Republicans stick with Corbett/Cawley ticket.
Incumbent Governor Tom Corbett and Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley both ran unopposed in the Republican primary. They will represent the GOP on the republican ticket in the fall.
Democrats Nominate Wolf for Governor.
York County businessman Tom Wolf won the Democrat nomination for governor last night with 57.9 percent of the vote. He will face Republican incumbent Governor Tom Corbett in November’s general election. Among the other Democratic candidates, Rob McCord received 16.85 percent, Katie McGinty received 7.65 percent and Allyson Schwartz received 17.6 percent.
In the Democrat bid to challenge Republican Lt. Governor Jim Cawley, state Senator Mike Stack was declared the winner over his opponents Mark Critz, Mark Smith, Brandon Neuman and Brad Koplinski.
Legislative Election Results
As we mentioned in our previous blog, all 203 members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are up for reelection this year. A total of 42 Democrats and 55 Republicans ran unopposed in yesterday’s primary and will run unopposed in November. Among them is Republican Russ Diamond, who replaces the retiring Rep. RoseMarie Swanger (R) in the 102nd. Diamond will join the State House for his first term having run unopposed in both his primary and his general election.
Two Philadelphia incumbents, Rep. James Clay (D-179) and Rep. Jose Miranda (D-197), lost their bids for re-election. Rep. Miranda lost to Democratic challenger Leslie Acosta in the four-way primary; Clay to his lone challenger, Jason Dawkins. Both Acosta and Dawkins will keep the seat in November, as there is no Republican on the ballot in the general election.
We wanted to provide you with a quick analysis and outcomes of some of the most watched races in the state.
House Incumbent Challenges
Several candidates had tough primary races, including 36 incumbents who were challenged in their primaries. Several members of both party’s leadership and committee chairs had challenges, and as a result of redistricting, there were two races that pit incumbents against one another.
Incumbent Leadership and Committee Chairmen Challenges
Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-32) is the Democratic Insurance Committee Chairman. He won his bid for the nomination against challenger Kristopher Wiegand and faces no Republican opposition in the November election.
Rep. Pete Daley (D-49) is the Democratic Consumer Affairs Chairman. He won against challenger Randy Barli and will face Republican Donald “Bud” Cook in the fall.
Rep. Ted Harhai (D-58) is the Democratic Urban Affairs Chairman. He won his primary challenge against John Scott Nester and in the general election will now face Republican Thomas Logan.
Rep. Stan Saylor (R-94) is the Republican Whip. He won his district’s primary race against against challenger Kelly Henshaw.
Rep. Mauree Gingrich (R-101) is the Majority Chair of Gaming Oversight Committee. She won against challenger John Dissinger. Gingrich will face Democrat Patricia Stephens in November.
Rep. Angel Cruz (D-180) is the Democratic chair of the Human Services Committee. He defeated challenger Quetcy Lozada and now faces no opposition in the general election.
Rep. Curtis Thomas (D-181) is the Democratic chair of the Commerce Committee. He won his race against three Democrat challengers: K. Williams-Medley, Emily Rodrigues andKenneth T Walker. His position in the seat is now safe, as there is no Republican running.
Rep. Julie Harhart (R-183) is the Majority Chair of the Professional Licensure Committee. She won against challenger Marc Grammes. Harhart will run Democrat Terri Powell in the general election.
Rep. Jim Roebuck (D-188) is the Democratic Chair of the Education Committee. He won against challenger Algernong Allen. He will face Republican Ernest Admins in the fall.
Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D-198) is the Democratic Chair of the Gaming Oversight Committee. She won against John Connelly and faces no opposition in the November election.
Rep. Mark Cohen (D-202) is the Democratic Chair of the State Government Committee. He won against challenger Jared Soloman and has no Republican opposition in the fall.
Among them, Reps. DeLuca, Cruz, Thomas, Youngblood and Cohen have locked in their seat with their primary wins. They have no opponent in the fall. However, Reps. Daley, Harhai, Saylor, Gingrich, Harhart and Roebuck will have several more months of campaigning, as they all face general election challengers in November.
Incumbent vs. Incumbent
Due to redistricting after the 2010 census, this primary included two races that pitted incumbent against incumbent.
In the 36th, incumbent Harry Readshaw (D) faced off against incumbent Erin Molchany. He’s been in office for 20 years, and she is a freshman who campaigned against the party and won in 2012. Readshaw won the match up handedly with 60 percent of the vote to Molchany’s 40 percent. In looking at the new district, 72 percent of the voters in the new district came from Readshaw’s former district, while 21 percent came from Molchany’s. Her district was moved east to Allentown.
In the 112th Democrat Reps. Frank Farina and Kevin Haggarty ran against each other in their redistricted seat. This was a freshman vs. freshman match in the northeast. Farina’s district was sent further south to Monroe County and merged with Haggerty’s. Farina has been declared the winner in this race.
Other Incumbent Challenges
Other incumbents who faced primary challenges include:
Rep. Adam Ravenstahl (D-20) won Democratic challenger Tom Michalow and will face Republican Thomas Fodi in the fall.
Rep. Ed Gainey (D-24) won the challenge to his seat by Democrats Todd Kroger and William Anderson. There is no Republican challenger in the fall.
Rep. Dan Deasy (D-27) won his race against Democratic challenger A.J. Richardson. There is no Republican challenger in the fall.
Rep. Jesse White (D-46) defeated Democratic challenger Tom Casciola. He will face Republican Jason Ortitay in the fall.
Rep. Frank Burns (D-72) won his race against Democratic challenger Martin Westrick. He will face the Republican Philip Rice who won the primary against Randall Jay Wilson.
Rep. Jesse Topper (R-78) won his race against Republican challenger Joshua Lang. There is no Democratic challenger in the fall.
Rep. Mark Keller (R-86) defeated Republican challenger Michael Bixler. There is no Democratic candidate in the fall.
Rep. Glen Grell (R-87) won his race against Republican challenger Chris Nelson.No Democrat is running in the fall election.
Rep. Patty Kim (D-103) won her bid for reelection against Democratic challenger Gina Roberson. There is no Republican challenger in the fall.
Rep. Martin Flynn (D-113) defeated Democratic challenger Lee Morgan. He will face Republican Marcel Lisi in the fall.
Rep. Karen Boback (R-117) won in the race against Republican challenger Davis Haire. She faces Democrat Laura Dickson the November election.
Rep. Gerald Mullery (D-119) defeated his Democratic challenger Tony Bonomo. There is no Republican candidate running this fall.
Rep. David Moloney (R-130) won in the race against Republican challenger Andrew Basile. In November, he will face Democrat Russel Diesinger.
Rep. Margo Davidson (D-164) defeated Democratic challengers Dafan Zhang and Billy Smith. She will face Republican Saud Siddiqui in the fall.
Rep. Kevin Boyle (D-172) won over Democratic challenger Jeffery Voice. There is no Republican on the ticket in the general election.
Rep. Mike O’Brien (D-175) won in the race against Democratic challenger Sean Sullivan. There is no Republican challenger in the fall.
Rep. James Clay (D-179) was defeated by Democrat challenger Jason Dawkins, who will run with no Republican opposition in the fall.
Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown (D-190) won against Democratic challengers Wanda Loganl and Isaac Patterson. There is no Republican challenger in the fall.
Rep. Will Tallman (R-193) defeated Republican challenger Brian Gembusia. He faces no Democratic opposition in the fall.
Rep. Pamela Delissio (D-194) won the race against Democratic challenger David Henderson. In November, she faces Republican William Pounds.
Rep. Seth Grove (R-196) defeated Republican challenger Elizabeth Roberts. There is no Democrat challenger in the fall.
Rep. Jose Miranda (D-197) lost to Democratic challenger Leslie Acosta in the four-way primary, which also included Benjamin Ramos and Danilo Burgos. There is no Republican challenger in the fall.
Democrat Stephen Kinsey (D-201) won another term, defeating Democratic challenger Lamont Thomas. There is no Republican challenger in the fall.
Among these incumbents, Ravenstahl, White, Burns, Flynn, Boback, Maloney, Davisdon and Delissio will all still have to face a challenger in November in order to keep their seat. The rest of these incumbents have no opponent in the general election, and have secured their place in the PA House for another term, barring any write-in campaigns that may be lodged.
Open House Seats
Due to retirements over the course of the last legislative session, as well as the alteration of some district boundaries due to redistricting,19 seats came up for grabs this year, including the 112th district, in which Russ Diamond had no primary opposition and faces no opponent in the fall.
In the 5th district, Barry Jozwiak defeated Ken Norton and Joe Rudderow in the Republican primary. He will face Democrat Fredrick Sheeler in the fall. The 5th district is up for grabs due to the retirement of Rep. Greg Lucas, who ran in the Republican primary to replace retiring Sen. Bob Robbins.
In the 8th district, it appears Republican Tedd Nesbit has won a tight primary race against Herman Bauer, and Jeffery Black to replace retiring Rep. Richard Stevenson. There is no Democratic candidate on the ballot in the fall.
In the 17th district, Rep. Michele Brooks (R) decided to run for the state senate seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Bob Robbins. On the ballot to replace Brooks were Republicans Patrick Gehrlein, Gary Temple, Ed Franz, Parke Wentling and David G. Biros. Wentling won the primary and will now face Democrat Wayne Hanson, who defeated Dennis Webber in the fall.
Due to population changes reported in the 2010 census, a new district was created in the Lehigh Valley. Republican Steve Ramos ran unopposed in the primary in the 22nd district and will face Pete Schweyer, who defeated Tatiana Tooley in the Democratic primary.
The seats in the 41st and the 99th districts are open due to Rep. Ryan Aument (R) and Rep. Gordon Denlinger (R) both deciding to run for the state senate. In the 41st district, Brett Miller(R) and Alice Yoder (D) ran unopposed in their primaries and will be matched up in the general election. Similarly, in the 99thdistrict, David Zimmerman (R) and Bryan Sanguinito(D) ran unopposed yesterday but will face off come fall.
The 52nd district will continue to be represented by a Democrat. The seat was freed up when Rep. Deb Kula announced her bid for state Senate. Democrats AJ Boni, Marigrace Butela and Brad Geyer fought it out in the primary, and the winner, Boni, will run unopposed in the fall.
House Speaker Sam Smith (R) announced his retirement in February, creating an open seat in the 66thdistrict. Republicans Cris Dush, Harry G Bondenhorn and Paul Corbin ran in the Republican primary; Dush won the race and now faces Democrat Toby Santik in the fall.
In the 74th district, which was vacated by retiring Rep. Gary Haluska (D), Republican Harry Lewis ran unopposed in the primary and will face Joshua Maxwell, who defeated Joshua Young on the Democratic ballot.
The retirement of Rep. Jerry Stern (R) freed up the 80th district, and Judy Ward defeated Aaron Ritchey in the Republican primary. With no opposition on the Democratic side, Ward has the seat locked up for next term.
The 90th district and the 93rd district will both continue to be held by Republicans; Paul Schemel defeated Rita Daywalt to replace retiring Rep. Todd Rock in the 90th district, and Kristin Lee Phillips-Hill defeated Ernie Merisotis to replace retiring Rep. Ron Miller in the 93rd district.
In the newly drawn 115th district, Republican David Parker defeated Pete Begley, Anthony Diecidue and Jackie Leonard and will go on to face Democratic challenger Maureen Madden, who ran unopposed on the Democratic primary ticket, in November.
Eileen Cipriani defeated Gary Mack in the Democratic primary and will face Republican Aaron Kaufer in the 120th district in the fall. The 120th district was held by retiring Rep. Phyllis Mundy (D).
Longtime Rep. Paul Clymer (R) will retire this year, creating a vacancy in the 145th district. Republican candidate Craig Staats, who ran unopposed in the primary, will face Karen Chellew on the Democratic side in November. Chellew defeated Jonathan McCartney and Brian Kline in the primary.
Rep. Chris Ross (R) and Rep. Nick Miccozzie (R) are leaving their posts in the 158th and the 163rd districts, respectively. In the 158th, Cuyler Walker defeated Roger Howard on the Republican side and will face Susan Rzucidlo, who ran unopposed in her primary, in the fall. In the 163rd district, James Santora (R) and Vince Rongione (D), were both unopposed yesterday but will face one another come November.
When the 169th district was redrawn and moved to York County, it first looked like Philadelphia Reps. Ed Neilson (D) and John Sabatina (D) would square off in yesteday’s primary. Instead, Neilson turned his sites to the Philadelphia City Council, and Sabatina holds the 174th district with no opposition in the primary or general elections. In the newly drawn 169th, Republicans Kate Ann Klunk, Gene Montanarelli, Marc Woerner and Leroy Wentz squared off in their primary, and with no opposition on the Democratic side, the winner, Kate Ann Klunk, claims the seat for the House Republicans.
In the 173rd district, Mike Tomlinson (R) ran unopposed in the prmary and will face Democrat victor Michael Driscoll, who defeated Paul Definis and Dennis Kliderry, in November. The 173rd is an open seat due to the retirement of Rep. Mike McGeehan (D).
Finally, Rep. Mario Scavello (R) is leaving the state House to run for state Senate, freeing up the 176th district. Republican candidate Jack Rader, Jr. defeated Jim Becker and will face yeterday’s unopposed democratic candidate Hope Smith.
State Senate Races
On the Senate side, there is a little less action than in the House, given that only 25 of the chamber’s members are up for reelection this year. Ten of them have secured their place already, having had no challenger yesterday and no one slated to run against them in the fall. Among the remaining 15, five seats are open, and only three faced challengers yesterday. However, all 15 will have to work to earn their seat come November.
Senate Incumbents with Primaries
Sen. Christina “Tina” Tartaglione faced fellow Democrats Danny Savage and Tomas Sanchez in the 2nd district yesterday. Tartaglione will go on to face Republican John Jenkins in the fall.
In the 4th district, Sen. LeAnna Washington (D) squared off yesterday against Democrat challengers Brian Gralnick and Art Haywood. Haywood defeated Washington and will have to face Republican Robin Gilchirst in the general election.
Newly elected Sen. Scott Wagner (R) defeated fellow Republican Zachary Hearn in yesterday’s primary only weeks after winning a special election. He will now have to run a general election campaign against Democrat Linda Small to secure the seat for a full term.
Senate Open Seats
Five seats are up for grabs in the Pennsylvania Senate, but despite any activity on primary day, all winners will have to work hard to win the general election to claim their seat.
The 26th district didn’t see much action yesterday. Republican Thomas McGarrigle and Democrat John Kane both ran unopposed and will now face each other in November. The 26th district is up for grabs due to the retirement of Sen. Ted Erickson (R).
In the 32nd district, retiring Rep. Deberah Kula (D) defeated fellow Democrat Harry Fike. Kula will now face Republican Pat Stefano in the general election. The 32nd was previously held by Sen. Rich Kasunic (D).
Reps. Ryan Aument (R) and Gordon Denlinger (R) faced off in the 36th district, which is open due to the retirement of Sen. Mike Brubaker (R). Aument was the victor and will now face Democrat Gary Schreckengost in the fall.
In the newly drawn 40th district Rep. Mario Scavello (R) ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. He will face democratic primary winner Mark Aurand on the Democratic ticket in November.
Finally, in the 50th district retiring Rep. Michele Brooks defeated retiring Rep. Greg Lucas and Jane McPherson to run on the Republican ticket come fall, but she will still have to face Democrat Mike Muha. The 50th was held by Sen. Bob Robbins, who announced his retirement right at the end of last year.
The remaining seven members are up for re-election; they had no primary opponent, but will face a challenger in November: Tommy Tomlinson (R-6), Charles McIlhinnery (R-10), Stewart Greenleaf (R-12), Pat Browne (R-16), John Blake (D-22), John Rafferty (R-44) and Tim Solobay (D-46).
For a more complete look at the breakdown of all the races, visit the Department of State’s website at: http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/