April 21, 2016 

With little to report on the legislative front this week, the focus in Pennsylvania is Tuesday’s upcoming Primary Election. All 203 members of the House of Representatives and 25 of the 50 state Senators are up for re-election; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that 228 people are campaigning hard and losing sleep over polls. While a handful of members are facing a same-party challenger next Tuesday, some are getting a free pass until November, having no primary opponent but facing an opposite party opponent in the General Election. Other members are getting a free pass until 2018, with no opposition in either the primary or the general elections. And still, others are either retiring or running for a different elected office. With that in mind, here’s a ballpark idea of what to expect on Tuesday.

Home Free:

Ninety-two seated members of the House and ten seated members of the Senate are home free. As of now, these members have neither a primary nor a general election challenger. Unless they are defeated by a write-in candidate or resign in the meantime, they’re safe, and this is the last we’ll be reporting on this group.

On the House side, the safe group includes 57 Republicans and 35 Democrats. Listed by district, those members are:

  • Sonney (R-HD-4/Erie)
  • Jozwiak (R-HD-5/Berks)
  • Longietti (D-HD-7/Mercer)
  • Nesbit (R-HD-8/Mercer)
  • Sainato (D-HD-9/Lawrence)
  • Ellis (R-HD-11/Butler)
  • Marshall (R-HD-14/Beaver)
  • Matzie (D-HD-16/Beaver)
  • DiGirolamo (R-HD-18/Bucks)
  • Costa, Dom (D-HD-21/Allegheny)
  • Schweyer (D-HD-22/Lehigh)
  • Frankel (D-HD-23/Allegheny)
  • Hennessey (R-HD-26/Chester)
  • Deasy (D-HD-27/Allegheny)
  • Turzai (R-HD-28/Allegheny)
  • O’Neill (R-HD-29/Bucks)
  • English (R-HD-30/Allegheny)
  • DeLuca (D-HD-32/Allegheny)
  • Dermody (D-HD-33/Allegheny)
  • Costa, Paul (D-HD-34/Allegheny)
  • Gergely (D-HD-35/Allegheny)
  • Readshaw (D-HD-36/Allegheny)
  • Miller, Dan (D-HD-42/Allegheny)
  • Mustio (R-HD-44/Allegheny)
  • Gillespie (R-HD-47/York)
  • Neuman (D-HD-48/Washington)
  • Evankovich (R-HD-54/Westmoreland)
  • Dunbar (R-HD-56/Westmoreland)
  • Reese (R-HD-59/Westmoreland)
  • Pyle (R-HD-60/Armstrong)
  • James (R-HD-64/Venango)
  • Dush (R-HD-66/Jefferson)
  • Causer (R-HD-67/McKean)
  • Baker (R-HD-68/Tioga)
  • Metzgar (R-HD-69/Somerset)
  • Conklin (D-HD-77Centre)
  • Topper (R-HD-78/Bedford)
  • Ward (R-HD-80/Blair)
  • Harris, Adam (R-HD-82/Juniata)
  • Wheeland (R-HD-83/Lycoming)
  • Everett (R-HD-84/Lycoming)
  • Keller, Fred (R-HD-85/Snyder)
  • Keller, Mark (R-HD-86/Perry)
  • Schemel (R-HD-90/Franklin)
  • Phillips-Hill (R-HD-93/York)
  • Saylor (R-HD-94/York)
  • Hickernell (R-HD-98/Lancaster)
  • Zimmerman (R-HD-99/Lancaster)
  • Marisco (R-HD-105/Dauphin)
  • Schlegel Culver (R-HD-108/Northumberland)
  • Millard (R-HD-109/Columbia)
  • Pickett (R-HD-110/Bradford)
  • Boback(R-HD-117/Luzerne)
  • Carroll (D-HD-118/Luzerne)
  • Pashinski (D-HD-121/Luzerne)
  • Goodman (D-HD-123/Schuylkill)
  • Knowles (R-HD-124/Schuylkill)
  • Tobash (R-HD-125/Schuylkill)
  • Rozzi (D-HD-126/Berks)
  • Caltagirone (D-HD-127/Berks)
  • Gillien (R-HD-128/Berks)
  • Cox (R-HD-129/Berks)
  • Maloney (R-HD-130/Berks)
  • Mackenzie (R-HD-134/Lehigh)
  • Samuelson (D-HD-135/Northampton)
  • Freeman (D-HD-136/Northampton)
  • Emrick (R-HD-137/Northampton)
  • Hahn (R-HD-138/Northampton)
  • Peifer (R-HD-139/Pike)
  • Galloway (D-HD-140/Bucks)
  • Davis (D-HD-141/Bucks)
  • Farry (R-HD-142/Bucks)
  • Watson (R-HD-144/Bucks)
  • Barrar (R-HD-160/Delaware)
  • Klunk (R-HD-169/York)
  • Driscoll (D-HD-173/Philadelphia)
  • Neilson (D-HD-174/Philadelphia)
  • Rader (R-HD-176/Monroe)
  • Dawkins (D-HD-179/Philadelphia)
  • Cruz (D-HD-180/Philadelphia)
  • Keller, William (D-HD-184/Philadelphia)
  • Donatucci (D-HD-185/Philadelphia)
  • Day (R-HD-187/Lehigh)
  • Roebuck (D-HD-188/Philadelphia)
  • McClinton (D-HD-191/Philadelphia)
  • Tallman (R-HD-193/Adams)
  • Grove (R-HD-196/York)
  • Acosta (D-HD-197/Philadelphia)
  • Youngblood (D-HD-198/Philadelphia)
  • Bloom (R-HD-199/Cumberland)
  • Kinsey (D-HD-201/Philadelphia

On the Senate side, of the 25 seats up, seven Republicans and two Democrats get a pass this year, facing neither a primary nor a general election challenger. They are, by district:

  • Hughes (D-SD-7/Philadelphia)
  • Hutchinson (R-SD-21/Venango)
  • Yaw (R-SD-23/Lycoming)
  • Scarnati (R-SD-25/Jefferson)
  • Gordner (R-SD-27/Columbia)
  • Argall (R-SD-29/Schuylkill)
  • Alloway (R-SD-33/Franklin)
  • Ward (R-SD-39/Westmoreland)
  • Costa (D-SD-43/Allegheny)
  • Vogel (R-SD-47/Beaver) 

On the Bench:

We’ve a lot a number of incumbents on the bench for now. These members do not have a primary challenger next week, but will face a challenger from the opposing party in November. Barring some unusual circumstance, we won’t have anything to report from this group until the Fall.

There are 77 incumbents who get to sit out the Primary Election. The House side includes 42 Republicans and 29 Democrats. In order by legislative district, they are: 

  • Harkins (D-HD-1/Erie)
  • Fabrizio (D-HD-2/Erie)
  • Bizzarro (D-HD-3/Erie)
  • Roae (R-HD-6/Crawford)
  • Gibbons (D-HD-10/Lawrence)
  • Lawrence (R-HD-13/Chester)
  • Christiana (R-HD-15/Beaver)
  • Wentling (R-HD-17/Mercer)
  • Markosek (D-HD-25/Allegheny)
  • Kortz (D-HD-38/Allegheny)
  • Saccone (R-HD-39/Allegheny)
  • Maher (R-HD-40/Allegheny)
  • Miller, B.(R-HD-41/Lancaster)
  • Greiner (R-HD-43/Lancaster)
  • Ortitay (R-HD-46/Allegheny)
  • Snyder (D-HD-50/Greene)
  • Mahoney (D-HD-51/Fayette)
  • Warner (R-HD-52/Fayette)
  • Godshall (R-HD-53/Montgomery)
  • Petrarca (D-HD-55/Westmoreland)
  • Harper (R-HD-61/Montgomery)
  • Reed (R-HD-62/Indiana)
  • Oberlander (R-HD-63/Clarion)
  • Bradford (D-HD-70/Montgomery)
  • Barbin (D-HD-71/Cambria)
  • Sankey (R-HD-73/Clearfield)
  • Lewis (R-HD-74/Chester)
  • Gabler (R-HD-75/Clearfield)
  • Hanna (D-HD-76/Clinton)
  • Delozier (R-HD-88/Cumberland)
  • Kauffman (R-HD-89/Franklin)
  • Moul (R-HD-91/Adams)
  • Schreiber (D-HD-95/York)
  • Sturla (D-HD-96/Lancaster)
  • Mentzer (R-HD-97/Lancaster)
  • Cutler (R-HD-100/Lancaster)
  • Masser (R-HD-107/Northumberland)
  • Flynn (D-HD-113/Lackawanna)
  • Kavulich (D-HD-114/Lackawanna)
  • Parker (R-HD-115/Monroe)
  • Toohil (R-HD-116/Luzerne)
  • Mullery (D-HD-119/Luzerne)
  • Kaufer (R-HD-120/Luzerne)
  • Heffley (R-HD-122/Carbon)
  • Schlossberg (D-HD-132/Lehigh)
  • McNeill (D-HD-133/Lehigh)
  • Quinn (R-HD-143/Bucks)
  • Staats (R-HD-145/Bucks)
  • Quigley(R-HD-146/Montgomery)
  • Toepel (R-HD-147/Montgomery)
  • Daley, Mary Jo (D-HD-148/Montgomery)
  • Briggs (D-HD-149/Montgomery)
  • Stephens (R-HD-151/Montgomery)
  • Murt (R-HD-152/Montgomery)
  • Dean (D-HD-153/Montgomery)
  • McCarter (D-HD-154/Montgomery)
  • Corbin (R-HD-155/Chester)
  • Truitt (R-HD-156/Chester)
  • Kampf (R-HD-157/Chester)
  • Kirkland (D-HD-159/Delaware)
  • Krueger-Braneky (D-HD-161/Delaware)
  • Miccarelli (R-HD-162/Delaware)
  • Santora (R-HD-163/Delaware)
  • Vitali (D-HD-166/Delaware)
  • Milne (R-HD-167/Chester)
  • White (R-HD-170/Philadelphia)
  • Benninghoff (R-HD-171/Centre)
  • Boyle (D-HD-172/Philadelphia)
  • Taylor (R-HD-177/Philadelphia)
  • Petri (R-HD-178/Bucks),
  • Brown, R. (R-HD-189/Monroe)

On the Senate side, there are two Republicans and four Democrats who have a temporary pass. They are, by district:

  • Schwank (D-SD-11/Berks)
  • Leach (D-SD-17/Montgomery)
  • Dinniman (D-SD-19/Chester)
  • Reschenthaler (R-SD-37/Allegheny)
  • White (R-SD-41/Indiana)
  • Wiley (D-SD-49/Erie)

At Bat:

This next group includes members with some skin in the game next Tuesday. Twenty-four members of the House and 4 members of the Senate are facing a primary challenger. They may end up with a pass in November if there is no opponent on the other side, but first they need to clear the hurdle of winning their own party’s nomination next Tuesday.

In order by district, members facing a primary challenge are:

  • Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-HD-12/Butler), challenged by Gordon Marburger;
  • Rep. Jake Wheatley (D-HD-19/Allegheny) challenged by Jessica Wolfe;
  • Rep. Adam Ravenstahl (D-HD-20/Allegheny) challenged by Brian Weismantle;
  • Rep. Ed Gainey (D-HD-24/Allegheny) challenged by William Anderson and Todd Koger;
  • Rep. Mindy Fee (R-HD-37/Lancaster) challenged by Timothy Reedy;
  • Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-HD-65/Warren) challenged by Benjamin Chase;
  • Rep. Frank Burns (D-HD-72/Cambria) challenged by Martin Westrick;
  • Rep. John McGinnis (R-HD-79/Blair) challenged by Peter Starr;
  • Rep. Richard Irvin (R-HD-81/Huntingdon) challenged by Richard Rogers;
  • Rep. Greg Rothman (R-HD-87/Cumberland) challenged by Michael Travis;
  • Rep. Russell Diamond (R-HD-102/Lebanon) challenged by Thomas Houtz;
  • Rep. Patty Kim (D-HD-103/Dauphin) challenged by Richard Soto;
  • Rep. Susan Helm (R-HD-104/Dauphin) challenged by Nathaniel Curtis;
  • Rep. Frank Farina (D-HD-112/Lackawanna) challenged by Thomas Lukasewicz and (former Representative) Kevin Haggerty;
  • Rep. Justin Simmons (R-HD-131/Lehigh) challenged by William Coyle Jr.;
  • Rep. Margo Davidson (D-HD-164/Delaware) challenged by Sekela Coles;
  • Rep. Michael O’Brien (D-HD-175/Philadelphia) challenged by Sean Sullivan Jr.;
  • Rep. Curtis Thomas (D-HD-181/Philadelphia) challenged by Kenneth Walker Jr.;
  • Rep. Brian Sims (D-HD-182/Philadelphia) challenged by Benjamin Waxman, Louis Lanni Jr., and Marni Snyder;
  • Rep. Jordan Harris (D-HD-186/Philadelphia) challenged by Nathan Chatmon;
  • Rep. Vanessa Brown (D-HD-190/Philadelphia) challenged by Wanda Logan, Darryl Thomas, Theodore Smith, Movita Johnson-Harrell, and Raymond Bailey;
  • Rep. Pamela DeLissio (D-HD-194/Philadelphia) challenged by Sean Stevens;
  • Rep. Donna Bullock (D-HD-195/Philadelphia) challenged by Jimmie Moore and Jamar Izzard;
  • Rep. Mark Cohen (D-HD-202/Philadelphia) challenged by Jared Solomon;
  • Sen. Lawrence Farense (D-SD-1/Philadelphia) challenged by John Morley Jr.;
  • Sen. John Sabatina (D-SD-5/Philadelphia) challenged by Kevin Boyle;
  • Sen. Rob Teplitz (D-Dauphin) challenged by Alvin Taylor; and
  • Sen. John Wozniak (D-SD-35/Cambria) challenged by Gerald Carnicella.

On Wednesday, we’ll let you know who survived their primary, and whether or not they’ll have an opponent in the fall.

The Retirees:

Last but not least, there are a number of open seats. The members of this group are hanging up their jerseys; either retiring or running for a different state or federal office. There will be a new member, possibly from a different party, representing these districts come January 2017.

The retiring members are (listed by district):

  • Rep. Steven Santarsiero (D-HD-31/Bucks) (running for Congress)
  • Rep. Nick Kotik (D-HD-45/Allegheny),
  • Rep. Peter Daley (D-HD-49/Washington)
  • Rep. Ted Harhai (D-HD-58/Westmoreland)
  • Rep. Mike Regan (R-HD-92/York) (running for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Vance)
  • Rep. Mauree Gingrich (R-HD-101/Lebanon)
  • Rep. John Payne (R-HD-106/Dauphin)
  • Rep. Sandra Major (R-HD-111/Susquehanna)
  • Rep. Mike Vereb (R-HD-150/Montgomery)
  • Rep. Chris Ross (R-HD-158/Chester)
  • Rep. William Adolph (R-HD-165/Delaware)
  • Rep. Thomas Killion (R-HD-168/Delaware)(running for the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Pileggi earlier this year)
  • Rep. Julie Harhart (R-HD-183/Northampton)
  • Rep. Dwight Evans (D-HD-203/Philadelphia)(running for Congress)
  • Sen. Shirley Kitchen (D-SD-3/Philadelphia)
  • Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R-SD-13/Lancaster) (running for Congress)
  • Sen. Patricia Vance (R-SD-31/Cumberland)

With the open seats, there could be any number of candidates from either party squaring off now to face off against the other side in the General Election.

To see the candidates who are running to fill open seats, go to: http://www.dos.pa.gov/VotingElections/CandidatesCommittees/RunningforOffice/Documents/PostBallotLotteryCandidateListing.pdf%204%2020%2016%20Cutty.pdf

We’ll report on Wednesday who from each side will be running to fill the vacancy in November.

Other Statewide Races

With so much happening in the Pennsylvania Legislature, it’s easy to forget that there are other statewide races on Tuesday. All three of our row offices are up for grabs. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has no primary opponent, but will face John Brown in the General Election this fall.  Treasurer Tim Reese, appointed by Gov. Wolf to fill the vacancy created when Treasurer Rob McCord retired, isn’t running to keep his post: Joseph Torsella is running for treasurer on the democratic side and Otto Voit, III on the republican side. Finally, Attorney General Kathleen Kane is not running for reelection, so there is a three-way race on the democratic side; John Morganelli, Josh Shapiro and Steve Zappalla, II. Joe Peters and John Rafferty are fighting for the republican nomination.

The Ballot Question that Wasn’t

There will be a ballot question on the ticket on Tuesday, but as it turns out, it really won’t matter. In October of 2013, and then again in November of 2015, the General Assembly passed legislation that would put a constitutional amendment increasing the mandatory retirement age of the state’s judges and justices from 70 to 75 on the ballot for consideration by the electorate. Given the timing of the passage of those bills, the question was to be considered at the April 26 primary election. However, the General Assembly passed a third resolution- H.R. 783 (Harper, R-Montgomery) earlier this month that would re-word the question presented and move its consideration to the November 8 General Election. Democrats brought suit to stop the implementation of H.R. 783 and leave the question on the primary ballot, claiming that any changes at this juncture would disenfranchise military and absentee voters who may have already cast their votes on the issue. Commonwealth Court Judge Kevin Brobson rejected that argument, leaving the questions of how and when to put a question on the ballot to the General Assembly. Though the question is now moot, it is too late for counties to physically remove the question from the ballot. Therefore, though it will appear, it will not be counted, giving us until November to sleep on the issue of whether judges should continue to retire at age 70, or if we should allow them to serve on the bench until age 75.

And that’s the lay of the land for Tuesday. Stay tuned to this blog for an update on who’s in and who’s out come Wednesday morning.