Pennsylvania Dem Rep. Kevin Boyle on the lam — and still voting — after violating abuse order
A Pennsylvania Democrat providing a critical vote for his party in the state House is on the lam after allegedly violating a protective order related to abuse, authorities told The Post.
Philadelphia police issued a warrant for state Rep. Kevin Boyle on Tuesday after the 44-year-old Democrat, who has struggled with mental health issues but is still on the ballot for a primary election next week, broke the Protection From Abuse Order, a department spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
Democrats control the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by a razor-thin 102-101 majority, meaning his votes in absentia allow the party to pass legislation for the time being.
“We tried to address this situation this morning by asking that Mr. Boyle be placed on leave,” Republican caucus leader Rep. Bryan Cutler (Lancaster) said. “The Democrats are insisting that not only he’s not on leave, but he is in fact eligible to vote.”
“You’ve got an individual who has an arrest warrant out who is either a fugitive from justice and waiting to be processed, or they are in communication with him about his votes and therefore they are harboring him and should communicate that to law enforcement,” he added.
That “ghost vote” even enabled state House Democrats to vote on Boyle’s behalf Wednesday for a motion allowing him to continue doing so.
The Philadelphia congressman had his security access to the state Capitol in Harrisburg revoked earlier this year following a bizarre and drunken outburst in which he harassed patrons at a bar in February.
Boyle was also arrested two years ago for breaking a protection from abuse order filed by his now-ex-wife, but those charges were later dropped and in 2022 he wrote to his constituents about having suffered a psychotic episode.
He was later treated at a mental rehabilitation center, with his older brother, US Rep. Brendan Boyle, saying in a statement that his brother had “made a full recovery” before plunging back into the abyss of his illness.
The situation has been a “nightmare” for the Boyle family, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday.
“Kevin’s family, close friends, and several colleagues have done everything possible to get him to enter into treatment, but we have been frustrated by a system that gives little power to the loved ones of an adult with a serious mental health condition,” he said.
“For the following two years he was completely healthy and exhibited no symptoms whatsoever,” he added.
“He was thriving at work, won reelection overwhelmingly and rose to become the chairman of an important state legislative committee. We genuinely believed his mental health issue was in the past.”
“It’s been painful to watch an intelligent, accomplished person with a big heart decline in such a precipitous way,” Brendan Boyle also said.
On April 23, Kevin Boyle is facing a primary challenge from Sean Dougherty, who has received tens of thousands of dollars more from state House Democrats, according to campaign filings.
He has served northeast Philadelphia in the state House since 2011. The Post reached out to his office for comment.
