the PoliticsPA list of "Pennsylvania's Top Political Activists."[10] 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."[11] 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."[12]