Daniel Wassmer

Daniel Wassmer (Liberal Party) is running in a special election for judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. He is on the ballot in the special general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

In 2020, Wassmer participated in a Candidate Conversation hosted by Ballotpedia and EnCiv. Click here to view the recording.

Biography

Daniel Wassmer obtained a B.A. and an M.B.A. after attending Nassau Community College, Utah State University, and Adelphi University. He obtained a J.D. from New York Law School in 1989. His professional experience includes working as an adjunct professor, lawyer, business owner, scuba diving instructor, and artist.^[1]

Elections

2025

General election

Special general election for Pennsylvania Superior Court

Brandon Neuman, Maria Battista, and Daniel Wassmer are running in the special general election for Pennsylvania Superior Court on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Brandon Neuman (D)
		Maria Battista (R)
		Daniel Wassmer (Liberal Party)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court

Brandon Neuman advanced from the special Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court on May 20, 2025.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brandon Neuman	99.3	843,400
	Other/Write-in votes	0.7	5,590

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 848,990
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Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court

Maria Battista defeated Ann Marie Wheatcraft in the special Republican primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court on May 20, 2025.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Maria Battista	53.7	355,760
	Ann Marie Wheatcraft	45.7	302,592
	Other/Write-in votes	0.6	4,266

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 662,618
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Endorsements

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2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Fetterman (D)	51.2	2,751,012
	Mehmet Oz (R)	46.3	2,487,260
	Erik Chase Gerhardt (L)	1.4	72,887
	Richard Weiss (G)	0.6	30,434
	Daniel Wassmer (Keystone Party of Pennsylvania)	0.5	26,428
	Quincy Magee (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Ronald Johnson (Constitution Party) (Write-in)	0.0	0

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,368,021
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Everett Stern (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania

John Fetterman defeated Conor Lamb, Malcolm Kenyatta, and Alexandria Khalil in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania on May 17, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Fetterman	58.6	753,557
	Conor Lamb	26.3	337,498
	Malcolm Kenyatta	10.8	139,393
	Alexandria Khalil	4.2	54,460

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,284,908
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania on May 17, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Mehmet Oz	31.2	420,168
	David McCormick	31.1	419,218
	Kathy Barnette	24.7	331,903
	Carla Sands	5.4	73,360
	Jeff Bartos	5.0	66,684
	Sean Gale	1.5	20,266
	George Bochetto	1.1	14,492

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,346,091
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

Pennsylvania Attorney General election, 2020 (June 2 Republican primary)

Pennsylvania Attorney General election, 2020 (June 2 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Incumbent Josh Shapiro defeated Heather Heidelbaugh, Daniel Wassmer, and Richard Weiss in the general election for Attorney General of Pennsylvania on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Josh Shapiro (D)	50.9	3,461,472
	Heather Heidelbaugh (R)	46.3	3,153,831
	Daniel Wassmer (L)	1.8	120,489
	Richard Weiss (G)	1.0	70,804

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,806,596
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Incumbent Josh Shapiro advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Josh Shapiro	100.0	1,429,414

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,429,414
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Heather Heidelbaugh advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Heather Heidelbaugh	100.0	1,055,168

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,055,168
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

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2022

Daniel Wassmer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Conversations

Moderated by journalist and political commentator Greta Van Susteren, Candidate Conversations is a virtual debate format that allows voters to easily get to know their candidates through a short video Q&A. Click below to watch the conversation for this race.

Daniel Wassmer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wassmer's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm an attorney and an educator with over 30 years of practical experience as an attorney. I've served as an attorney in a variety of capacities and have also worked as an adjunct college professor for approximately 19 years. As a college educator I have instructed in both a paralegal program as well as in management classes. In addition, I am a proud member of the AFT. Similarly I served as an FOP counsel in NY (more on "real police reforms" later). My legal experience is diverse. I have represented: individuals, unions, businesses, hospitals, and have formerly served as a assistant county solicitor to Bucks County PA. In addition I formerly served as an uncompensated State Commissioner and appointee of Governor Tom Ridge to the bi-state agency known as the DRJTBC. I have two grown children and care for an elderly mother. I am also the only candidate who is a zealous advocate for the second amendment and unlike the "R" candidate will actually represent and promote safe gun interests. As both a teacher as well as a firearm conceal carry licensee I advocate for permitting teachers to protect our children in school by allowing "willing/trained teachers" to conceal carry as a practical means of stopping threats to our children. Notwithstanding my affiliation with unions, police and gun advocacy I can guaranty that I wont be endorsed by a single 1. With two minority children I also understand race issues and offer a unique perspective on all.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Stop treating issues as if they are independent. Life has relationships and so do our issues. Thinking of policies in terms of sorted little boxes simply isn't realistic.
I'm here to listen and build concensus. I am not an authoritarian and never want to be. Two parties collectively picking sides while working against the people is a major injustice to everyone.
Stop being "played" by political cronies. Having been formerly affiliated with both R's and D's I can blatantly state that their manipulation of our system of governement needs to change. We need to restore government to the people of this county.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I will fall back on the metaphor of bridges. That is what we all should be striving for. As an individual who values our Bill of Rights I am appalled by how both the Republican and Democratic parties seem to view our individual "liberties" as some type of menu that they can order off of. The utter stifling of first amendment rights in this country is atrocious. The use of our court system and manipulation of government resources to do it is even more appalling.

Everyone in this country ought to feel that they equally enjoy the freedoms which we are endowed with to make our own responsible decisions and fulfill our dreams. The impediments of government have driven us apart and the flagrant "power grabs" by both parties when viewed objectively is horrific. America needs to honestly become a country where all people are valued not a select few. People in this country need to become self reliant and stop viewing government as a savior when in reality it is an inhibitor.

Government needs to get out of the way of individuals and stop imposing arbitrary restrictions upon people literally to protect political favorites! A case in point? The failed war on drugs. We incarcerate poor people who self medicate or support those habits while enriching well positioned "licensees" who are also selling drugs? A poor minority neighborhood is ripped apart by drug dealing while a wealthy area has a well respected dispensary licensee? Seriously? This is America?

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The office covers every role of government and unfortunately the abuses within that office have a huge impact. I'm tired of another administration of abuses and you should be also. Both parties have used this office for political "hit jobs" and enough is enough. Both parties are loaded with people ripping off the citizens and enough is enough!

Look for a minute at what is happening with social media. Both parties are attempting to vilify America's largest tech companies in a world where "we" get to communicate with each other and are literally extorting money via paid lobbyist to fill their campaign coffers. Objectively this is a joke right out of the novel 1984. Infringing on free speech? Literally attempting to control speech. Cut me a break.

We have had the PA State Democratic Party (with the blessing of Josh Shapiro) use the courts specifically to hinder free and fair elections and Republican Heather Heidelbaugh proudly states that she was a person who authored a piece called "Protecting the Integrity of the Polling Place: A Constitutional Defense of Poll Watcher Statutes!" Seriously?

I want these "vote hindering, anti-participation, dirtbags" both vanquished! This is America not Communist China. If they want to live in a totalitarian state they ought to go to China and enjoy. These people are literally garbage.....

The National Association of Attorneys General has described the office as being at the "intersection of law and public policy." What does that mean to you?

It means the National Association of Attorney General's is exceeding their authority. The entire system is full of corruption and honestly fixing any of this? Is a long arduous proposition that cant be done without a hall monitor when two parties run amuck.

The attorney general often sets policy priorities for law enforcement. For example, a state's attorney general may decide to dedicate extra resources to combat human trafficking. Are there certain areas of law enforcement that you would emphasize?

As an individual who was an FOP attorney and was given the latitude to actually set up a bi-state "police force" on DRJTBC bridges how about we stop referring to them as "police" and start referring to them as "peace officers". Secondly the first real thing that needs to be done is to stop the code of silence which actually harms good police officers who are literally afraid to rat out bad cops. I have friends who are cops and I have talked to them about the George Floyd issue. Literally I was told by one that "he knew what he was getting when he was assigned to whom he would be patrolling on any given day". He stated he knew when there would be violence involved. What kind of country tolerates this? Literally cops are afraid to report their own. Where has our current AG been for the past 4 years? The other candidate from Allegheny County was an elected official and she is as silent on the issue. Give me a break!

Law enforcement should not serve as a human shield to an angry public. Law enforcement is not a prop to win votes with staged drug raids for press purposes. Anyone who fails to see the global issues involved here and even answers this question by saying they will do A or B literally should never hold this position.

A state's attorney general has many responsibilities. Which of those do you personally consider the most important?

Restoring trust to the office! [5 words says it all].

Attorneys general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

Actually telling the Federal government to enforce its own failed laws such as the failed war on drugs would be one of my major priorities. We now have so many laws on the books we literally need to stop enforcing laws and massively incarcerating people. Like I said earlier someone with a casino license becomes a major political donor but imagine you have an unlicensed "charity lottery". Give me a break! A poor "addicted" street corner drug dealer sell as nickel bag to support a habit while a licensed dispensary owner lists on the New York Stock Exchange and becomes a millionaire. Seriously?

People in this country need to see what this really is. We have allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked into a system of massive manipulation to see who gets protection and who doesn't. It's corrupt on so many levels!

I'm outraged and will use this office to call every inequity out and fight to end all this utter nonsense. Mass incarceration, prison issues, gang violence, police brutality, gun issues, immigration issues, flight from South and Central America, etc. - they are all related to the massive amounts of money literally wasted on this preposterous situation.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a state's attorney general to have previous experience in government or politics?

How about a different question such as "experience handling the problems of real people". We currently have an AG who has apparently from my research never set foot in a courtroom. How can an individual who has never dealt with a divorce have any idea what that entails. Politics? I worked with a guy who became the Lieutenant Governor of PA and my assessment of him was that he was a joke. I worked for a guy who became a Congressman and he wanted me to appeal a decision issued by the President Judge of the PA Supreme Court. Do I think "previous experience in government or politics" is important? I think using your brain is important.

Coincidentially - AG Shapiro never appears to have ever held a "private sector job". That to me is also important.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Martin Luther King Jr. - I am probably the only person currently running for this position who actively traced his path and his connections to our state. The man was a marvel and is an absolute national hero. It shocks me that in this day and age we still can not remedy the inequities of this country (mind you largely as a result of government policies). In a country which has the largest number of billionaires in the world we have a scant 5 or 6 black billionaires? That is a result of gross inquietude fostered by government policy which people refuse to even discuss. All of this literally is something a real Attorney General can actually do something about. Yet? Our current AG wants 4 more years and the prior AG who became our governor literally turned a blind eye to this also simply for "power"! Nonsense.

We need empowerment and self realization.

Martin Luther King, Jr's. lowest grade in seminary was "public speaking". Imagine that! The most powerful speaker of generations delivered the most powerful speech in American History. AND HE WASN'T A POLITICIAN!

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Milton Friedman "Capital and Freedom" on economics, the movie "Burt Buzz" about Burt Shavitz (founder of Burt's Bees) on what is important in life, the documentary "the Pacifist" about my friend Larry Bassett on institutional violence [available on Prime] and "The Color of Law" by Richard Rothstein on how the government continued segregation and inequity in this country. And people may actually want to read their US Constitution and more specifically their Bill of Rights for a CHANGE.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, truthfulness and not hiding in big government buildings when people are angry. Listening and actually talking to people. Not using our "Peace Officers" as human shields. Fairness. Equity. Literally nothing I have witnessed in recent times......

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Hard work, fairness and honesty. Treating people right.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

It's a management position largely and honestly if the current AG were not there tomorrow I don't think it would matter one iota. What should happen and what does happen are two distinctly different things.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Leaving the world a better place would always be a nice idea.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Kennedy assassination. (To avoid detailing my age online I will say that that occurred prior to reaching the age of 5). I also recall attending the NY World's Fair.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I stocked shelves and gathered shopping carts in a Waldbaum's Food Store supermarket in Garden City Park, NY commencing on the very first day I was able to work. I left the job when it began to affect my grades. Years later I realized that I was actually working more hours than I was permitted to work by law as a minor. I suppose that based upon my height the manager believed I was older than I was. To be honest that was so long ago I can't really recall how long I worked there. Nevertheless, I do believe it lasted for quite a bit of time. Prior to that I "helped" my father who was a self employed plumbing contractor in NY. I learned aboutr "sweating pipe fittings and threading pipe probably around the age of 12. I can honestly say I learned all about "hard work" at a quite early age. In fact, I have worked as a roofer, painter, bank teller, call center operator, etc.. at various times to help pay for my college education. Later on I also worked on Wall Street after working my way up from a bank teller. I also worked for National Westminster Bank USA for a period of time while also attending Law School full time (as a commuter student) and separately earned an MBA at night while working full time.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Ben Franklin's Autobiography - Practical.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Pulp Fiction - Mr. Wolf (because he "fixes problems") not to be confused with our Governor "King" Wolf who breaks and impairs things and doesn't try to fix things (unless we are talking about "elections").

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Dark Necessities by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

That's a long story...... Like an honest person many things but I'm trying.....

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Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.

External links

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 25, 2020

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 25, 2020

[1]

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Daniel Wassmer

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

Special general election for Pennsylvania Superior Court

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court

Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for Pennsylvania Superior Court

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Pennsylvania

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

General election

General election for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

2020

Candidate Conversations

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

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