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Notable Pennsylvania races, 2016
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Presidential • U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Attorney General • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • Candidate ballot access |
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| Notable Pennsylvania Races | |
|---|---|
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| Primary | April 26, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Notable Races | |
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| Choose a state below: | |
The highly competitive attorney general race was one of nine Pennsylvania contests Ballotpedia identified as notable races in 2016.
Overview
Attorney general and treasurer races were highly competitive
Though Republicans hold comfortable majorities in the legislature, Democrats hold all elected statewide offices. Recent controversies involving Democratic state officials, meanwhile, made the races for attorney general and treasurer competitive.
Incumbent Attorney General Kathleen Kane's (D) resigned on August 17, 2016, after she was found guilty on charges of perjury and abuse of her office. Bruce Beemer (D) was nominated to replace Kane and was sworn in on August 30, 2016. Kane, the first Democrat to hold the office since 1979, won in 2012 by 15 points.
Given the controversy surrounding Kane's administration, the general election was expected to be a highly competitive race. Josh Shapiro (D) defeated Stephen Zappala (D) in the Democratic primary contest; John Rafferty (R) defeated Joseph Peters (R) in the Republican primary contest.
Incumbent Treasurer Timothy A. Reese (Ind.) did not run for re-election in 2016, leaving the election an open race. Prior to Reese's appointment, Democrats had held the treasurer's office since 2005 but were in danger of losing it to Republicans after several controversies surrounding Democratic state officials. Businessman Otto Voit (R) and former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Torsella (D) faced off in the November election.
State legislature was likely to remain Republican
- Main articles: Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2016 and Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2016
Based on the seats up for election and the size of their majorities, Republicans were likely retain control of the state House and state Senate after the 2016 election.
| Party | State House | State Senate |
|---|---|---|
| Republicans | 119 | 30 |
| Democrats | 84 | 19 |
What makes a race notable?
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Races that receive considerable media attention
- Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Noteworthy races involving party leaders
- Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!
Notable primary elections
Attorney General
- Democratic candidates were in a competitive primary contest while one Republican had a large lead over his challenger.
The closely-watched race for Pennsylvania Attorney General was open following incumbent Kathleen Kane's (D) resignation on August 17, 2016, after she was found guilty on charges of perjury and abuse of her office. Kane, the first Democrat to hold the office since 1979, won in 2012 by 15 points.
Competition for the Democratic nomination was stiff between Josh Shapiro (D) and Stephen Zappala (D), but Shaprio defeated Zappala for the nomination. Leading up to the primary election, Shapiro was just a few points shy of the two-thirds majority vote required to earn the endorsement of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in March.[1]
John Rafferty (R) defeated Joseph Peters (R) in the Republican primary contest.
Going into the primary, John Rafferty had a significant lead over Joseph Peters, having earned the endorsement of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. Rafferty had much more cash on hand than Peters as of March 7, 2016, when Rafferty reported $141,819 in cash on hand compared to $3,006 for Peters. Rafferty also earned several key endorsements; he was expected to win the primary by a comfortable margin.[2][3]
The candidates received the following key endorsements:
| Key endorsements, Democratic primary candidates[4][5][6][7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| John Morganelli | Josh Shapiro | Stephen Zappala |
| Lehigh Valley Building Trades | Governor Tom Wolf (D) | State Senator Anthony Williams (D) |
| State Senator Lisa Boscola (D) | State Senator Bob Casey (D) | Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council |
| Carbon County D.A. Jean Engler (D) | Former Governor Ed Rendell (D) | United Mine Workers of America District 2 |
| Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse (D) | International Association of Firefighters Local 1, Local 22 | |
| Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 | Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald | |
| Pennsylvania State Education Association | ||
| Key endorsements, Republican primary candidates[8][9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Peters | John Rafferty | |
| York County Commissioner Chris Reilly | Republican Party of Pennsylvania | |
| Mifflin County Commissioner Lisa Nancollas | Pennsylvania Pro Life Federation | |
| Bradford County Sheriff C.J. Walters | Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police | |
| Wayne County Sheriff Mark Steelman | Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association | |
State Senate District 15
- Candidate rematch between a challenger and an incumbent who won the 2012 primary by just 266 votes.
Incumbent Sen. Rob Teplitz (D) ran for re-election. He easily defeated Alvin Q. Taylor (D) in the Democratic primary race, though Teplitz defeated Taylor by just 266 votes in the 2012 primary. Teplitz went on to win the 2012 general election by just three points.
John DiSanto (R) narrowly defeated Andrew Lewis (R) in the 2016 Republican primary race. Teplitz and DiSanto faced off in the November election.
State House District 12
- Candidate rematch between a challenger and an incumbent who won in 2014 by just 566 votes.
Nine-term incumbent state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R) ran for re-election. He defeated challenger Gordon Marburger (R) in the Republican primary race; Metcalfe won narrowly against Marburger in 2014.
The race was a rematch between Metcalfe and Marburger, who was removed from the Republican primary ballot in 2014 for not filing a financial interest statement with Pennsylvania election authorities.[10]
Marburger, a school board member and community college trustee, waged a write-in campaign and came within 566 votes of defeating Metcalfe in the 2014 primary. Metcalfe won the 2014 general election, 61-38. The winner faced Christian Rieger (D) in November, though the district heavily favored Republicans.[11]
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Metcalfe "has made himself a statewide icon of the hard right." Metcalfe was on vocal on his opposition to same-sex marriage, an increase in the gas tax, his support for gun rights, and making English the official language of Pennsylvania.[12]
Marburger said he would have focused less on social issues if elected. "I do go along with his conservative beliefs, but a lot of the issues should be dealt with in the federal government, and not what he needs to be doing in the 12th District," Marburger said.[12]
State House District 112
- Candidate rematch featured a former incumbent and the incumbent who won in 2014 after redistricting combined districts.
Incumbent state Rep. Frank Farina (D) ran for re-election but lost the Democratic nomination to former incumbent representative Kevin Haggerty (D). Thomas Lukasewicz (D) also competed for the nomination.
Haggerty faced Ernest Lemoncelli (R) in the general election. A Democrat has held District 112 seat since 1975.[13][14]
Farina and Haggerty faced each other in a three-way Democratic primary in 2014 after redistricting folded portions of Farina's district into Haggerty's district. Farina defeated Haggerty by seven points. In 2016, Haggerty narrowly defeated Farina for the Democratic nomination.[15]
State House District 182
- An incumbent who won the 2014 primary by two points faced three challengers.
Incumbent Rep. Brian Sims (D) ran for re-election. Sims won the 2014 Democratic primary race by just two points. He defeated Louis Lanni (D), Marni Snyder (D), and Benjamin Waxman (D) in the 2016 primary.
Sims sent a fundraising e-mail to supporters stating, "I never expected to have this big of a target on my back," which went on to refer to "right-wing extremists" that were trying to "their anti-choice and anti-equality agenda through our State House." Sims received criticism from the fact check website PolitiFact Pennsylvania for his statement that "right-wing extremists are trying to take this [Sims'] seat" since no Republicans filed to run for the seat. The e-mail further stated that conservatives were trying to push "their anti-choice and anti-equality agenda through our State House."[16]
PolitiFact Pennsylvania, gave Sims' statement the website's lowest ranking for truthfulness, and found that none of Sims' Democratic opponents could be considered "right-wing extremists." Each of Sims' opponents expressed support for progressive causes such as gay rights, criminal justice reform, and women's rights. "I don’t think any of us are right-wing extremists," said Snyder. Waxman dismissed the e-mail as "ridiculous false attacks." Lanni called himself a moderate on his campaign's Facebook page.[16][17]
State House District 190
- An incumbent awaiting trial for charges of bribery faced four challengers, including a third-time challenger.
Incumbent Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown (D) ran for re-election despite awaiting trial for charges of bribery and conflict of interest as part of a pay-to-play sting (four former incumbents were also charged). Despite the charges, Brown defeated four challengers in the Democratic primary: Raymond Bailey (D), Theodore Smith (D), Darryl Thomas (D). and Wanda Logan (D), who challenged Brown in 2012 and 2014. Lowery Brown was unopposed in November in a heavily Democratic district.[18]
Logan ran unsuccessfully against Brown in the 2014 and 2012 Democratic primaries but was optimistic about her third run against Brown. She was critical of Brown's tenure as state representative, including Brown's corruption charges. "Our crime has risen, foreclosures have risen, our shootings have risen — everything in our community has been demolished and we are in need of leadership. ... Vanessa Brown, who is now the state rep, has not been able to represent the 190th the way that it should be. We need to make changes and in the end there will be a change of leadership,” Logan said.[19]
Notable general elections
Treasurer
An open office that was a potential Republican pick-up due to controversies involving Democratic state officials.
Incumbent Timothy A. Reese (Ind.) did not run for re-election in 2016, leaving the election an open race. Businessman Otto Voit (R) and former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Torsella (D) were both unopposed in their parties' primary and faced off in the November 8, 2016, general election.
Prior to Reese's 2015 appointment, Democrats had held the office since 2005 but were in danger of losing it to Republicans after several controversies surrounding Democratic state officials. Reese was appointed in June 2015 after previous Treasurer Rob McCord (D) resigned following a federal investigation into campaign finance violations during his failed 2014 gubernatorial bid. McCord followed in the footsteps of former Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer (R), who was convicted on federal charges of conspiracy in 1987.[20][21]
State Senate District 35
An incumbent who won the 2012 general election by just two points sought re-election.
Incumbent Sen. John Wozniak (D) ran for re-election. Wozniak won the 2012 general election by just two points. He defeated Gerald Carnicella (D) in the 2016 Democratic primary. Wozniak faced Wayne Langerholc (R) in the November election.
State House District 46
A potential general election rematch featured a former incumbent seeking to regain his seat from the current incumbent.
Incumbent Rep. Jason Ortitay (R) ran for re-election. Former four-term incumbent Jesse White (D), who lost the seat to Ortitay in 2014 by 13 points, sought the seat again but was narrowly defeated by Joseph Szpara (D) in the Democratic primary.
The 2014 match between Ortitay and White was a contentious race involving controversy over White's online activities and allegations of voter fraud.
White was found to be using fictitious social media identities to criticize the natural gas industry and criticize some of his constituents who support fracking into Marcellus Shale for natural gas. White said he did not use state resources when conducting those activities and apologized for his actions.[22]
White accused Ortitay of voter fraud when Ortitay temporarily moved to Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, in 2013 and registered to vote there. Ortitay said he lived at the Burgettstown residence for less than 10 days because he anticipated living there until he found housing elsewhere. Ortitay also voted in Burgettstown around the same time he signed a lease in South Fayette, Pennsylvania. White claimed that Ortitay committed voter fraud. "I don't think he lived there for a day. His plan was going to be that he'll take this address and no one else will know better." Washington County Elections Director Larry Spahr said Ortitay did not commit voter fraud if he expected to live in Burgettstown for the foreseeable future. Ortitay denied any wrongdoing.[23]
Freshman legislators
The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.
- Aaron Bernstine (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 10
- Alexander Charlton (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 165
- Anita Astorino Kulik (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 45
- Brian Kirkland (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 159
- Bud Cook (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 49
- Carol Hill-Evans (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 95
- Carolyn Comitta (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 156
- Christopher Rabb (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 200
- Daniel Laughlin (Republican), .Pennsylvania State Senate, District 49
- Dawn Keefer (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 92
- Eric Roe (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 158
- Francis Ryan (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 101
- Isabella Fitzgerald (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 203
- Jared Solomon (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 202
- John DiSanto (Republican), .Pennsylvania State Senate, District 15
- Jonathan Fritz (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 111
- Justin Walsh (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 58
- Kevin Haggerty (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 112
- Matthew Dowling (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 51
- Maureen Madden (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 115
- Michael Corr (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 150
- Mike Regan (Republican), .Pennsylvania State Senate, District 31
- Morgan Cephas (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 192
- Perry Warren (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 31
- Scott Martin (Pennsylvania) (Republican), .Pennsylvania State Senate, District 13
- Sharif Street (Democratic), .Pennsylvania State Senate, District 3
- Thomas Mehaffie (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 106
- Wayne Langerholc (Republican), .Pennsylvania State Senate, District 35
- Zachary Mako (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 183
Defeated incumbents
The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.
- Dan Truitt (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 156
- David Parker (Pennsylvania) (Republican), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 115
- Jaret Gibbons (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 10
- Rob Teplitz (Democratic), .Pennsylvania State Senate, District 15
- Sean Wiley (Democratic), .Pennsylvania State Senate, District 49
- Tim Mahoney, Pennsylvania Representative (Democratic), .Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 51
See also
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Pennsylvania State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ CBS Pittsburg, "Pa. Democratic State Committee Not Endorsing Any Senate Candidates," March 5, 2016
- ↑ Campaign Finance Online - Pennsylvania, "Campaign Finance Report for John Rafferty," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Campaign Finance Online - Pennsylvania, "Campaign Finance Report for Joseph Peters," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Josh Shapiro, "Endorsements," accessed March 25, 2016
- ↑ Politics PA, "Lehigh Building Trades Endorse Morganelli," February 26, 2016
- ↑ Politics PA, "Boscola Endorses Morganelli for AG," March 3, 2016
- ↑ Stephen Zappala, "Press Releases," accessed March 2,5 2016
- ↑ Joe Peters, "Endorsements," accessed March 25, 2016
- ↑ John Rafferty, "Endorsements," accessed March 25, 2016
- ↑ triblive.com, "Challenger to Metcalfe's state House seat off primary ballot," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Triblive.com, "Marburger taking 2nd shot at incumbent state Rep. Metcalfe," March 12, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Triblive.com, "Marburger taking 2nd shot at incumbent state Rep. Metcalfe," March 12, 2016
- ↑ Wilkes University, "Pennsylvania State Legislature: Members, Districts and Party Affiliations by Session, 1790 - 2004," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ Wikipedia.org, "Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 112," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ Scranton Times-Tribune, "Haggerty plans new state rep bid," February 13, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 PolitiFact, "Brian Sims: "Right-wing extremists are trying to take this seat," March 18, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Lou Lanni 4 State Rep Facebook Page," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ pennlive.com, "Pa. State Rep. Ron Waters pleads to accepting cash for official action; will resign seat today," accessed June 1, 2015
- ↑ Philadelphia Tribune, "Wanda Logan announces another run for the 190th seat," February 3, 2016
- ↑ Observer-Reporter, "Dwyer must resign or face dismissal, Zimmerman says," January 22, 1987
- ↑ The New York Times, "Official calls in press and kills himself," January 23, 1987
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Clamor over Rep. Jesse White's online personas grows," June 9, 2013
- ↑ The Almanac, "Rep. Jason Ortitay denies voter fraud claims," December 11, 2014
