Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Rep. Kevin Boyle returns to the Pa. House, after a tumultuous month

Boyle, in a statement, said he feels “vindicated after so many false accusations” about previous charges and a PFA that had been expunged from his record.

State Rep. Kevin Boyle (D., Philadelphia)
State Rep. Kevin Boyle (D., Philadelphia)Read moreCommonwealth Media Services

HARRISBURG — State Rep. Kevin Boyle returned to the Capitol on Tuesday after a tumultuous month that included his family publicly expressing concerns about his mental health and police rescinding a warrant for his arrest just a day before the primary election.

Although the warrant was rescinded, Boyle, 44, who was seeking an eighth term representing parts of Northeast Philadelphia, lost to challenger Sean Dougherty in the Democratic primary in April.

The extraordinary circumstances — a sitting state representative allegedly experiencing a mental health crisis and seemingly on the run from the cops for a warrant that never should have been filed, right before an election — dominated the conversation in Harrisburg for weeks.

As he returned to the statehouse for the first time since last month’s chaos, Boyle said he felt “vindicated after so many false accusations” in the lead-up to the election.

“Unfortunately and inaccurately, just days before a competitive election in April, it was announced I was facing arrest and I subsequently lost my seat which I held since 2011,” Boyle said in a statement Tuesday.

“While politics is a dirty game, there must never be politicization of law enforcement or false targeting from any source for benefit.”

A week before the primary election, Philadelphia police announced a warrant was out for Boyle’s arrest for allegedly violating a protection-from-abuse order against his ex-wife. That PFA, however, had been expunged in 2022.

District Attorney Larry Krasner announced one day before the primary election that his office was recalling the warrant because it did not have any grounds to arrest him. Krasner said the office would still investigate Boyle and complete an internal investigation about what went wrong.

House Republicans earlier this month called on Attorney General Michelle Henry to investigate Krasner’s handling of the bungled warrant and whether it violated the state’s election laws.

The seven-term Democratic lawmaker’s return to the Capitol was without commotion and was a complete reversal from the prior month, in which he was facing a possible expulsion from the House over concerns for his capacity to serve.

Boyle now has his security privileges reestablished and no longer requires an escort to enter the building. His privileges had been revoked in February after an outburst at a Montgomery County bar.

It was not immediately clear what changed for Boyle to return to the chamber without restrictions.

Just over a month ago, House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Philadelphia) had been encouraging his longtime friend to get mental health treatment and sponsored a proposed change to the House’s operating rules to create a closed-doors committee to determine a member’s capacity to serve as a lawmaker. Now he’s celebrating his return.

“We are glad that Kevin is doing well and are happy to have him back in the chamber,” Bradford said in a statement.

In addition into weighing Boyle’s expulsion, Democratic House leaders poured $300,000 into Dougherty’s campaign to unseat Boyle in the primary, in hopes of maintaining control of the House in the November election.

With a one-seat majority, Democrats require every single vote to pass a bill along party lines. During Boyle’s absence, party leaders continued to vote on Boyle’s behalf under House rules that allow them to cast votes for absent members.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Boyle’s age. He is 44.